Happy Camper's TrioPhoto: Happy Camper
36 cards, a tray and the rulesPhoto: Happy Camper
Keep your hand sorted from lowest to highestPhoto: Happy Camper
A family game of TrioPhoto: Happy Camper
The 7s are printed in goldPhoto: Happy Camper
The box back explains the game in a few linesPhoto: Happy Camper
Video

Card game

Trio

Find three of a kind by asking for highest and lowest cards

3–6players · best with 4-6
15–20 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Families with children from about 8 who enjoy memory games

Think twice if You mostly play as a couple; there is no official two-player mode

How we rate it

Learning curve. The rules take a couple of minutes; the challenge is remembering which numbers have been seen.

Luck & skill. The deal and the middle cards add luck, but memory and working out who holds what decide most games.

Interaction. You constantly ask other players for their cards, and what they reveal helps everyone, but you can't directly attack anyone.

Set-up. Shuffle, deal by player count, lay the rest face down in the middle and sort your hand.

Reading. Only numbers on the cards.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is Trio right for you?

Great if

  • Families with children from about 8 who enjoy memory games
  • Groups of 3 to 6, including mixed-language tables, since the cards show only numbers
  • A 15-minute warm-up before a longer game, or a few quick rounds after dinner
  • A small gift that is easy to carry to a cousin's house or on holiday

Skip it if

  • You mostly play as a couple; there is no official two-player mode
  • Your group finds memory games frustrating
  • You want a game with deep, long-term strategy

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

As d'Or - Jeu de l'Annee, 2024 (Winner)

How Trio plays

Set-up: shuffle the 36 cards (three each of 1 to 12) and deal according to the number of players: with 3 players, 9 each and 9 in the middle; with 4, 7 each and 8 in the middle; with 5, 6 each and 6 in the middle; with 6, 5 each and 6 in the middle. Lay the middle cards face down, and sort your own hand from lowest to highest without showing anyone.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The cards show only numbers and pictures, so nothing needs reading during play; the rules booklet is in English and the game is easy to explain in Hindi or any language.
Keep your hand sorted from lowest to highest · Photo: Happy Camper

How to Play Trio | Happy Camper · Happy Camper · Official

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A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Reveal

    Show cards one at a time: ask any player for their lowest or highest card, or turn one over in the middle.

  2. 2
    Match

    If the first two cards match, reveal a third; if any card doesn't match, everything goes back and your turn ends.

  3. 3
    Collect

    Three matching cards make a trio, which you keep face up in front of you.

  4. 4
    Win

    Collect three trios (or two connected trios in Spicy mode) first, or grab the three 7s to win at once.

Read the official rules (PDF)Trio - Rules of Play (English) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Trio goes

A turn: reveal cards one at a time, trying to find three of the same number. For each reveal you can ask any player, yourself included, to show their lowest or highest card, or turn over any card in the middle. If the first two cards match, you reveal a third. As soon as a card doesn't match, everything goes back where it came from and your turn ends.

How you win: when you reveal three matching cards, take them as a trio and place them face up in front of you. The first player to collect three trios wins, and whoever collects the three 7s wins at once. In Spicy mode you instead need two 'connected' trios, numbers that add up to 7 or differ by 7, as shown in the corners of the cards (for example 2 with 5, or 2 with 9).

Team variant: with 4 or 6 players, partners sit opposite each other, all the cards are dealt with none in the middle, and each pair may secretly swap one card at the start. Swapping is the only communication allowed; when a team wins a trio, the other teams may swap again. Trios are shared, and the winning conditions are the same.

Tip: watch every card that is revealed and returned, because that is how you find the third match later. Asking the same player for their highest card twice in a row shows their next highest too. The game works well in mixed-language families, since only numbers appear on the cards.

What's in the box

36 cards, a tray and the rules · Photo: Happy Camper
  • 36Cards
    three each of 1 to 12, with connection numbers in the corners for Spicy mode; the 7s have gold foil
  • 1Rules booklet
    English, with Simple and Spicy modes and the team variant

Box: 14.7 × 12.2 × 3.2 cm, 0.16 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Happy Camper lists 36 cards; Cocktail Games' French edition lists 36 cards and a rules booklet. The gold-foil 7s are described in a GeekDad review of the Happy Camper box. The original Japanese nana has the same 36 cards with different art.

Where to buy

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How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Trio has no Indian edition. Copies sold in India are imported: Indian store listings show Happy Camper's English box, with Yes Papa Games, an Indian games company, named as the brand bringing it in, and a German edition also turns up. Our Amazon.in button goes to the Happy Camper listing, which is the English edition to buy here.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Happy Camper logo on the box and the credits 'Game by Kaya Miyano, illustrated by Laura Michaud'; the French box carries the Cocktail Games logo instead.
  • Check the contents: exactly 36 cards, three each of 1 to 12, with small connection numbers in the bottom corners for Spicy mode and gold foil on the 7s.
  • The box should say 3-6 players and ages 8+, and the English rules booklet ends with '(c) 2023 Happy Camper, LLC, Cambridge, MA'.
  • Don't confuse it with Hape's Trio, a different product for young children, or with unbranded 'number matching' Trio decks; neither is Kaya Miyano's game from Happy Camper.

What reviewers and players say

Trio is a widely praised small card game that won France's As d'Or Game of the Year in 2024. Reviewers like that it teaches in minutes, mixes memory, deduction and a little luck, and works for families and adults alike; the tension of asking for someone's highest card and the hunt for the golden 7s come up often. Complaints are minor: a box bigger than it needs to be, no official two-player mode, and play that may feel too light for strategy fans. One US reviewer was uncomfortable with the Mexican-style artwork of the English edition, which replaced the original Japanese art.

What people love

  • Teaches in a couple of minutes and plays in about 15
  • Memory and deduction with nothing to read
  • Asking for highest or lowest cards keeps everyone involved
  • Small box that is easy to take anywhere

Common complaints

  • No official two-player mode
  • Luck and memory may feel too light for strategy fans
  • The box is larger than 36 cards need
Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Questions people ask about Trio

Is this Trio the same as Hape's Trio?

No. This Trio is Kaya Miyano's three-of-a-kind card game, published in English by Happy Camper and in France by Cocktail Games. Hape's Trio is a different product for young children, and unbranded 'Trio' number-matching decks only copy the rules.

Can two people play Trio?

Not officially. The box says 3 to 6 players and the rules have no two-player mode; the original Japanese version, nana, was labelled for 2 to 5, but the English edition is not.

What is Spicy mode in Trio?

It is the advanced way to win. Instead of any three trios, you need two connected trios, numbers that add up to 7 or differ by 7, such as 2 and 5 or 2 and 9; the small numbers in the card corners show the links. Collecting the three 7s still wins at once.

What age is Trio suitable for?

Happy Camper says 8 and up, and Cocktail Games says 7 and up. Children need to know numbers to 12 and remember what has been revealed; there is nothing to read on the cards.

Is Trio good for travel?

Yes. It is just 36 cards in a box about the size of a hand, set-up takes a minute, and a game lasts about 15 minutes, so it suits train journeys and holiday evenings.

Game facts

Designed by
Kaya Miyano
Publisher
Happy Camper (Happy Camper, LLC, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA); first published in Japan as nana, and in France by Cocktail Games
In India
Imported; Indian store listings name Yes Papa Games as the brand bringing it in
First published
2021
Players
3–6
Barcode
860010873007
Language
No reading – The cards show only numbers and pictures, so nothing needs reading during play; the rules booklet is in English and the game is easy to explain in Hindi or any language.
Box size and weight
14.7 × 12.2 × 3.2 cm, 0.16 kg
Awards
As d'Or - Jeu de l'Annee, 2024 (Winner)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.