Comparison

Exploding Kittens® 2 vs Jacks Wild

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Exploding Kittens® 2

Experience the chaotic fun of a popular card game with friends. This digital version features customizable avatars, animated cards, and new ways to play, including the highly requested "Nope" card. Engage in quick rounds of strategy and luck to be the last player standing.

Highlights
  • Customizable avatars
  • Emoji reactions
  • Multiple game modes
  • Animated cards
  • Online multiplayer
  • AI opponent
Features
Read full description

The ultimate card game with friends is back with a bang, people! EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 has it all – customisable avatars, emojis, oodles of game modes and cards full of quirky humour and animations sleeker than an oiled kitty with catnip-fuelled zoomies! Plus, the official EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 game brings the most-requested mechanic of all…the Nope card! Stuff a glorious Nope Sandwich right into the horrified faces of your friends – with extra Nopesauce, of course. HOW TO PLAY EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 1. Download the EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 online game. 2. Optional: Get your friends to download it too. 3. Each player plays as many cards as they like on their turn OR passes! 4. The player then draws a card to end their turn. If it’s an EXPLODING KITTEN, they’re out (unless they have a handy Defuse card). 5. Keep going until only one player is left standing! FEATURES - CUSTOMISE YOUR AVATARS – Dress your avatar up in the season’s hottest outfits (cat hair not included) - REACT TO GAMEPLAY – Personalise your emoji sets to ensure your trash talk has a razor-sharp edge. - MULTIPLE GAME MODES – Play alone against our expert AI or impress your mum with your sparkling social life by playing with friends online! - ANIMATED CARDS – The mayhem comes to life with awesome animations! Those Nope cards just hit different now… Steady yourself, think of calming waves and draw a card!

About

Jacks Wild

A card strategy game where players race to complete sequences of chips on a board. Offers solo play against AI or multiplayer challenges with friends. Features two game modes and strategic use of wild and removal cards.

Highlights
  • Sequence completion on a 10x10 board
  • Solo play against AI
  • Apple Game Center multiplayer
  • Classic (five-in-a-row) and Blitz (four-in-a-row) modes
  • Use wild Jacks to claim spaces
  • Remove opposing chips with one-eyed Jacks
  • Detailed stats and achievements
Features
Read full description

Jacks Wild brings thoughtful card strategy to a calm, lakeside table. Play solo against AI opponents or gather two to four players with a shared invitation link. Build sequences on a 10x10 board. Play a matching card to place your chip, use wild Jacks to claim an open space, and use one-eyed Jacks to remove an opposing chip. Choose Classic for five in a row or Blitz for four. PLAY TOGETHER Create a table, share its link, and join your friends in the lobby. Everyone taps Ready, then the creator starts the game. A hosted table keeps turns and results in sync, shows each player only their own cards, and lets you return to your seat after a brief disconnection. Everyone needs version 1.3 or later for shared-link tables. Multiplayer requires an internet connection. MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE Enjoy a fully visible board, a fanned card hand, gentle animations, optional haptic feedback, and your choice of rain or calm music. Customize opponents, turn timers, and match settings. YOUR GAME, YOUR PACE Play solo offline and view your personal stats, win rates, streaks, and recent games. Game Center is optional for achievements and leaderboards. No custom accounts, ads, subscriptions, or in-app purchases.

Screenshots

Exploding Kittens® 24 screens
Jacks Wild4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Jacks Wild at Free against Exploding Kittens® 2's $4.99. Jacks Wild also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 59%) and in-app purchases (none vs 20). Exploding Kittens® 2's advantage is ratings volume (3.9K vs 1) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Jacks Wild is free to download; Exploding Kittens® 2 costs $4.99 up front. Exploding Kittens® 2 sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. Jacks Wild asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Jacks Wild holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exploding Kittens® 2 has 3.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Exploding Kittens® 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Jacks Wild's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Exploding Kittens® 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, Jacks Wild every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Exploding Kittens® 2 versus Jacks Wild: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExploding Kittens® 2Jacks Wild
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (3.9K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.9K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size446 MB42 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMarmalade Game Studio LimitedFaraz Bukhari

Customer experience

Exploding Kittens® 2

All ratings3,928 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews404 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral11.4%
Negative29.2%

Jacks Wild

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Exploding Kittens® 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Nope card not functioning properly
  • Leaderboard not updating correctly
  • Inability to leave a game after losing
  • Forced account creation for online play

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a turn timer to prevent stalling
  • Allow custom deck creation and configuration
  • Improve online multiplayer stability and matchmaking
  • Bring back the original game's sound effects and personality

Jacks Wild

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Exploding Kittens® 2

One-time20
  • Santa Claws Card Back$0.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Card Back$0.99
  • Beach Day Emoji Pack$0.99
Show 17 more
  • Beach Day Card back$0.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Emoji Pack$0.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Card Back$0.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Emoji Pack$1.99
  • MysticMayhem Cauldron Creature$1.99
  • Glenn Coco$1.99
  • Sea Rat Outfit$1.99
  • Beach Day Location$1.99
  • Slice of Heaven Outfit$1.99
  • Yucky Buddy Outfit$1.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Location$1.99
  • Santa Claws Pack$4.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Pack$5.99
  • Beach Day Pack$5.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Pack$5.99
  • Sun and Spice Bundle$7.99
  • Explosive Expansions Pass$9.99
None

Jacks Wild

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Exploding Kittens® 2 free?
Exploding Kittens® 2 costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Jacks Wild free?
Jacks Wild is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Exploding Kittens® 2 or Jacks Wild?
Jacks Wild is rated higher. Exploding Kittens® 2 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Jacks Wild averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Exploding Kittens® 2 or Jacks Wild have ads?
Neither Exploding Kittens® 2 nor Jacks Wild shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Exploding Kittens® 2 or Jacks Wild?
Exploding Kittens® 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Jacks Wild every 6 weeks. Most recently, Exploding Kittens® 2 was updated on October 30, 2026 and Jacks Wild on October 28, 2026.

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