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Some games try to dazzle with tons of components and complicated rules. Trio takes a different approach: just 36 cards, a simple idea, and enough cleverness to keep everyone grinning (or groaning) around the table.
The goal is simple: collect sets of three identical cards, called trios. Depending on how many people you’re playing with, you either go solo or form teams of two. It’s quick to set up, easy to explain, and surprisingly satisfying. So, what makes this little game worth talking about? Let’s get into it.
👥 3-6 players, ages 7+
⌛ Playing time: 15 minutes
📝 Designer: Kaya Miyano
🎨 Artwork: Laura Michaud
🏢 Publisher: Cocktail Games (review copy provided by Asmodee Belgium).
How it plays
At the start of the game, the cards are shuffled and dealt based on the number of players. Once you have them, sort your hand in numerical order from lowest to highest without revealing the cards. Some extra cards go face down in the centre of the table.
There are two ways to play. In simple mode, the first player or team to collect either three trios or just the trio of sevens wins the game. Spicy mode shakes things up a bit. To win, you need two connected trios, based on small link icons printed on the cards. Or, again, the trio of sevens will get you the win instantly.
On your turn, you reveal cards one by one, trying to find three with the same number. You can flip over the highest or lowest card from anyone’s hand, including your own, or reveal a card from the middle. You’re never allowed to check a card from the middle of someone’s hand. If the three cards match, you claim the trio and keep them face up in front of you. If a card doesn’t match, the turn ends and all the revealed cards go back to where they were.
In team games, there’s an extra rule. At the start of the game, and again whenever the other team collects a trio, you and your partner get to secretly swap one card. No talking, no signals, no dramatic winking. Just a quiet little exchange under the table and the hope that you didn’t just hand over something completely useless.
The game ends as soon as someone grabs the winning combination for the mode you’re playing. And yes, if someone gets the trio of sevens, that’s game over, no matter what else is going on.
Visual design and components
The first thing you’ll notice when opening the box is how bright and cheerful the game looks. The cards are oversized, with large numbers in the centre that make everything easy to read, even from across the table. There are 12 numbers in total, each appearing three times. That’s the whole deck.
In spicy mode, little icons in the corners show which numbers are linked, so you can start planning which trios might work together. The backs of the cards are all identical and solid black, which keeps the memory element fair.
The artwork gives the game a festive, colourful feel without being distracting. Think vibrant patterns, skulls, piñatas, sombreros and maracas. Each trio has its own colour, which helps with memory.
It’s also clear that the game was designed to be as user-friendly as possible. The layout is simple, everything is easy to spot at a glance, and nothing gets in the way of gameplay. Even the box has a nice visual punch, showing off the game’s As d’Or 2024 award badge without shouting about it.
Our experience
We had a lot of fun with Trio. It’s one of those games that just works. The rules clicked after a round or two, and from then on it was all memory, and a bit of deduction.
With three or four players, it felt like a clever little puzzle. You start picking up on patterns and remembering who revealed what. At higher player counts, things get a bit more chaotic, but in a good way. There’s more noise, more guessing, and more surprises. The team mode stood out as something quite different. You and your partner can’t talk, but that silent card swap creates some brilliant moments. Sometimes you pull off a perfect play and feel like telepathic geniuses. Other times… not so much. But either way, it adds some extra coordination that doesn’t slow the game down.
We also played both game modes. Simple mode was perfect for introducing new players, kids, or people who don’t usually play games. It’s quick, easy to follow, and doesn’t require a big mental investment. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. Once people get the hang of it, the deduction starts to shine. That part really surprised us. There’s real satisfaction in piecing together who’s holding what just from what’s been revealed.
Spicy mode, on the other hand, brings a bit more depth and gave returning players something extra to chew on. It didn’t change the pace of the game much, but it gave us another reason to take risks and read the table more carefully.
We totally get why it won the As d’Or Game of the Year. It’s clever, clean, and surprisingly tense for something that takes about 15 minutes to play.
Final thoughts
Trio is great at what it sets out to do. It’s not the kind of game you build a whole evening around, but it’s ideal as a warm-up, filler, or last game of the night. It’s fun, fast, and easy to bring to the table, even with people who don’t play a lot of board games.
It’s especially good for families or mixed groups, and it’s small enough to toss in a bag for travel. No setup drama, no rulebook headaches, just a clever little game that gets people talking, thinking, and occasionally shouting “yes!” when they land a trio.
That said, it won’t be for everyone. If memory games make your brain shut down or if you’re not a fan of light deduction, it might feel a bit repetitive after a few rounds. Some players didn’t mind that at all, others preferred to watch rather than play again. Fair enough.
But for what it is, Trio nails it. It’s one of those games where someone always says, “let’s do one more,” and you’ll probably say yes.
📝 We received a copy of the game from Asmodee Belgium.
