Card game
Sleeping Queens
Wake the queens with kings, then guard them from knights
- 2–5best with 3-5
- 15–20 minper game
- About 2 minto set up
- 8+years
- Very easy
- Littlereading
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.
Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The game in a nutshell
Sleeping Queens is a card game for 2 to 5 players: you play kings to wake up face-down queens, steal other players' queens with knights and send them back to sleep with potions. A game takes about 20 minutes. The box says 8 and up, but the only maths is adding numbers up to 10, so it also works for younger children who can do that with an adult nearby, and it was invented by a six-year-old. There is no Indian edition, so every copy here is Gamewright's imported deck.
Is Sleeping Queens right for you?
Great if
- Children who are learning addition: throwing away sets like 2, 3 and 5 (because 2 + 3 = 5) to draw new cards is regular maths practice that feels like part of the game
- Mixed-age family tables: there is luck in every draw, so a child has a real chance against adults
- Travel and waiting rooms: it is a single deck of 79 cards in a small box
- A gift for a child who already likes UNO and is ready for a game with more choices
Skip it if
- Your child gets upset when things are taken away. Knights steal queens and potions put them back to sleep, and that happens every game
- You want a game of skill. The cards you draw decide a lot
- You want an Indian edition. There isn't one, so every copy here is imported from Gamewright, an American publisher.
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
iParenting Media Award (Excellent Products), 2005 (Winner)
Canadian Toy Testing Council Best Bets (three stars, its highest rating), 2006 (Winner)
Kinderspiel des Jahres, 2017 (Recommended)
How Sleeping Queens plays
The 12 queen cards go face down in the middle of the table in a grid. Each queen is worth between 5 and 20 points. Everyone gets five cards from the main deck, which holds kings, knights, dragons, sleeping potions, magic wands, jesters and number cards.
- Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
- Reading and language: Every card has a clear picture, and the number cards just show 1 to 10, so children can play without reading the card names. An adult needs to read the short English rules once. Children do need to add small numbers.
How to play Sleeping Queens in 3 Minutes · Tabletop Duo
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Your turn, step by step
- 1Play
Play one card: a King wakes any sleeping queen for you, a Knight steals another player's queen, a Sleeping Potion sends one of their queens back to sleep, and a Jester flips the top card to see who gets a queen.
- 2Block
If someone targets your queen, stop a Knight with a Dragon or a Potion with a Wand straight away, or the chance is gone.
- 3Swap
Instead of playing a power card, you can throw away one card, a pair, or number cards that make a sum (2 + 3 = 5, said out loud) and draw new ones. Always end your turn with five cards.
- 4Win
With 2 or 3 players, the first to 5 queens or 50 points wins; with 4 or 5 players, 4 queens or 40 points. If every queen is awake first, most points wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Sleeping Queens goes
On your turn you play one card, then draw back up to five. A king wakes any sleeping queen and you keep her in front of you. A knight steals a queen from another player, unless that player blocks it with a dragon. A sleeping potion sends another player's queen back to sleep, unless they block it with a wand. A jester turns over the top card of the deck: if it is a power card, you take it and play again; if it is a number, you count around the table and whoever the count stops on wakes a queen.
If your hand is no good, you can throw away number cards and draw the same number of new ones. You can throw away one card, a matching pair, or three or more cards that make an addition sum, such as 3, 4 and 7. The sum has to be said out loud, which is where the maths practice comes in.
A few queens have special rules. Waking the Rose Queen lets you wake a second queen too. The Cat Queen and the Dog Queen won't sit together: if you already have one and wake the other, she goes straight back to sleep and your turn ends.
With 2 or 3 players, the first to collect 5 queens or 50 points wins. With 4 or 5 players, you need 4 queens or 40 points. If every queen is awake before anyone gets there, the player with the most points wins.
What's in the box
- 12Queen cards
worth 5 to 20 points each; different backs from the rest of the deck - 8King cards
- 5Jester cards
- 4Knight cards
- 4Sleeping Potion cards
- 3Wand cards
block a Sleeping Potion - 3Dragon cards
block a Knight - 40Number cards
four each of 1 to 10 - 1Rules leaflet
Box: 14.6 × 12.1 × 3.8 cm. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
79 cards in all, from Gamewright's rules sheet for the standard game (item 230). The rules describe green-backed queen cards and a red-backed main deck. The out-of-print Anniversary Edition tin had 85 cards, with some extra queens and kings and two sticker sheets.
Where to buy
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.
Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.
There is no Indian edition and no Indian distributor. Gamewright is an American publisher, so every copy in India is imported. Our Amazon.in link goes to Gamewright's standard edition, an import.
How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.
- Look for the Gamewright logo and the credit to Miranda Evarts on the box. The standard edition's barcode is 759751002305.
- Count the cards: 79 in all, including 12 queens, 8 kings, 4 knights, 3 dragons, 4 sleeping potions, 3 wands, 5 jesters and 40 number cards.
- The 12 queen cards have a different (green) back from the red-backed main deck, and each queen shows her point value.
- Check the name. Games with similar names on Amazon.in, such as 'Sleeping Monsters', are different games from other brands, not Sleeping Queens.
- Be wary of a deck that costs a fraction of the usual price, especially under an unknown brand; much cheaper decks are unlikely to be Gamewright's.
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
Reviewers see Sleeping Queens as a lovely first 'proper' card game for children of about 5 to 8: bright, quick and full of small surprises, with adding practice built in. Several parents found that six-year-olds learned it quickly, and some younger children manage it with help. The trade-offs are luck and a bit of meanness: Knights and Potions take queens away, which can upset sensitive players, and many adults find it too light to play without children.
What people love
- Funny, colourful art and characters, such as the Pancake Queen and the Cat and Dog Queens who refuse to sit together
- Adding practice that feels like part of the game, because you discard sums like 2 + 3 = 5 out loud
- Short games of 10 to 20 minutes and a small box that is easy to carry
- Young children learn it fast, and the luck gives them a real chance against grown-ups
Common complaints
- There is a lot of luck and not much depth, so adults and older children can lose interest
- Having queens stolen or put back to sleep can upset very young or sensitive players
- The addition rule is hard for five-year-olds, so some families simply leave it out at first
Based on 8 reviews and discussions
- Review Sleeping Queens review (Justin Bell, June 2022) · Meeple Mountain
- Review Wakey Wakey: A Review of Sleeping Queens (Jason Meyers, September 2012) · I Slay the Dragon
- Review Game of the Month: Sleeping Queens (Erica, April 2015) · What Do We Do All Day?
- Players Review: Sleeping Queens (Tom Vasel, 2005) · Board Game Designers Forum
- Reference Sleeping Queens - Our Life in Cards (Susie Chang, December 2008) · WIPO Magazine
- Award Sleeping Queens - awards list (Gamewright) · Gamewright
- Award Sleeping Queens (Spiel des Jahres jury page) · Spiel des Jahres
- Reference Sleeping Queens · Wikipedia
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
More like Sleeping Queens
Our picks if Sleeping Queens isn't quite right
| Feature |
Sleeping Queens |
Sushi Go! |
UNO |
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | 2–5 | 2–5 | 2–10 | 2–8 |
| Best with | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 4-8 |
| Play time | 15–20 min | 15–20 min | 10–30 min | 10–15 min |
| Age | 8+ | 8+ | 7+ | 8+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Import | Import | Import | Import |
| Why look at it | This page | Another small Gamewright card game for 8 and up, with picking and passing cards instead of stealing | Simpler and much cheaper, and a good step before Sleeping Queens for younger children | A louder, faster card game for when children want to slap and shout |
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Questions people ask about Sleeping Queens
What age is Sleeping Queens suitable for?
Gamewright marks it 8 and up, for 2 to 5 players. The only maths is spotting pairs and adding numbers up to 10, and the game was invented by a six-year-old, so younger children who can add small numbers may manage with an adult helping.
Does Sleeping Queens help with maths?
It gives regular practice with simple addition. To swap cards, you can throw away three or more number cards that make a sum, such as 3, 4 and 7, and players add up queen points to see who is close to winning. It is a game first, so treat the maths as a bonus.
Is there an Indian edition of Sleeping Queens?
No. There is no Indian edition and no Indian distributor, so every copy in India is Gamewright's imported deck. Our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to the listing we've checked; make sure the brand is Gamewright.
What is the difference between Sleeping Queens and Sleeping Queens 2?
Sleeping Queens 2: The Rescue! is a separate game, not an expansion. You play queens to rescue kings, and it adds tiles, knight pawns and a die. Start with the original, especially as we did not find the sequel on sale in India.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Miranda Evarts
- Publisher
- Gamewright
- First published
- 2005
- Players
- 2–5
- Barcode
- 759751002305
- Language
- Little reading – Every card has a clear picture, and the number cards just show 1 to 10, so children can play without reading the card names. An adult needs to read the short English rules once. Children do need to add small numbers.
- Box size and weight
- 14.6 × 12.1 × 3.8 cm
- Awards
- iParenting Media Award (Excellent Products), 2005 (Winner); Canadian Toy Testing Council Best Bets (three stars, its highest rating), 2006 (Winner); Kinderspiel des Jahres, 2017 (Recommended)
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.