HANDS OVER Beginner Guide: The Table and Cards

Your first match: understand the goal

HANDS OVER combines simple table challenges with pressure from other players. ArtDock describes it as a horror game for up to five people, with bluffing, sabotage and influence cards. The objective is to remain in the match longer than everyone else. Official game description

The developer’s example is easy to grasp: players press teeth one at a time, and one is dangerous. The tension comes from deciding what to do when the table, the cards and other players can change your situation.

What to pay attention to

• The challenge itself. Understand what the device asks you to do before acting. A familiar-looking game still has consequences for a bad move.
• Card effects. ArtDock says influence cards can protect a player, alter the odds or sabotage someone else. A move that looked safe before a card was played may deserve another look.
• Who remains at the table. Eliminations change the match. The game’s central goal is survival, so an action that harms another player can also affect your own chances.

These are general reading priorities, rather than a guaranteed winning sequence. Luck is part of the design. For named effects, use the demo card reference and compare its descriptions with the cards shown in your installed version.

Before you gather friends

ArtDock’s official lobby screenshot, labelled version 1.0.0r31, gives a two-player minimum; the official description confirms a maximum of five. Read the multiplayer start rules if your group is waiting for the host. Official lobby screenshot

The current official description confirms the core match loop, online multiplayer and card interactions. It also says balance, pacing, variety and online stability will continue to be refined during Early Access. Expect details to change as the game develops. Early Access explanation

Read multiplayer for the confirmed group size, or platforms and requirements before buying for a particular device. If you are sensitive to horror imagery, the official content notice describes stylized blood and hand injuries around a mechanical device.

Checked November 14, 2026. For controls, our keyboard and controller page distinguishes official screenshot prompts from player reports.