Front of the yellow HABA Rhino Hero box, with the caped Rhino Hero climbing a card tower — HABA's Rhino Hero, the US pack (item 4789)Photo: HABA USA

The Rhino Hero box beside a tall tower built from its roof and wall cards, with spare cards in front — The box, the cards and a finished towerPhoto: HABA USA

Two children sitting on the floor, taking turns to build a Rhino Hero tower — Take turns adding a floorPhoto: HABA USA

A girl and an older man reaching up to a very tall Rhino Hero tower on a table — Towers can grow taller than the playersPhoto: HABA USA

A smiling child beside a Rhino Hero tower many floors high — How high can you go?Photo: HABA USA

A boy carefully placing a roof card on top of a Rhino Hero tower — Steady hands for the roof cardsPhoto: HABA USA

Back of the Rhino Hero box, with a short game overview and safety notes — The back of the boxPhoto: HABA USA

Video

Card game

Rhino Hero

Build a wobbly card skyscraper without toppling the rhino

Steady hands Empty your hand

2–5best with 3-5
5–15 minper game
Under a minuteto set up
5+years
Very easy
Nonereading

The official edition, on Amazon.in

Imported

Buy on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

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The game in a nutshell

Rhino Hero is a quick card-stacking game for 2 to 5 players aged 5 and up: you take turns folding wall cards and laying roof cards to build a wobbly skyscraper, and whoever makes it collapse loses. It suits families with young children and mixed-age groups who want a 5- to 15-minute game full of suspense, and the small box is easy to carry. In India it is sold only as an import.

Is Rhino Hero right for you?

Great if

Children of 5 and up who love building towers and knocking them down
Mixed-age family tables, where steady hands matter more than strategy, so a child can beat a grown-up
A quick game before dinner or between other plans, since a round lasts 5 to 15 minutes
Holidays and visits to relatives, as the box is only about 18 × 11 cm and weighs under 300 grams

Skip it if

You'll be playing on a bed, a floor mattress, a wobbly table or a moving train. The tower needs a flat, steady surface
Your child gets very upset when they knock something over. The player who makes the building fall loses
You want the bigger, more competitive version with dice and several hero figures. That is Rhino Hero: Super Battle, a separate game

THE BOARDGAMES.IN TAKE

Our ratings

How hard to learnVery easy

1 / 5

Luck or skillLuck and skill

LuckSkill

Set-upUnder 1 min

ReadingNone

Behind the ratings

How hard to learnA 1 on our scale, like Jenga: fold a wall, stand it on the marks, lay a roof. There are only five symbols to learn. HABA says 5 and up, and parents report four-year-olds playing with help.

Luck or skillSteady hands matter most, but luck plays a real part too: which roof cards you're dealt, and the symbols other players use on you, such as an extra card, a skipped turn or the rhino moved up. Choosing which roof to play can also leave the next player a harder build.

Player interactionEveryone builds the same tower, and several roof symbols hit the next player directly: skip a turn, draw a card, or move the rhino up before building.

Set-up timePut the foundation card in the middle, easy side or expert side up. Deal five roof cards to each player (seven each with two) and keep the rest as a face-down pile. Keep the walls and the rhino figure handy. The first time, fold each wall card along its crease.

Reading neededThere's no reading during play, only symbols and printed marks. An adult reads the short English rules and explains the five symbols once.

Difficulty uses our 1–5 scale: 1 is UNO or Connect 4, 3 is Catan, 5 is a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Kinderspiel des Jahres recommendation list (as Super Rhino!), 2012 (Recommended)

Major Fun Award, 2012 (Winner)

Mr. Dad Seal of Approval

PTPA Parent Tested, Parent Approved Award

How Rhino Hero plays

The game is a pack of cards plus a small Rhino Hero figure. There are 28 wall cards, which you fold so they stand up, and 31 roof cards. Each player starts with five roof cards (seven each if only two are playing), and the foundation card goes in the middle of the table. One side of the foundation is easier to build on, and the other is for experienced builders.

Time to teach: about 3 minutes.
Reading and language: Nothing needs reading during play. The special roof cards are marked with symbols rather than words, and the marks showing where the walls go are printed on each card. An adult reads the short English rules once and explains the five symbols.

How to play Rhino Hero by HABA Games · Zia Comics

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

Your turn, step by step

1
Build
Look at the marks on the top roof card. Fold one or two wall cards, stand them on those marks, then lay one roof card from your hand on top. You may use both hands, but touch only the card you're placing.
2
Symbols
Some roofs carry a symbol: reverse the direction, skip the next player, make them draw an extra roof card, or let you lay a second roof. The rhino symbol makes the next player lift the Rhino Hero figure up to the new floor before building.
3
Win
The first player to use up all their roof cards wins. If the tower falls, whoever knocked it down loses, and the player with the fewest roof cards left wins. If every wall gets used without a collapse, everyone wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Rhino Hero game instructions · English

The full explanation: how a game of Rhino Hero goes

On your turn, look at the marks on the top roof card. They show where to stand one or two walls for the next floor. You bend the walls to the right angle, stand them on the marks, and lay one of your roof cards on top. The aim is to be the first player to get rid of all your roof cards.

Many roof cards carry a symbol. One reverses the direction of play, one makes the next player miss a turn, one makes them draw an extra roof card, and the double roof lets you place a second roof straight away. The rhino symbol is the tense one: the next player must lift the Rhino Hero figure up to the new rhino mark before building, adding weight higher and higher up the tower.

If the building falls, whoever knocked it down loses, and the player with the fewest roof cards left wins. In the unlikely case that every wall gets used without a collapse, everyone wins together. You may use both hands, but you may only touch the card you are placing.

For a five-year-old the challenge is mostly physical: folding a wall neatly and lowering a card without jogging the tower. Because skill comes down to care and steady hands rather than planning, young children can genuinely compete with adults, and a round is short enough to play two or three times in a row.

What's in the box

31Roof cards
marks on each show where the next walls go; many carry a special symbol
28Wall cards
folded along the middle so they stand up
1Foundation card
two-sided: an easier side and an expert side
1Rhino Hero figure
the small rhino figure that has to climb the tower
1Rules leaflet

Box: 17.8 × 11.4 × 3.8 cm, 0.2 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From HABA USA's page for the US pack (item 4789, barcode 4010168047898), which matches HABA's rules PDF. HABA Germany's page for the European pack, 'Rhino Hero – The Original' (item 2013172001), lists the same parts with new art by Gus Batts. HABA USA lists the US pack as made in China. Rhino Hero: Super Battle is a different, bigger game with dice and several hero figures.

Where to buy

Amazon.inImported edition

The official edition, on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

Every copy in India is imported from HABA; the game is not made or distributed here. Our Amazon.in link goes to HABA's imported English edition of the original game, not Super Battle.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.

Look for the HABA logo and HABA's address in Bad Rodach, Germany, on the box. The US English edition is item 4789 with barcode 4010168047898, and the European 'Rhino Hero – The Original' pack is item 2013172001.
Check the contents: 31 roof cards, 28 wall cards, 1 foundation card and the Rhino Hero figure.
Make sure you are buying the right game. Rhino Hero: Super Battle is a bigger, different game, also sold on Amazon.in.
On Amazon.in, check that HABA is the brand and see who the seller is before you pay.

We link to one Amazon.in listing that we've checked against the maker's own information. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

Rhino Hero is one of the most often recommended small dexterity games for families. Reviewers love the suspense as the card tower wobbles higher, the clever folding walls and the heavy rhino that has to climb it. A child with steady hands can beat an adult. On Reddit, parents describe it working from about age 4 up to teenagers and adults, and Tabletop Gaming's reviewer found the collapse is half the fun. It is small, quick and easy to carry. The downsides: the cards are thin, it needs a flat, steady table, and the 'skip' and 'draw' symbols, plus the rule that whoever topples the tower loses, can upset young or sensitive children.

What people love

Real suspense as the tower climbs, and the crash when it falls is part of the fun
It works across ages: four- and five-year-olds with help, and teenagers and adults on their own
A small box and quick rounds of 5 to 15 minutes, easy to take on visits and holidays
Clever folding wall cards, and a heavy little rhino that has to climb ever higher

Common complaints

The cards are thin and the walls must be folded, so they wear with heavy use
It needs a flat, steady table and is no fun for shaky hands
The 'skip a turn' and 'draw a card' symbols, and losing for knocking the tower down, can upset young or sensitive children; some families play without the symbols or just build until it falls

Based on 8 reviews and discussions

Review Super Rhino! review, in German (Mareike Schöbel, August 2011) · Reich der Spiele
Review Rhino Hero (Alexandra Sonechkina, June 2021) · Tabletop Gaming (UK)
Award Rhino Hero (Bernie DeKoven, February 2012) · Major Fun
Award Super Rhino! · Spiel des Jahres
Players Game of the Week: Rhino Hero (January 2018) · Reddit r/boardgames
Players Rhino Hero vs Rhino Hero Super Battle (October 2018) · Reddit r/boardgames
Video How to play Rhino Hero by HABA Games (Zia Comics, January 2020) · YouTube
Award Rhino Hero Stacking Cards Game (awards listed on the product page) · HABA USA

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

More like Rhino Hero

Our picks if Rhino Hero isn't quite right

Feature	Rhino Hero	Jenga	Dobble	Sleeping Queens
Players	2–5	1–8	2–8	2–5
Best with	3-5	3-5	3-6	3-5
Play time	5–15 min	5–15 min	15 min	15–20 min
Age	5+	6+	6+	8+
Rules	Easy	Easy	Easy	Easy
Indian edition	Import	Yes	Yes	Import
Why look at it	This page	Another stacking game where the player who topples the tower loses, rated 6 and up	Another quick, pocket-sized family game that rewards sharp reflexes over strategy	A light Gamewright card game for when children are older and you want cards without the wobble

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Jenga

Pull a block, stack it on top, don't topple the tower

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2–4 players5–15 min15+

Topple

Roll, stack and score on a tower that tips and sways

2–4 players15–30 min6+

Carrom

Flick the striker, pocket your colour, then capture and cover the queen

2–4 players15–60 min8+

Mikado

Drop the sticks, then lift them one by one without a wobble

2–6 players10–30 min5+

Better with just two players

Sizzle

Place magnets inside a loop without letting them snap together.

2–4 players5–15 min15+

Carrom

Flick the striker, pocket your colour, then capture and cover the queen

2–4 players15–60 min8+

Mikado

Drop the sticks, then lift them one by one without a wobble

2–6 players10–30 min5+

Sling Puck

Two players, ten pucks, one slot: clear your side first

2 players2–10 min5+

Splendor

A quick gem-trading race where every card makes the next easier.

2–4 players30 min10+

Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Rhino Hero: Super Battle – HABA's bigger, more competitive follow-up with dice and several hero figures.

Questions people ask about Rhino Hero

What is the difference between Rhino Hero and Rhino Hero: Super Battle?

Rhino Hero is the original small card-stacking game for 2 to 5 players. Super Battle is a separate, larger and pricier game for 2 to 4 players, where several hero figures climb the tower and battle with dice. Both are sold on Amazon.in as imports. Start with the original unless you know your family wants something bigger and more competitive.

Is Rhino Hero suitable for a 4-year-old?

HABA rates it 5 and up, and the box warns that it is not for children under 3 because of small parts. The game is mostly about careful hands, so a four-year-old can help a parent build, but the rules and the fine finger control are pitched at 5 and up.

Where can I buy Rhino Hero in India?

It is imported, not made or distributed here. Our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to HABA's imported listing for the original game; check that HABA is named as the brand and that you aren't buying Super Battle by mistake.

Is Rhino Hero the same game as Super Rhino?

Yes. HABA first released it in Germany in 2011 as Super Rhino!, and it made the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2012 recommendation list under that name. It is sold in English as Rhino Hero, and HABA's current European pack is called Rhino Hero – The Original.

Game facts

Designed by: Steven Strumpf, Scott Frisco
Publisher: HABA, Germany
First published: 2011
Players: 2–5
Barcode: 4010168047898
Language: No reading – Nothing needs reading during play. The special roof cards are marked with symbols rather than words, and the marks showing where the walls go are printed on each card. An adult reads the short English rules once and explains the five symbols.
Box size and weight: 17.8 × 11.4 × 3.8 cm, 0.2 kg
Awards: Kinderspiel des Jahres recommendation list (as Super Rhino!), 2012 (Recommended); Major Fun Award, 2012 (Winner); Mr. Dad Seal of Approval; PTPA Parent Tested, Parent Approved Award

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.