Animals are competing for control of the planets in the deepest recesses of the galaxy, but in super cute ways. AstroPaws is a two to four player card game where players want to out score their opponents as they work to control planets. Use card powers and shift the rules on the planets core to give yourself an advantage in this new game from MaKa Games.
The Final Frontier
Each player is given a deck of thirteen cards in their animal type. You’ll be playing as a corgi, cat, otter, fox, or red panda (expansion character). Players will always have three cards in their hand to choose from. Simply play a card to one of the planet cores on the table. If the planet core has four cards around it, you’ll score based on the planets criteria.
Planet core tokens may say “Fewest Cards” or “High Card”. Once a planet has four cards surrounding it, you’ll evaluate who won the planet. The winner scores two points while the runner up only gets a single point. After the planet scores, the planet core token flips and reveals a different scoring criteria. For instance, the “High Card” planet token will flip and reveal “Low Card” on its opposite side.
Some cards in AstroPaws actions that are taken when you play the card. These actions allow you to move a card to another planet, flip a planet core, or even swap the planet core for another one.
Players will always draw back up to three cards at the end of their turn. The game enters the last round when someone has drawn their last card in their deck.
This Game has Claws
AstoPaws has a nice strategy to it without being too rules heavy. I really like how card actions can change the state of the board and move cards around. Since everyone has the same thirteen cards, it’s all about when the card comes out and how it’s played. The level of player interaction is great for a game that is only twenty to twenty-five minutes long.
The cards are designed with a notch cut out in its lower half so it fits perfectly around the planet core tokens. Player cards seamlessly fit around the tokens, creating a really nice table presence. I haven’t seen many games do that and it’s a great design.
Each card is easy to read with a point value appearing on a flag on the upper left corner. Some planet cores will let you play cards “Face Down” or only scores on even or odd cards. Players will compare the numbers on the cards that surround the planet core when awarding points. When the planet core flips, players want to have a card in hand that meets the new criteria.
Final Thoughts
AstroPaws is really satisfying when players are competing for control of the planet cores on the board. The strategy of flipping a core, moving a players card or scoring a planet core when it’s still one card shy is a lot of fun. This is a game that will really connect for families that are looking for a little player interaction in their card games.
AstroPaws is currently on Kickstarter through July 16, 2026. Visit the campaign page today.
A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.
