Shiritorinne 2026

Cards depicting mysterious characters appear one after another. During the Shiritori Phase, players take turns giving each card a name that continues a word chain: The first letter of each new name must match the last letter of the previous name. After each card is named, players briefly discuss the reason for the name to help everyone remember it.

During the Rinne Phase, the named cards are shuffled together with one extra unnamed card, whose name is “Shiritorinne.” Cards are revealed one at a time, and all players race to recall and say each card’s name. The first player to finish saying the correct name takes the card. When the final card has been taken, the player with the most cards wins.

The title Shiritorinne combines shiritori, a Japanese word-chain game, with rinne, the Japanese word for “reincarnation.”

—description from the publisher