Munchkin Big Box: More Monsters, More Mischief, and More Mayhem!

Ever since Steve Jackson Games’ Munchkin was released in 2001, fans of the mega-hit, five-time Origins Award-winning card game have been kicking down Doors, slaying monsters, collecting Treasure, and backstabbing their buddies. They’ve become wizards, clerics, elves, and halflings. They’ve ventured to space, Wonderland, the Old West, and Oz. Now they’re about to embark on a new adventure with the BIGGEST release to come to the classic series yet: Munchkin Big Box!

Over the past 24 years, big things have happened for this beloved dungeon adventure game. Munchkin has been translated into 15 languages, and gamers around the world have come to know and love the over-the-top puns that appear on every card. Steve Jackson Games has teamed up with Games Workshop, Paizo Inc., 9th Level Games, and other notable partners to bring well-known titles like Warhammer, Pathfinder, and Batman to the tables of Munchkin fans, along with dozens of core sets in themes including zombies, pirates, steampunk, and the apocalypse itself. Most recently, Munchkin Shadowrun and Munchkin Shadowrun: Hack the Future were created in collaboration with Catalyst Game Labs, adding cyberpunk chaos and new mechanics to the scores of expansions that have broadened the game’s universe.

Munchkin Big Box represents the kick-off to 2026’s 25th anniversary celebration, and it’s perhaps the most ambitious project of the line to date.

So what’s in the very, very big box? Along with the core set that started it all, players will also find six of the most popular fantasy expansions: Munchkin 2 – Unnatural Axe, Munchkin 3 – Clerical Errors, Munchkin 6 – Double Dungeons, Munchkin Bosses, Munchkin Side Quests, and Munchkin Side Quests 2. Combined, these bring the total card count to over 700, and there’s room to fit up to 1,300 more! (It’s a big box.)

Getting started is simplified with a redesigned, consolidated rulebook and two gameboards to organize Door, Treasure, Dungeon, and Boss draw piles and discard stacks. The main board features new artwork and a level tracker to prevent opponents from sneaking up to Level 10 without being noticed. And comparing combat bonuses has never been easier when utilizing the two new oversized Kill-O-Meters – one for the monster and one for the defender.

For the first time in any Munchkin set, the 12-character standies have been upgraded to beautifully printed, two-sided wooden meeples. There are also six colorful dice – one for each competitor. Players can show off their creativity by making new monsters and Items using the 45 blank cards. Five bookmarks, including one in memory of Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard, can not only be used during play for in-game bonuses and to augment the rules, but they can also mark a place in a book! And for fun to take away from the table, inside the Munchkin Big Box are stickers and an enamel Spyke pin.

Munchkin wouldn’t be the big deal it is today without its unique cartoon images. Throughout the years, John Kovalic, the game’s original artist, has illustrated nearly 8,000 pieces of Munchkin art! His characters Spyke and Flower, the Plutonium Dragon, and the infamous Duck of Doom have become recognizable icons in the gaming community. For this set, he has drawn 50 all-new cards that can’t be found anywhere else, and he’s drawn new illustrations for cards initially designed by other artists! Of recreating this art for Munchkin Big Box, he says, “The other artists who’ve contributed to Munchkin are an amazingly talented bunch (at times it’s almost intimidating). Justice was my top priority when redrawing their original work. It was fascinating to study how other artists approached their Munchkin cards – there are some tremendous ideas in Side Quests and Bosses that I’d never have thought of! I tried to give them my own spin and not simply ape what the others had done in my style. Probably my favorite card of the entire set was Catacombs, which the amazing Katie Cook originally drew. I turned it inside out a little bit (the cat now has the keys to the dungeon!), and I created a Pirates of the Caribbean ride homage.”

Munchkin Big Box is truly the ultimate collector’s edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s only for die-hard fans. For anyone looking to join in on the satirical, dungeon-crawling fun for the first time, this set is the perfect way to grab everything needed to start building a collection. Those seeking a copy should act fast – this massive box will only be printed once, and copies will be extremely limited.

As Munchkin approaches its 25th anniversary, there’s a great deal more hilarious, pun-filled, monster-fighting excitement on the horizon. Stay tuned – you won’t believe what’s coming next!

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Even before joining the Steve Jackson Games team in 2023, Munchkin super-fan Michelle Richardson had been playing the game for nearly 20 years! It’s always a must-play at her game nights, and she has amassed an enormous collection of both core sets and expansions.