Dixit Buyers Guide: How To Navigate The Surreal Sea Of Expansions

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There was a time when if you wanted to buy Dixit you would buy the original game and have all the Dixit content in existence. That time was in 2008. These days it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the abundance of Dixit expansions and options available.

This article aims to break down your options and make it easy to understand which expansions are right for you. So by the time you get Dixit to your table, you can be confident you’ll have a good time.

What to buy?

Scrolling past the table of contents, your eyes might have lit up at the sheer amount of Dixit variations available. Don’t fret! You don’t (and probably shouldn’t) have to buy them all. Well… at least not right away.

We recommend you buy a single stand-alone version of the game and one card-only expansion to begin playing. This gives you enough variety to play several games without seeing repeats of cards.

However, once you start seeing repeats, and clues become stale it’s a good time to add another card-only expansion.

Now, if you’re looking for an order to buy all the card-only expansions, there isn’t one. Your best bet is to scroll the list, read the descriptions and see which appeals to you.

Just be aware that if you’re planning to buy all of the expansions for Dixit you will quickly run out of space in your game box. At that point, we recommend keeping several groups of expansions, rotating them in once you get bored of the current selected set.

Stand-alone versions

To begin your Dixit journey, you must choose one of the three stand-alone versions of the game. These versions contain everything you need to start playing, including additional components, a storage box, and a deck of 84 art cards.

Similar to choosing Pokemon, each version has its strengths and weaknesses, and while your choice will affect your initial plays, once you get an expansion or two it no longer matters.

Dixit

This version of Dixit started it all. Combining laughter, guesswork and beautiful artwork, the game took the board gaming world by storm.

Compared to some of the later expansions, where they introduced guest artists, the original picture cards were hand-painted by Marie Cardouat.

As a result, they’re surprisingly evocative, although not as sharp as the digitally produced images in later expansions. This plays well into the game’s mechanics and allows for more expressive clues up for interpretation.

Get this version of Dixit if you want to experience Dixit for what it truly is. A hilarious game of giving weird clues and hoping your friends understand them.

Update: In 2021, Libellud released a refreshed version of the original Dixit (pictured below). Including a new scoreboard and brand new voting mechanism.

Dixit: Odyssey

Chronologically, this is Dixit’s fourth expansion and acts as a bit of a reset to the series. It provides a whole new set of components, updated to modern board game standards, and rules for up to 12 players – although I wouldn’t recommend playing with that many.

The new peg and player board system smooths out the voting process by allowing for a quick selection of cards, rather than the voting tokens of the original. Meanwhile, the new scoreboard makes handing out points easier as well.

But we don’t care about that when it comes to Dixit, we care about the picture cards!

Thankfully, artist Marie Cardouat returns alongside Pierre Lechevalier, who’s previously done artwork for Mr Jack, and Ghost Stories, to produce 84 new cards for this version. These carry the same art style and theme as the original.

If you’re not crazy about Disney, Dixit: Odyssey is the stand-alone version to buy. The additional player count is a nice addition (even if you don’t use it) and the upgraded components really help to smooth out gameplay.

Update: In June 2024, Libellud introduced an updated second version Dixit: Odyssey (pictured below). This version aligns the components with Dixit and Dixit: Disney Edition. So now no matter which version you pick up – you’re going to get the very best of Dixit.

Dixit: Disney Edition

Dixit: Disney Edition celebrates the film catalogue of Disney & Pixar. On each card is a picture from Jean-Louis Roubira combining Dixit’s abstract, befuddling nature and a film from Disney or Pixar’s past. Covering everything from the Steamboat Willie to Turning Red.

Ruleswise, the 6-12 player ruleset of Odyssey is gone. So too are the bunny meeples, replaced by great-looking tokens representing Disney characters. Additionally, the scoreboard is no longer a track, and the voting mechanism improved again to some sort of counter.

Dixit: Disney Edition has a specific audience in mind. If you’re part of that audience, then buying it is a no-brainer. However, if you’re not convinced you want to play with Olaf’s beady eyes peering at you from a card then the safer pickup would be Dixit: Odyssey.

Dixit Card-Only Expansions

As the name implies, the following expansions are card-only, They come in a smaller box, with no other components except for 84 new picture cards. These can be shuffled into any stand-alone version of the game without adjustments to the rules.

When choosing which card-only expansion to buy, go through the list below, read the description, look at the pictures and try to find the one that resonates with you the most.

Dixit: Origins

This expansion is for anyone who ended up buying Dixit: Odyssey or Dixit: Disney Edition, or had their copy of Dixit eaten by their dog. It includes all of the original art cards from the base game without any of the extra components.

The cards are all hand painted by Marie Cardouat so the artwork isn’t as crisp as the digitally illustrated expansions that came later on. This actually works in their favour, as it opens the cards up to even more interpretation due to their evocative nature.

Dixit 2: Quest

Canonically the first expansion, Dixit: Quest adds another 84 cards from Marie Cardouat. Like the original, these cards are more abstract and emotionally evocative than some of the later entries.

You’ll want to buy this expansion if you want consistency between all your picture cards. You’ll also want to investigate Dixit: Odyssey later on as Marie Cardouat is the lead artist on all three games.

Dixit 3: Journey

Journey introduced the first new artist into the Dixit universe in Xavier Collette who’s previous work includes Mysterium, Abyss andGet Bit!

Unlike Marie Cardouat, Xavier’s art style blends painting and illustration so the pictures are clearer but lack the hand-drawn feel. Still there’s plenty of cards that put his imagination is on full display. So they’re as much fun to look at as they are to play with.

Just a note that in some countries, Dixit: Journey was released as the stand-alone version instead of Dixit: Odyssey. Still, it contained the new scoreboard, tokens, and voting format.

Dixit: Odyssey (Expansion)

This expansion strips down Dixit: Odyssey, so it has all of the cards and none of the components.

It also sees the return of Marie Cardouat as lead artist. As expected, her hand-painted artwork is beautiful, bizarre and emotionally evocative. Making it perfect for a game of Dixit.

For those looking to avoid visual whiplash, consider buying this expansion alongside the original Dixit stand-alone version and Dixit: Quest. Marie leads the art on all three titles, so you get a consistency from the artwork that you wouldn’t get if you added any other expansion.

Dixit: Daydreams

Dixit: Daydreams showcases Franck Dion’s signature style and insane imagination. A lot of the cards are borderline creepy, or at the very least offputting. As such, I wouldn’t recommend this set for players with young children or those with an active imagination.

You can catch more of Franck’s worked on Botanik, Mare Nostrum, and String Railway. He’s also worked on several short animations in a similar style to this expansion.

Dixit: Memories

Dixit: Memories is one of my personal favourite expansions. The cards fit well into all the previous sets, but the incredible use of bright colours makes every card stand out.

The artistic duo of Carine Hinder and Jérôme Pélissier did a wonderful job making each and every card visually appealing. You can see more of Jérôme’s work from the Unlock series of board games. Whereas Carine has gone on to illustrate French children’s books.

Dixit: Revelations

Dixit: Revelations brings style and grace to the world of Dixit. There’s an elegance to the art in this deck through it’s use of shapes and line. On its release, they highlighted this sophistication by embossing the cards with golden foil.

While that may no longer be the case, even without the shiny bits this expansion is a must-have for anyone who loves Art Deco.

Marina Coudray, the mastermind behind the artwork, only has one other board game credit to their name. The upcoming title Perspectives Blue from Space Cowboy Games. However, based on their work here I hope we see more of them in the future.

Dixit: Harmonies

Dixit: Harmonies is one of the few expansions that centers around a theme. All the pictures in this expansion are influenced by fairy tales, mythological creatures and board games. These can be fun to play with and recognise, but sometimes limiting as they direct you to what clues to give.

Although Paul Echegoyen doesn’t have any other board game credits to his name, be sure to check out his personal page. Because those illustrations are stunning.

Dixit: Anniversary

The 10th Anniversary expansion is a celebration of all of the Dixit that’s come before. All artists from the previous versions of the game have come back and illustrated some new cards.

Including: Marie Cardouat, Xavier Collette, Marina Coudray, Franck Dion, Paul Echegoyen, Carine Hinder, Clément Lefevre, Jérôme Pélissier, and Pierre Lechevalier.

This is one of the last expansions to pick up, as it compliments the other expansions but feels a bit all over the place just by itself.

Dixit: Mirrors

Sébastien Telleschi’s signature style takes center stage in Dixit: Mirrors. Previously he’s worked on sticker books and child education. So there’s a friendly, more cartoony approach to the card art.

As a result, Dixit: Mirrors is the most child-friendly expansion and a great recommendation for family board game night.

Dixit: MNK

Dixit: MNK is a collaboration between Jean-Louis Roubira (Dixit’s designer), and the National Museum in Krakow (Poland). It uses pre-existing art to create a new 84 card deck.

You’ll see cards of classic paintings such as “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci, “Girl with Chrysanthemums” by Olga Boznańska, “Young Poland” by Jacek Malczewski, and “Wernyhora” by Jan Matejko.

Given these are historical paintings, this expansion can be quite jarring when compared to the other sets. Despite this, the paintings and pictures all fit the mould of great Dixit cards. So even though the cards look a little different, you should still have a great time.

Offshoot Games

Just when you thought you’d seen every version of Dixit, there are still two more variations to cover. These can be bought separately or played with the cards you already own.

Dixit Jinx

In Dixit Jinx one player creates a 3×3 grid of picture cards and notes the location of one card. Afterwards, they provide a clue to the rest of the table, and each player gets a turn trying to guess which card was noted based on the clue.

One of the big differences within Dixit Jinx is the lack of creative art cards. The ones found within this game are minimalistic and don’t really fit with any of the other sets of cards.

So it’s no surprise this game didn’t take off. Sitting at a 5.7 rating on Board Game Geek, with one commenter saying saying ‘…Dixit Jinx exists to make regular Dixit look better.’

Ouch.

Dixit Stella

Recently released, Dixit: Stella has players try to guess the same picture card from a 3×5 grid. It inverts the original Dixit formula, by making it completely competitive and removing the storyteller role. As a result, it requires less creativity than the original but provides a more consistent experience.

Unlike Dixit: Jinx, this variation is sitting at a respectable 7.3 rating on Board Game Geek. With commenters enjoying its quick play time and lack of creative responsibility.

Ready to jump into the world of Dixit? Share your favourite versions and expansions in the comments below! Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the game, we’d love you to share your experiences and recommendations.