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10 Classic Card Game Alternatives to UNO! (with Videos)

Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco

UNO card game with deck and playing cards on a table
Onajourney / Shutterstock.com

Most people simply cannot resist a game of Uno, but what happens when you are all Uno-d out? Are there alternative card games to play that are just as fun as Uno? The good news is, yes, there are at least 10 classic card games that are worthy alternatives to Uno. 

10 classic card game alternatives to UNO:

  1. Push
  2. Crazy Eights
  3. Kariba
  4. Phase 10
  5. No Thanks
  6. Go Fish
  7. Skip-Bo
  8. Rummy
  9. Monopoly Deal
  10. Bridge

I can quite confidently say that each of these card games is fun for the whole family, friends, and colleagues too. If you need a way to pass the time, one of the abovementioned card games is a worthy consideration. If you don’t know what the above card games are all about, read on below to find out a little more about each. 

What Card Games are Good Alternatives to UNO?

Below are 10 classic card games that everyone should have stashed in their board games collection:

1. Push

Video Source: YouTube / The Dice Tower

Push is a game of “pushing your luck” so to speak. In the game, players draw cards off a main shared deck of cards in an attempt to increase their points. The card selected must be placed on one of three stacks. The difficulty comes in that the 3 stacks can only have one card number (from 1 to 6) and one card color (no duplicate numbers or colors among the stacks). 

When it is your turn to play, the playing dice allows you to draw, stop, or bank. If you land on a draw, you flip over the card on the shared deck and decide which stack of cards to place it on. If you decide to stop, you choose one of the stacks of cards and place all of them into your hand of cards (which is called a “bench”). Then the next person chooses a stack and so on. If you bust, you won’t be able to choose the stack that you pick up. 

2. Crazy Eights

Video Source: YouTube / Howcast

Crazy Eights is played with a 52-card deck and is ideal for players of 4 years and up. The main objective of Crazy Eights is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. The first to get rid of all his/her cards wins. The first player to have no cards left collects the value of all the other player’s cards. Each player receives 5 cards handed out face down. The balance of the deck is placed in the middle of the table and is called “stock”. The top card is turned over and placed in a separate pile and called the “starter” card. 

Much like Uno, each player plays one card face up on the starter pile. The card must either match the color or number of the previous card on the pile. All eight cards are “wild” cards. Eight cards can be played at any time, and the player decides what suit it is. Next, players must play a card of the same suit or an eight.

3. Kariba

Video Source: YouTube / Gameosity Reviews

Kariba is a card game for 2 to 6 players of 7 years of age and older. The game revolves around animals of the savannah thirsty for a drink. All the animals want to drink, but can be scared away by other animals (the players). The player (or animal) scaring off the most players wins.

Kariba playing cards are used to play the game. Each player is given 5 cards, and the balance is placed in the middle. The game board is in the middle of the table.

To play, players place one or more cards of the same animal in the positions marked 1 to 9 around the board. If you have one or more playing cards of the same animal, the animal with the lowest number of cards chases it. The player wins all the cards from the weaker animal. When you scare off an animal, you pick up all the playing cards from the board and put them face down in front of you.

Every collected card is worth one point and the person with the most points wins.

4. Phase 10

Video Source: YouTube / Triple S Games

Phase 10 is a Rummy-like game that has a fun twist. This game is for 2 to 6 players, and the objective is to complete all ten phases, round by round. At the end of the game, the number and type of cards left are used to add up their final score of points. The player with the lowest score wins. 

Phase 10 playing cards are made up of cards 1 to 12 in red, green, yellow, and blue. There are 2 cards of each number. The deck also includes 8 cards that are “wild cards”, which means they can substitute any card color or number. There are also 4 skip cards in the deck, which players can use to ensure that another player misses a turn.

The 10 phases that a player must complete are as follows and in this order:

  • 2 sets of 3
  • 1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4
  • 1 set of 4 and 1 run of 4.
  • 1 run of 7.
  • 1 run of 8.
  • 1 run of 9.
  • 2 sets of 4.
  • 7 cards of one color.
  • 1 set of 5 and 1 set of 2.
  • 1 set of 5 and 1 set of 3.

If a player is unable to complete a phase in a round, they must repeat the phase in the following round. Sets are groups of the same numbers, whereas runs are sequential number groups as in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on.

5. No Thanks

Video Source: YouTube / AMIGOGames

No Thanks is a game of either accepting or turning down a card. The game pack includes 33 cards numbered 3 to 35 and 55 playing chips.

The rules of No Thanks are quite easy to understand. To start the game, a card is placed in the middle of the table, face up. Each player has two options when playing. They can either play one of their chips instead of picking up the card, or they can pick up the card (and any chips already played) and turn over the next card in the pile. Players find the choice quite challenging as the objective of the game is to have the lowest possible score.

6. Go Fish

Video Source: YouTube / Triple S Games

Go Fish is played with a standard 52-card deck. The objective is to collect as many 4 of a kind card sets, called “books”, as possible. For up to 3 players, each player is dealt 7 days. For 4 or 5 players, each player receives 5 cards. The leftover cards are put face down in the middle of the table.

Each player has a turn to Fish for cards. A player will address another player by name and ask them for a particular rank of card they want. For example, he/she can ask for all another player’s kings. The player fishing for cards must have at least one of the cards being requested. If the opposing player has the cards of that type, they must be handed over. If they don’t, they say “go fish” and the player making the request must draw a card from the top of the stock card pile and add it to their hand.

The game is over when all thirteen sets of 4-of-a-kind cards are matched. The player who has the most sets (or books) is the ultimate winner.

7. Skip-Bo

Video Source: YouTube / Triple S Games

Skip-Bo is a card game very similar to Solitaire and is designed for 2 to 6 players. The objective of the game is to get rid of your cards while creating challenges for other players to get rid of theirs. There are 144 cards in a Skip-Bo deck, which are numbered 1 to 12. There are also 16 Skip-Bo cards that are “wild cards” and can be used to substitute any other card as needed. Each player is dealt an equal amount of cards between 10 and 30, and each pile is called a stockpile.

Players have to try to play each and every card in the stockpile in numerical order. The colors of the cards in the game are of no importance or relevance. The first person to do this is the winner.

8. Rummy

Video Source: YouTube / Bicycle Cards

Rummy is a matching card game. The dealer deals cards out to each player. For 2 players, each receives 10 cards. When 3 or 4 players play, each receives 7 cards. If more people are playing, 5 cards are dealt to each. The leftover cards are placed in the middle of the table face down – these are the stock cards. The top card is turned over and placed next to the stockpile as the start of the discard pile.

The main objective of the game is to match sets of cards that are either 3 of a kind or 4 of a kind. Alternatively, they can form sets of 3 or more cards that form a sequence of the same suit.

9. Monopoly Deal

Video Source: YouTube / Triple S Games

Monopoly Deal is a card-based version of the classic Monopoly board game. Players must collect sets of properties with different colors. The players can also charge other players rent as well as earn or swap properties. Properties can also be stolen, or money demanded when a player has the right Action card.  

10. Bridge

Video Source: YouTube / Max Chauvet

Bridge is a card game that has been vastly popular since the 1930s. This particular card game is ideal for players of 14 years and up and is designed for play with 4 players. Each player receives 13 cards face down.

The main objective is to score points by either making bids or defeating the opponent’s bid. The team with the most points wins the game. Bidding starts once the cards are dealt. Each player makes a call such as a pass, bid, double, or re-double. If players do not wish to bid, double, or re-double, they pass, and the dealer deals a new round.  

Last Word

All of the abovementioned games are great classic alternative card games to Uno. If you haven’t played them before, I strongly recommended that you try them out at least once. 

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This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!

JC Franco
Editor | + posts

JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.