Coming soonFamilyAges 7+
The card game where every penalty bounces back
You started it. Now it's coming home.
$5 once
One payment. You host it for good, and every guest plays free on their own phone.
Not signed in? You sign in or make a free account first, then pay.
BACKFIRE is yours. Open a room on any screen and everyone joins free from their phones.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
- Guests play free, no account
- Host it every game night
- 2 to 8 phones, any screen
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- 2 to 8players
- 10 to 15minutes a game
- No appphones are your hand
- Any screenis the table
A loud, fast card game for 2 to 8 phones and one shared screen. Hit the next player with a Pump and they can slap it straight back at you, bigger. The count climbs, the whole room leans in, and at 10 it blows on whoever started it.
A Keyhole Games party game
What makes it BACKFIRE
Four things that make the table erupt
Bounce it back
Hit with a Pump? Slap down a Pump or Turbo of your own, any color, and the whole count goes straight back to the player who sent it, bigger. It is a duel between two seats, and the rest of the room gets a front-row view.
Overload at 10
The count stops at 10, and when it gets there it blows on whoever started the stack. Every Pump is a dare: are you sure you want to start this?
Bail Out
Drowning? Bail out of the hand. You take a hit to your score and sit the rest of the hand out, and the whole stack lands on the player who sent it.
FUMES! and GOTCHA!
About to go down to one card? Call FUMES! as you play. Forget, and every other phone gets three seconds to slam GOTCHA!, which fires a +2 stack straight at you.
How it works
Phones are your hand. Any screen is the table.
- 1
Open it on any screen
A TV, laptop or tablet becomes the table: the pile, the count and everyone's card count, big enough to read from the couch.
- 2
Everyone scans in
Phone cameras open the room. No app, no account for guests. Your hand lives on your phone, where nobody else can see it.
- 3
Play, 2 to 8 of you
Match the color or the number and empty your hand. Three hands, about 10 to 15 minutes, lowest score takes the podium.
The deck
Four suits of our own, five cards that cause trouble
A 116-card deck, dealt by the game. Match the suit or the number to play. Every suit has its own shape as well as its own color, so color is never the only clue.
777Flame orange
333Bolt teal
999Coil magenta
555Steam violet
+2+2Pump
Starts a stack at 2, or bounces one back and adds 2.
+3+3Turbo
Starts a stack at 3, or bounces one back and adds 3. It changes who faces the big numbers.
Tag
You pick who goes next, so the player about to go out has to wait.
Rewire
Plays on anything. Name the color everyone must follow.
Backfire
Sends a stack straight back, locked. No more bouncing: they take it or bail.
Who it is for
Game night, the loud version
- Families. Ages 7 and up. Gentle mode turns off the timers and calls FUMES! for you, so the youngest player is never caught out.
- Friends. Mayhem mode adds Pile On, where anyone can jump into a stack. Starting a fight has never been riskier.
- Big groups. Up to 8 at one table, with smaller hands so it never drags.
- The opener. Ten minutes to warm up a room before the next game.
Why it beats a normal card night
All the shouting, none of the arguing
No rule arguments
The game knows the rules, so nobody argues about whether that card stacks. Moves light up only when they are legal.
Nobody gets knocked out
Bail Out and a cap on every hand mean one disaster never ends your night. Everyone is dealt back in.
It actually ends
Three hands, about 10 to 15 minutes, then a podium. Then somebody says "one more", and you deal again.
Every turn is worth watching
The count, the duel, the GOTCHA! race. Even when it is not your turn, you are in it.
Nothing to shuffle or lose
No deck to deal, no card under the couch. Phones are the hands and the screen is the table.
Up to 8 at one table
Smaller hands for bigger groups, so eight players still move as fast as four.
After launch
Four expansion packs in the works
The base game comes first. These change the rules when the host switches one on.
Every BACKFIRE pack
Team Brawl, Secret Agendas, Sabotage and Office Party in one go. Already have some? Checkout takes off what you paid for them.
Needs BACKFIRE. Get the game first, then add packs.
You have every BACKFIRE pack. Switch them on when you set up BACKFIRE.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Team Brawl
2 against 2, 3 against 3 or 4 against 4. Partners sit apart and share one score.
Coming soon
Needs BACKFIRE. Get the game first, then add packs.
Team Brawl is yours. Switch it on when you set up BACKFIRE.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Secret Agendas
A secret mission on your phone every hand. Pull it off and your score drops.
Coming soon
Needs BACKFIRE. Get the game first, then add packs.
Secret Agendas is yours. Switch it on when you set up BACKFIRE.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Sabotage
Four chaos cards: Mirror, Redraw, Static and Fuse.
Coming soon
Needs BACKFIRE. Get the game first, then add packs.
Sabotage is yours. Switch it on when you set up BACKFIRE.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Office Party
Gentle rules and trivia wilds, made for the work party.
Coming soon
Needs BACKFIRE. Get the game first, then add packs.
Office Party is yours. Switch it on when you set up BACKFIRE.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Questions about BACKFIRE
Do I need to download an app to play BACKFIRE?
No. BACKFIRE runs in the web browser. One person opens a room on a TV, laptop or tablet, and everyone else scans the code with their phone camera. Your phone becomes your hand of cards.
How many players can play?
From 2 to 8, each on their own phone. Hands are 7 cards for 2 to 4 players, 6 cards for 5 or 6, and 5 cards for 7 or 8, so a big table still moves fast.
Do we need a TV?
No. A TV, laptop or tablet makes the best table, because everyone can watch the pile and the count from the couch. Any screen the room can see will do.
Is BACKFIRE free?
Pricing comes at launch, and this page will show it then. For now you can leave your email and get one message when the game opens.
How does the bounce-back work?
A Pump puts 2 on the count and aims it at the next player. They can take that many cards, or play a Pump or Turbo of their own, any color, and send the whole count straight back at you, bigger. It goes back and forth between the two of you. The count stops at 10, and when it gets there it blows on whoever started it.
Can kids play BACKFIRE?
Yes, ages 7 and up. If you can match a color or a number, you can play. Gentle mode turns off the timers and the race to catch a missed call, which suits a first game or younger players.
How long is a game?
A hand takes about 3 to 5 minutes. A game is three hands and takes about 10 to 15 minutes, then the podium. The host can pick one quick hand or five for a long night.
When does BACKFIRE come out?
There is no date yet. Leave your email on this page and you get one message on the day it opens, and nothing else unless you ask.
Do I need BACKFIRE to use an expansion pack?
Yes. Each pack adds new rules or cards to BACKFIRE, so the host needs the game first. Guests never need a pack: they play whatever the host switches on.
While you wait
You can play a card game on the TV tonight: Crazy Eights uses the same kind of table, and Liar's Dice is a bluffing game for the same crowd. Or browse all our party games and see how a room works.