Whether you're following the official Uno rules or the house rules, or you just love chaos, here's how to play the game without turning it into a full-contact sport
Here Are the Official Uno Rules—And the Super-Fun Unofficial Ones Too
Updated on Jun. 29, 2025
With five kids, I’ve played a lot of Uno over the years, and I’m going to be honest: Uno is less of a card game and more of a test of your fortitude and moral character. It always starts off innocently—just a chill family game night with a shuffled rainbow of cards and some tasty snacks. Everyone’s smiling … until someone whips out a Wild Draw 4 and suddenly one brother is threatening to flip the table while the other cackles like a Bond villain. Meanwhile I’m Googling “how to uninvite your own children from game night.” (Yes, one of my sons has actually flipped the table during a heated Uno game. I won’t say which one, but you know who you are, and you need to read this article about Uno rules!)
Anyone else’s family play card games like it’s the Hunger Games but with more passive-aggressive comments? Part of it is that my kids are really competitive. But a bigger reason for the drama is because apparently everyone plays Uno a little differently. Sometimes it comes down to an innocent misunderstanding—like not realizing your in-laws allow stacked Draw 4’s until you’re suddenly holding 28 cards and a grudge against your spouse. Other times, it’s less “rule book” and more “law of the jungle.” (Another one of my kids likes to make up rules on the fly.)
It’s a recipe for chaos. So, to save my family (and yours) from game night escalating to therapy-level damage, let’s break down how to actually play Uno. Read on for the official Uno rules—plus all the gloriously unhinged house rules your kids learned at camp that somehow make the game even better.
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What’s the objective of Uno?
The goal of Uno is simple: Get rid of all your cards. That’s it. Like life, but with more color-coding and less existential dread. You do this by matching the card on the discard pile by either color or number. So if the top card is a red 7, you can play any red card or any 7. Unless you’re my daughter, who thinks “matching the vibes” is also acceptable.
Fun fact: Uno was actually invented due to a family game night argument! In 1971, Merle Robbins, a barber shop owner from Reading, Ohio, got into a disagreement with his son regarding the rules of Crazy Eights. So he decided to make his own game with “better” rules.
How many cards do you get in Uno?
According to the official Uno rules, each player starts with seven cards—assuming you’re playing the standard way and not “house rules,” where one kid hoards 35 cards “because that’s how we play at my grandma’s house.” (Why is it always grandma?)
And this is the case in any of the Uno games … and there are a lot of them. We’re talking more than 20 official Uno spin-offs, plus themed packs, like Barbie and sports teams.
How to play Uno (the official way)
Start by giving the deck a good shuffle, and then deal seven cards to each player. Place the rest of the cards into one or two draw piles. Flip over the top card from a draw pile, and place it on the table to start the discard pile. If it’s an “action” card, per Mattel’s new revised rules, the first player must do the action unless it’s a Wild Draw 4, then toss it back in and try again. No chaos just yet.
The person to the left of the dealer or the youngest player (the Uno rules allow for both) goes first. Start your turn by playing one card from your hand that matches the card face-up on the table—either by color or number. If you don’t have a playable card, draw one from the deck. If that card works, you can play it immediately. If not, sob silently and pass your turn.
Each player continues taking turns, trying to get rid of the cards in their hand. When you’re down to one card, you must shout “Uno!” before anyone else notices. Announcing “Uno” needs to be repeated every time you are left with one card. If someone catches you and yells “Uno!” first, you have to draw two more cards (and live in shame).
In case you didn’t make the mental connection, uno means “one” in Spanish.
How do you win at Uno?
You win by being the first person to play all your cards—ideally without anyone crying, storming off or accusing you of cheating. (And let’s be honest: Cheating at Uno is almost too easy. Remember what I said about this being a test of both fortitude and moral character? Ahem.) If you finish the game with a Wild card, you are legally required to smirk like a smug little leprechaun. It’s tradition.
My family designates the winner by whomever goes out first, but if you’re playing for points over multiple rounds, score the round per the directions below. The winner is the first person to get 500 points.
Bonus my-house rule: The loser has to sing the Uno national anthem—which doesn’t technically exist but hasn’t stopped my kids from making up one that’s just scream-singing Tom Jones’s classic “What’s New Pussycat.”
What do the special cards mean?
Uno’s “action” cards are where the real magic—and trauma—happens:
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Skip: Skip the next player’s turn. Great for amping up sibling rivalry.
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Reverse: Reverses the direction of play. Useful for psychological warfare.
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Draw Two: The next player draws two cards and forfeits their turn. Beware of revenge.
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Wild: The player gets to change the current color to whatever they want. Power move.
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Wild Draw 4: You change the color and make the next player draw four cards. Must be used only when you have no other matching cards. (If you play this card illegally, you may be challenged by the other player to show your hand. If guilty, you need to draw four cards. If not, the challenger needs to draw six cards instead.)
Something else you need to know, especially if you haven’t played in a while: In 2018, Uno added two new action cards, taking the deck from 108 to 112 cards per deck:
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Wild Swap Hands: This one’s a game-changer—literally. You get to choose any player and trade hands with them. It’s also a Wild card, so you can play it anytime on your turn and pick the next color.
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Wild Shuffle Hands: These completely reset the game. You gather everyone’s cards, shuffle them all together, and then deal them back out evenly, starting with the player to your left. Some players might end up with more cards, some with less, and everyone will definitely end up with trust issues. You also get to pick the color to continue play.
How to score Uno
We don’t normally bother with scoring—in fact, I didn’t even know you could until writing this article—but if you want to play the official way, there’s some math involved. A round ends when one person goes out by getting rid of all their cards. Then, the rest of the players tally up the points in their hands, using the guidance below, and that first person out gets everyone else’s points. Next up: the next round! You’ll repeat the process above (for playing and scoring), and the first player to get to 500 points wins.
Here’s what Uno cards are worth:
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Number cards: Face value (0–9)
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Draw Two, Reverse and Skip: 20 points each
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Wild, Wild Draw 4, Wild Shuffle and Wild Swap: 50 points each
First person to 500 points wins the game—or loses all their friends, whichever comes first.
Mattel also offers an alternative scoring method: Instead of all points going to the winner, each person tallies up the number of cards in their hand. Once they reach 500 points, they are eliminated. The last person to stay in the game wins.
What are the unofficial rules of Uno?
This is where things get wild. Literally. Because every child who has ever attended summer camp has returned with a list of “official” Uno rules that are actually just pure chaos in card form. (Shout-out to my kid who tried to convince us that to win you had to yell “Uno” while doing a headstand. Bold move.) Mattel calls these “house rules,” and some UNO decks even come with blank cards so you can write yours down—instantly making them official, because nothing says “legit” like Sharpie on cardboard.
Here are some of the most popular (and unhinged) house rules of UNO to add a little more fun—and a lot more screaming—to your next game night:
Stacking Draw cards
Got a Draw Two or Wild Draw 4? If the next player has one, they can stack it to pass the pain. Each player can keep stacking Draw 2’s and Draw 4’s—as long as they have one—until someone is holding half the deck and questioning their life choices.
Double plays
If you have two of the same number in different colors, you can play them together. Yes, this gives you a god complex.
Jump-in rule
Got the exact same card that was just played? Slam it down, even if it’s not your turn. Bonus points for waking up Dad.
7’s rule
If someone plays a 7 (or any number you pick), everyone passes their entire hand to the left. It’s like group therapy, but you come out with more issues.
0’s rule
If you play a zero, you can also lay down any other cards you have in that same color. So, laying down a blue zero means you get to get rid of all your blue cards. This is a great way to speed up the game if it’s getting too long.
Custom Wild cards
Create a custom action for wild cards. The more dramatic, the better—think disco moves, a dramatic Broadway solo or an interpretive dance. This rule started as a joke in my family but quickly turned into one of our favorite traditions. It’s led to some of our funniest family photos and videos, and honestly, it’s the perfect energy reset when game night gets too intense. Who can stay mad when Grandpa’s doing the worm?
Custom house rules
One of the best things about Uno is how easy it is to make it your own. The rules are simple and the stakes are high, so the possibilities for ridiculous house twists are endless. Whether you’re playing by the book or your family’s lovingly chaotic version, just remember: It’s all fun and games until someone draws a Wild Draw 4. Then it’s WAR.
Good luck, and may your hand always be full of Skips and Wilds. (Unless you’re playing against me, in which case, may your deck be nothing but yellow 3s.)
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