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Bunker Party Game: Who Gets Into the Shelter?

The world is ending, the shelter has room for half of you, and everyone has a secret character to defend. This guide covers the rules, real cards from the game, and how to play from phones at a party or on a video call.

Updated: October 26, 2026 · checked against the current English game

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Bunker

Bunker

friendshouse partiesvideo calls3–12 players
Friends around a table argue about who gets a place in the bunker

Bunker is a survival argument game. A catastrophe hits, there is one shelter with too few places, and the group has to decide who goes in.

The twist is that you are arguing for yourself. Your character might be a doctor with one lung and a fear of the dark, and you have to make that sound like the best deal the bunker will ever get.

Quick answer

What is the Bunker game?

Bunker, also known as the Shelter game, is a discussion and voting game for a group. Each player gets a random secret character, and each round the group votes one person out of the shelter.

There is no best card. A farmer is gold in a ten-year nuclear winter and useless when the bunker is a space station. The fun is in building the argument for the cards you got.

What the browser version adds

RoomPlay deals the catastrophe, the shelter and every dossier, keeps the dossiers private until reveal, counts the votes and handles ties. Nobody has to be the host who reads cards out loud.

Character cards laid out on a wooden table

Rules

How to play Bunker

The rules fit in a minute. The arguing takes longer.

  1. One person creates a room, the others join by link or QR code.
  2. Everyone sees the catastrophe and the shelter, for example “a bunker for 3 people, but with a pantry full of food for 10 years”.
  3. Each player gets a secret dossier: job, health, hobby, item, phobia and background.
  4. Players reveal their dossiers and argue why the group needs them.
  5. Everyone votes for the one player who stays outside. A vote cannot be changed.
  6. Rounds repeat until the players left fit into the bunker. They win.

Ties and new items

If two players get the same number of votes, they each defend themselves and the group votes again between them. If that splits evenly too, nobody leaves this round. From the second round on, everyone gets a new item, so a weak dossier can turn around.

Players discuss a revealed card

Browser play

Play Bunker online and on video calls

The game runs in a browser, so nobody installs an app. At a party, everyone scans the QR code and keeps their dossier on their own phone.

On a video call, drop the room link in the chat. The phones handle cards and votes, and the call is left for what Bunker is really about: talking people into keeping you.

Friends join the game from a laptop and their phones

Cards

Bunker cards: what a game looks like

These come from the free Classic pack. A catastrophe and a shelter set the scene, then every player gets one card from each trait list.

Catastrophes

  1. The power is out worldwide — no phones, no heating, no explanations.
  2. The Great Flood — it has been raining for six months, the land is going under.
  3. The bees are gone — nothing gets pollinated, food runs out, people fight over gardens.
  4. Household appliances revolt — toasters and vacuum cleaners have declared war on people.
  5. Asteroid impact — tsunamis, dust in the air, ten years without sun.
  6. Alien invasion — an advanced race is colonizing Earth.

Shelters

  1. A bunker for 3 people, but with a pantry full of food for 10 years.
  2. A bunker for 6 people in a library basement: thousands of books, but the generator keeps failing.
  3. A bunker for 8 people with supplies for 2 years, but only one toilet.
  4. A bunker for 5 people with a radio: somewhere out there, other survivors are talking.

Dossier traits

  • Job: doctor, engineer, geologist, leech collector, pet food taster.
  • Health: healthy, allergies, one lung, stomach ulcer, arthritis.
  • Hobby: survival skills, hunting, woodcarving, massage, dancing.
  • Item: Geiger counter, first-aid kit, laptop without a charger, 10,000 toothpicks.
  • Phobia: claustrophobia, fear of the dark, fear of people, fear of thunderstorms.
  • Background: world boxing champion, former hermit monk, adopted 12 children, lived a double life for 15 years.

Card packs

Choose a pack that fits the group

The free Classic pack has 446 cards: realistic disasters, ordinary jobs and just enough strange backgrounds to keep every game different.

Premium adds five themed packs of about 190 cards each. Zombies and Space change the whole disaster, Retro sends you back to the 80s and 90s, Absurd is for groups that like nonsense, and Spicy is an 18+ pack for adult groups that only joins when the host picks it.

The group votes on who gets a place in the bunker

Strategy

How to win a place in the bunker

Tie every card to the catastrophe. “I’m an engineer” is weak. “The generator is failing and I’m the only engineer here” is a place in the bunker.

Turn bad cards into stories. A former criminal knows how to survive. A hypochondriac has been packing a medicine bag for twenty years. The group votes for whoever made them laugh or think, not for the best spreadsheet.

A first game with 6 to 8 players takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Bigger groups mean more rounds and louder arguments.

What to play next

More discussion and voting games

If your group liked arguing and voting, these collections keep the same energy.

FAQ

Common questions about Bunker

How do you play Bunker?

A catastrophe hits and the shelter has fewer places than there are players. Everyone gets a secret character with a job, health, hobby, item, phobia and background. Each round you reveal your character, argue why the group needs you, and vote one player out. The game ends when the people left fit into the bunker.

Is it the same as the Shelter game?

Yes, Bunker and Shelter are two names for the same kind of game: a survival argument where players defend their own character and vote on who stays outside.

How many players do you need?

At least 3. Bunker works best with 6 to 10 people. Free rooms hold up to 8 players, and Premium rooms take up to 12.

Is the game free?

Yes. The Classic pack with 446 cards is free. The Zombies, Space, Retro, Absurd and Spicy 18+ packs need Premium.

Can we play Bunker on a video call?

Yes. Share the room link in the call chat. Each player sees their own dossier on their phone, and the call is for arguing.

How many places are in the bunker?

By default half of the players, rounded down. The host can change it in More settings before the game starts.

One shelter, too few places, and a dossier you have to defend. Deal the cards, start arguing, and see who talks their way inside.