That’s Not a Hat Review

That’s Not a Hat is a memory and bluffing card game from designer Kasper Lapp, published by Ravensburger in 2023. Players slide face-down gift cards around the table and announce what they are handing over. Anyone who forgets has to lie and hope nobody calls it. The game takes 3 to 8 players, suits ages 8 and up, and ends in about 15 minutes. This review covers the components, rules, mechanics, and the group sizes where it works.

That’s Not a Hat Overview

Every card shows one object: a hat, a bucket, a traffic cone. You see it once, it goes face down, and then it moves.

The goal is to avoid penalty cards. You take one by naming a gift wrong, or by accusing someone who told the truth. Three penalties and your game is over.

The game landed on the Spiel des Jahres 2023 recommendation list and has passed 7,000 BoardGameGeek ratings.

What’s in the That’s Not a Hat Box

The box fits in a jacket pocket. Card stock is standard Ravensburger quality, printed on FSC-certified material, and the art is flat and bold enough to read across a full table.

The arrow on the back matters more than it looks. It decides whether a card goes left or right, so the direction of play flips and no rhythm sets in.

That’s Not a Hat Pros and Cons

What works:

• Teaches in two minutes. Show a card, pass it, name it.
• Handles 8 players, where most party board games stop at 6.
• Bluffing has bite, since a wrong accusation costs you a penalty.
• Games end in 15 minutes, so a group can run three in a row.
• Price sits with the cheaper budget board games, and the tiny box travels.

What does not:

• Memory decides most games. Players who track cards well win far more often.
• Elimination at three penalties leaves people watching, which stings at 8 players.
• No decisions exist outside the pass, so the game thins out after several plays.
• The 110 cards repeat objects, so the same items resurface in a session.

How to Play That’s Not a Hat

That’s Not a Hat Setup

Shuffle and deal one card to each player. Everyone looks at their card, then places it face down. The rest of the deck sits in the middle as the gift shop. Setup takes under a minute.

That’s Not a Hat Turn Structure

The player who received a gift most recently starts. They draw from the gift shop, show the card, turn it face down, then pass it along its arrow while saying what it is.

The receiver stacks the gift above their own card, or refuses it with “that’s not a hat.” Whoever accepts must then pass their older card onward, naming it from memory.

Refusing a Gift in That’s Not a Hat

A refusal flips the card face up. If the giver named it wrong, the giver keeps it as a penalty. If the giver was honest, the doubter keeps it.

Whoever takes the penalty draws a replacement, shows it, and passes it on at once without keeping it.

How to Win That’s Not a Hat

The game ends the moment a player picks up a third penalty card. That player loses and everyone else shares the win. For a longer session, play rounds equal to the player count and add up penalties.

Where to Buy That’s Not a Hat

In India the game runs Rs 849 to Rs 1,199 depending on the seller. Prices swing between print runs, so stock gaps are common.

That’s Not a Hat Game Mechanics

The core mechanism is memory, and BoardGameGeek lists nothing else. No drafting, no engine, no hand management.

The design adds a bluffing layer on top. A wrong accusation costs a penalty, so nobody can challenge every pass to farm information.

Holding two cards creates the pressure. Your bottom card has sat there for several turns while five other gifts crossed the table, and the arrows keep reversing.

Who Should Play That’s Not a Hat

This suits mixed groups where some players do not game much. Kids from 8 upward compete with adults on level terms, which puts it near the top of the board games for kids pile.

Compare it to Just One: same length and player count, but that game asks the table to cooperate while this one sets everyone against each other.

Skip it if your group wants real choices or hates elimination. Reach for it when you need something short for a crowd, the way most family board games get used.

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