Uno, dos, tres, we love UNO! We were always amazed by the game’s simplicity & great fun it brings. However, if you’ve been playing it for some years now, you’ve probably memorized all possible game strategies, scenarios, and cards, obviously. The greatest solution is here: card games like UNO, including those played with a standard deck of cards!
- Games like UNO:
- Phase 10;
- Skip-Bo;
- 6 Nimmt;
- No Thanks;
- Monopoly Deal;
- Five Crowns;
- Red 7;
- Hanabi;
- Sequence Stacks;
- The Great Dalmuti;
- Karma;
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza;
- Play Nine;
- Blink;
- Rat A Tat Cat;
- Card games like UNO played with standard cards:
- Mao;
- Pig;
- Spit;
- Crazy Eights;
- Fan Tan;
- Conclusion;
Games Like UNO
We’re about to present to you some of the most unique & cool card games that are played with a dedicated deck of cards. Most of them are simple to play, but most importantly, they are games similar to UNO, and we’re here for it!
1. Phase 10
Available on Amazon ($7.66) & Target ($6.49) | 2-6 players | Ages 7+;
Pieces of information about ‘Phase 10’:
Phase 10 is a rummy-style card game, with some added twists. Just as the name says, this game is made of 10 phases. Each phase has its specific number of sets, runs, and cards of the same color, in order to get completed. But there’s also one twist: each phase is specific for each hand. If you cannot complete it, you try again. You don’t get to improve to the next phase. If we’re talking about the cards, just as UNO, there are 108 cards, divided into color cards with numbers from 1-12, including skip & wild cards as well.
Phase 10 VS. UNO:
Both games have the same number of cards. Also, the card types are pretty similar: colors, sets of number cards, wild & skip cards. However, in Phase 10 you’ll deal with different game phases, and probably, a higher game complexity.
2. Skip-Bo
Available on Amazon ($11.99) & Target ($7.99) | 2-6 players | Ages 7+;
Pieces of information about ‘Skip-Bo’:
Skip-Bo, as a family-friendly card game, contains a large deck of 162 cards. It is one simple game to play and only requires some concentration. Everyone is dealt the same number of cards (up to the dealer), but there should be some remaining for the draw pile. Using cards from your hands and the draw pile, all the players build their piles, but the only rule is that all cards should be in sequential order. The wild cards of the game are Skip-Bo cards, which you can use in any situation you need. Lifesavers!
Skip-Bo VS. UNO:
While in UNO all cards should either be the same color or number as the previous card, in Skip-Bo, all cards go up sequentially. The goal in both games is to get rid of all cards in your stockpile.
3. 6 Nimmit
Available on Amazon UK & Walmart ($13.00) | 2 to 10 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘6 Nimmt’:
6 Nimmt is a great game for large groups, up to 10 people! You may find this game also as Category 5, ‘6 Who Looses!’, ‘Take 6!’, but 6 Nimmts is the original German name! There will be 4 cards in the center of the table (creating 4 rows), and players must play facedown cards, on the count of three, all at once turn their cards over, and place cards in the row depending on their card value. If you play the sixth card in the row, you take the whole card row as your points. You may also take cards if you play a card lower than any row allows. The player with the lowest score wins!
6 Nimmt VS. UNO:
Both 6 Nimmt & Uno contain number cards, and to play cards you must follow an order. Based on our experience, 6 Nimmt is slightly more complicated and takes more time to master.
4. No Thanks
Available on Amazon ($9.99) & Walmart ($9.99) | 3-7 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘No Thanks’:
I bet none of you will say no thanks to this card game! This is a strategy card game, which contains 33 cards, and 55 tokens, which will work as coins. Simply, there are only numbered cards, starting from 1 to 33, and taking turns, you flip over cards and check for the points. If you want to get stuck with the points, you take the card. If you have enough chips to play, you say ‘No thanks!’ and deny the card. So, your goal is to have the fewest points. Logically, you save your chips for the higher-value cards and take the lower ones.
No Thanks VS. UNO:
In No Thanks, your goal is to have the fewest points, different from UNO where you aim for 500 points. Both games have simple rules tho’, and help with number recognition & math skills, especially for kids.
5. Monopoly Deal
Available on Amazon ($7.99) & Target ($5.00) | 2-5 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Monopoly Deal’:
Monopoly Deal is a trading card game, which comes with a total of 110 cards. These cards may belong to the categories: rules cards, action cards, rent, money, property cards & property wildcards. During the game, you’ll have to create your bank, complete actions, play property cards, pay the other players for properties, and many more. On each property card, is written a specific number, which tells you when the set of properties is completed. Once you complete 3 full sets of properties, you win! Feels like dealing with money in real life.
Monopoly Deal VS. UNO:
Uno is simpler to play & has less equipment. In Monopoly Deal, besides playing the cards, you’ll have to do with, properties, deals, payments, and so on. But,
there are different types of cards & each adds new stuff to both games.
6. Five Crowns
Available on Amazon ($9.44) & Target ($11.99) | 1-7 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Five Crowns’:
Let’s head to the royal world! Five Crowns is the rummy-style, five-suited card game. There are 5 suits: hearts, stars, clubs, diamonds, and spades, and a total of 116 cards included. Now, there are 11 rounds of gameplay. The first round starts with 3 cards, and in this round 3s are wild. Then, it continues with 4 cards, 4s are wild, and so on, till the last round, when Kings go wild! In the game, you’ll try to make runs and books, discard cards, and many similar actions. Whoever has the fewest points wins the game!
Five Crowns VS. UNO:
In UNO, you always try your best to score the highest points. On the other hand, in Five Crowns, if you have the highest points, you’re screwed up. In both games you’ve got to match cards: either to get rid of them or to create books.
7. Red 7
Available on Amazon ($11.30) & Walmart ($11.30) | 2 to 4 players | Ages 9+;
Pieces of information about ‘Red 7’:
Red 7, one of the most popular & best games like UNO, contains a deck of 49 cards, numbered from 1 to 7, in all colors of the rainbow. Keep in mind that the color of the card determines the strength of it. Therefore, red is the strongest, and violet is the weakest. To start, each player gets 7 cards in their hand, and one extra, which is the card palette. In your turn, you must play a card that is the strongest out of the palette cards. However, each color represents a rule. The first rule is red, and it represents the highest card (the strongest card wins), all the way to the last color rule, the violet one, where the highest number of cards below 4 wins.
Red 7 VS. UNO:
To begin with, Red 7 is way more complicated than UNO. There are more rules, and you must pay attention to your opponents’ cards too. Nevertheless, there’s an element of color & number matching in both games.
8. Hanabi
Available on Amazon ($8.99) & Walmart ($8.99) | 2 to 5 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Hanabi’:
Besides being a card game under $10, Hanabi brings many more amazing elements. It contains a total of 60 cards and a few tokens. There are five types of cards with numbers from 1 to 5 and different suits. The most unique thing about Hanabi is that you can’t look at your own cards, but can only get information about your hand by taking clues from other players. In your turn you may either play a card, discard one, or give clues to another player, but not very direct ones. Since you’re a fireworks manufacturer, your goal is to arrange cards from 1 to five in ascending order, in all suits.
Hanabi VS. UNO:
The first main difference: in Hanabi, you can’t look at your cards, which makes the game more complex. Although not necessarily in the same matching criteria, both Hanabi & UNO require to match cards, either in color or number.
9. Sequence Staks
Available on Amazon ($11.61) & Walmart ($11.61) | 2-4 players | Ages 7+;
Pieces of information about ‘Sequence Stacks’:
As the name says, this is a game of sequence. Contains 120 cards & about 40 playing chips. Using cards from your hand, you play into the sequence pile. This pile can only be started with a 1 or a wild card. Cards will go sequentially from 1 to 5. If you don’t have an appropriate card to play, you should discard cards from your hand, and place them into your personal discard pile. Besides numbered cards, you’ll also run into reverse cards, skip, block, discard thief (steal a card), and chip thief (steal a chip). The winner is whoever earns 5 chips, from them at least two red & two blue.
Sequence Stacks VS. UNO:
In Sequence Stacks, the winner is chosen depending on the earned chips, not points as in UNO. Both card games include skip & reverse cards, and their actions are pretty much the same while playing.
10. The Great Dalmuti
Available on Amazon ($12.54) & Walmart ($12.27) | 6-8 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘The Great Dalmuti’:
First things first, this gives me the feeling of something antique, the name, the design… There are 80 cards in this deck, including cards ranked from 12-1 and 2 Jokers (Jesters). The numbers on the cards, besides telling you their rank, also tell how many of that card is in the deck. In this game like UNO, you must play cards in the center, only if they have the same rank. The first person to run out of all their cards first becomes the Great Dalmuti. But, the game doesn’t end this fast. Next, the other players change their positions and begin the new round. Jesters are wild cards, they may be used in any situation.
The Great Dalmuti VS. UNO:
There isn’t a specific number of points or rounds where ‘The Great Dalmuti’ ends, differently from UNO. Keep in mind that in both these card games, you can play cards into the middle pile if they have the same rank.
11. Karma
Available on Amazon ($15.38) & Walmart ($19.99) | 2 to 6 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Karma’:
What goes around comes around, huh? There are 60 cards in the deck, containing number cards from 1 to 16, and special karma cards. Players will be dealt 3 facedown cards, and 6 faceup cards. Then, you’ll take turns to draw cards from the draw pile and play into the middle pile, but only if you’re card is the same value or higher than the previous card. If you don’t have a card to play, you can use a wild karma card, which can make one friend take the entire deck, move the bottom card to the top, make them play a card lower than 5, and so on. The goal of the game is to get rid of your cards first!
Karma VS. UNO:
Both games are known for their simplicity & straightforward gameplay. Also, both include special cards and require matching cards to get rid of them. Although in Karma and UNO, you win when getting rid of cards, in UNO, usually a player must reach 500 points to win.
12. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Available on Amazon ($7.97) & Target ($9.99) | 2+ players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza’:
Who knew that Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a game similar to UNO? It has a total of 66 cards in the deck, and all of them are either a taco, a cat, a goat, cheese, or a pizza card. Every player takes their time to flip one card from the pile – without looking at them and say the words in order: taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza while flipping the card. Now, once the word you said, and the card on the center of the table match, you all race to slap the pile. The last player to do so takes the entire pile. Whoever runs out of cards first, wins.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza VS. UNO:
Both these card games deal with matching. However, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is about matching your words with the cards, while UNO is you know, all about matching the cards.
13. Play Nine
Available on Amazon ($18.99) & Walmart ($17.99) | 2-6 players | Ages 8+;
Pieces of information about ‘Play Nine’:
Any idea why it is named Play Nine? Well, most likely because there will be 9 holes! This card game like UNO includes 108 cards, and they are ranked from -5 to 12. First, each player gets 8 cards, in two rows of 4, face-down. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the table. Everyone takes a turn turning over 2 of their cards, and then draws cards, trying to make combinations. 2 of the same cards in the same row, cancel each other. Just as in Golf, the game continues for 9 holes. After the ninth hole, all the holes are tailed, and the player with the lowest score wins the game.
Play Nine VS. UNO:
You can’t affect the other player’s game in Play Nine as you did in UNO. There isn’t such a thing as skip, reverse, +2, or anything like that. But, in both UNO and Play Nine, you get rid of cards, only if you match them with each other.
14. Blink
Available on Amazon ($6.21) & Walmart ($6.21) | 2 players | Ages 7+;
Pieces of information about ‘Blink’:
Cheers to the world’s fastest game! This 2-player card game requires you to be quick and concentrated. The game contains 60 cards, and all of them have different shapes drawn on them & different numbers. You play cards, trying to get rid of them. There are 3 ways you could play a card: cards match the color, the shape, or the number of shapes. So, if you’ve played, let’s say, a yellow 4-triangle, you may play any yellow card, any triangle card, or any other card that has 4 shapes in it. If you’re the first to get rid of all your cards, you win!
Blink VS. UNO:
Unlike UNO, in Blink, you won’t perform any action. You just look up cards that match. In both games, you may match cards by their color, or their number. Well, in Blink you can also match by shape, but that’s not the point…
15. Rat A Tat Cat
Available on Amazon ($13.98) & Walmart ($12.98) | 2 to 6 players | Ages 6+;
Pieces of information about ‘Rat A Tat Cat’:
To play this very unique-named game, each player will be dealt 4 cards. After sneaking a peek at your cards, you may swap high-value cards, for low ones.
At your turn, you can draw cards, replace, peek, or discard. When you think you have the lowest score, you can shout ‘Rat A Tat Cat’, and each player adds their point value, to check who really had the lowest score. Except for the standard thes, there are power cards too, which have special powers, and definitely help you with your game strategy.
Rat A Tat Cat VS. UNO:
Rat A Tat Cat & UNO both have special cards: either power cards or skip, reverse, and wild cards. However, the main difference is that in Rat A Tat Cat you aim to have the lowest score, while in UNO it’s completely the opposite.
Card Games Like UNO With Regular Cards
If you had no clue, yes, there are several games played with a 52-card deck, which are pretty similar to UNO. Even though you might find several more, below you’ll find the top 5 card games like UNO played with a standard deck of cards:
1. Mao
4 to 5 players
Pieces of information about ‘Mao’:
Well, the most important detail about Mao, is that new players can’t be told about the rules, they must figure them out. One of you becomes the dealer, deals everyone 6 cards, and places the remaining cards in the center, making the penalty cards. Players can play cards if they match the suit or the number of the top card on the penalty deck. If they have no such cards, they draw one penalty card. Players might also announce points of order, to discuss penalties. When a player breaks a rule, other players can give them penalty cards, but not directly tell what the rule was. 8s reverse the gameplay, Aces make the next player skip, and if you play Jack, you can make up a new rule. When you’re left with one card in your hand, you must shout ‘Mao’.
Mao VS. UNO:
Mao and UNO both have very similar rules, considering the playing cards if the suit of number match, and shouting a word if you have only one card left. Mao includes a special rule too: announcing ‘Point Of Order’.
2. Pig
3 to 13 players;
Pieces of information about ‘Pig’:
To play Pig (not actually the animal), each player is dealt 4 cards. The dealer starts first by drawing a card from the remaining pile, looking at it, and checking if they want it or not. The point is to make four cards of a kind in your hand, so, if you don’t need the card you’ve drawn, you pass it, facedown, to the player on your left. Jokers are wild cards and can be used as any card you need. The first player to make four cards of a kind, touches their nose, without announcing out loud. All players who see that someone is touching their nose must touch theirs as well. The last player to do so receives the letter ‘P’. when someone gets all three letters, meaning, spells ‘PIG’, they’re out of the game.
Pig VS. UNO:
In both these games you must match cards to be the winner. Also, there are wild cards in both! However, in UNO you aim to get rid of cards, while in Pig you tend to make 4 cards of a kind.
3. Spit
2 players;
Pieces of information about ‘Spit’:
As a great game for 2, Spit starts with all cards being dealt to both players. Each of you must create 5 stockpiles, with 1 card in the first pile, to 5 cards in the last one, with the top card flipped in each. The remaining cards resemble your spit decks. In the count of three, you both will play cards in the middle of the table, creating spit piles, and then play cards, but only if the rank is one higher or lower than the top card of the pile. If none of you can’t play a card, you announce ‘Spit’, and play cards from your spit pile at the same time. The first to run out of cards wins!
Spit VS. UNO:
The objective of both games is to be the first to run out of cards. In order to play cards into the middle pile, there’s an order to be followed. However, the card arrangement & the other rules are different in these two games.
4. Crazy Eights
2 to 5 players;
Pieces of information about ‘Crazy Eights’:
It’s countless how many times we’ve mentioned Crazy Eights! Each player is dealt 5 cards, facedown. On your turn, you may play cards into the middle pile, but only if it matches the suit or rank of the top card of the remaining deck. If you can’t discard a card, you must draw up to 3. Just as the name says, eights are wild cards and can be played on top of every card. After playing an eight, you must also tell the next suit of cards, meaning, that’s the suit of cards players can play. Each player aims to get rid of cards.
Crazy Eights VS. UNO:
You can play cards only if they match, either by rank, color, or suit, and this happens in both games. Also, in Crazy Eights & UNO, your goal is to get rid of cards first. Nevertheless, the gameplay of Crazy Eights is simpler, since there isn’t any special action included.
5. Fan Tan
3 to 8 players;
Pieces of information about ‘Fan Tan’:
Fan Tan (often found as Sevens) requires a 52-card deck, just as in previous games. Cards are dealt equally to all players, and all players must arrange their cards in suit and order. Whoever has the 7 diamonds, starts the game by placing it in the center of the table, face up. Then, players on their turn can play a card higher or lower than 7, but in the same suit, or play another 7 of a different suit. By all means, you have to create stacks of cards in numerical order, in the same suit, and they all start with 7. The first player to get rid of their cards wins the game!
Fan Tan VS. UNO:
Even though there might be some differences in game rules, each player aims to be the first to get rid of their cards, in both games. While in UNO you have to match cards in their value or color, in Fan Tan, you can play cards in numerical order only.
Conclusion: Are These Games Fun?
The most unique thing about these games is that they all have their own gameplay and specific, straightforward rules. What we love most is that you won’t necessarily need to buy a game to replace UNO. You can simply choose one of our games with standard cards, and have the fun of your life.