In Agent Hunter, two players act as rival agents attempting to eliminate their opponent's safe houses, which are represented by face-down cards; the cards range in value from 0 to 9. The closer you get to uncovering your target, however, the more you risk compromising your own position. Stealth and cunning are your greatest allies as only agents who remain hidden in the shadows will survive the hunt. During the game, players take turns choosing one of these actions:
- Attack from Your Hand
- Switch Agents
- Attack from Your Safe House
When you attack from your hand, reveal one of your agent cards from your hand and target one of your opponent's safe houses. If the card is a match, you eliminate that safe house. Otherwise your opponent reveals whether your card is higher or lower than the hidden card in the safe house but does not reveal the numeral on that card.
When you switch agents, you replace a face-down card from one of your safe houses with a card in your hand, possibly the same card. You can take this action at most five times during the game.
When you attack from your safe house, you reveal one of your face-down safe house cards, then reveal an opponent's safe house. If the numbers match, your opponent's safe house is eliminated; otherwise your safe house is eliminated.
Players keep swapping turns until all three of a player's safe houses are eliminated.
