Engadget, "The best Playdate games" (updated 12 May 2025). "Carte Blanche taught me how to play Cribbage… It's like a pocket cardroom with a really peaceful vibe."
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-playdate-games-190049201.htmlGames / Catalog / Carte Blanche
OverviewCatalog
Carte Blanche
Strategy / PuzzleCrank: optional$10
1 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-1-still.webp)
2 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-2-still.webp)
3 · official Catalog screenshot
4 · official Catalog screenshot
5 · official Catalog screenshot1 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-1-still.webp)2 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-2-still.webp)3 · official Catalog screenshot4 · official Catalog screenshot5 · official Catalog screenshotOverview. Not yet reviewed. No score. Checked 12 Oct 2026. Built from official and press sources.
What it is
Carte Blanche is a "cozy card game parlor" run by Blanche, a bird who loves card games and wants to teach you one. It has five classics (Cribbage, Gin Rummy, Spades, Cassino and Spite & Malice), each with a guided tutorial from Blanche and a detailed rulebook, or you can just dive in. Winning earns coins for Blanche's slot machine, which pays out trinkets from her collection, displayed in a gallery. The crank is optional, everything can be done with buttons, and there are no timing or precision inputs.
It's by How Seven!, and it came to the Catalog in February 2025 for $10 (also on itch.io). It was a finalist for Best Sim/Strategy Game at the 2025 Playdate Community Awards.
Who made it
What others are saying
Playdate: The Unofficial Website (Nick Simberg, Feb 2025). "one of – if not the – most pleasant games I've ever played. It's 'cozy' in a way that modern 'cozy games' are not."
https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/carte-blancheCallout (?): No review yet. We haven't reviewed Carte Blanche yet. This page is an overview built from official and press sources.
Sources
Checked 12 Oct 2026.
- Official Catalog page (description, credits, size, dates, content/AI/accessibility notes). https://play.date/games/carte-blanche/
- 2025 Playdate Community Awards results (Playdate Squad). https://playdate-wiki.com/wiki/The_2025_Playdate_Community_Awards
- Engadget, "The best Playdate games" (updated 12 May 2025). https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-playdate-games-190049201.html
- Engadget, Catalog 3-year anniversary sale picks, 5 Mar 2026. https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-games-to-check-out-before-the-catalogs-3-year-anniversary-sale-ends-181500370.html
- Playdate: The Unofficial Website, Nick Simberg. https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/carte-blanche
OverviewNo score
Overview
Not yet reviewed.
No score. This page is built from official and press sources.
On the card
Pull up a chair at Blanche's card parlour: cribbage, gin rummy, spades, cassino and spite & malice, each with a friendly tutorial.
From the sources
