Card Games Like UNO: 7 Great Alternatives Compared

If you love UNO, several other card games deliver the same mix of colour matching, action cards and the race to empty your hand first. Some are older than UNO, some are brand new, and a couple are made by the very same company. This guide breaks down seven popular card games like UNO, explains how each one plays, and compares them side by side on players, age and how close they feel to the original.

What counts as a card game like UNO?

A game is “like UNO” when it shares UNO’s core idea: be the first to get rid of all your cards by playing them onto a shared discard pile. Card experts call this a shedding game, and UNO sits in the so-called Eights family alongside Crazy Eights, Mau-Mau and Switch.

Most games in this family work the same way UNO does. You match the top card by colour, number or symbol; if you cannot, you draw; and special “action” cards let you skip, reverse, force draws or change colour. If you want a refresher on the original before comparing, see our full guide to how to play UNO.

The seven games below fall into three groups: near-identical matching games (Taki, Whot!, Crazy Eights), games from UNO’s own maker that feel related but play differently (Phase 10, Skip-Bo), and games that scratch the same quick family-game itch with a fresh twist (Five Crowns, Flip 7).

The 7 card games like UNO

1. Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights is the public-domain ancestor that UNO itself grew out of. You play with an ordinary 52-card deck (two decks for more than five players), deal five to seven cards each, and take turns matching the top discard by suit or rank. Every 8 is wild: play one and you name the next suit, which is exactly the job UNO’s Wild card does.

First recorded as “Eights” in the 1930s, it belongs to the same family as Mau-Mau, Switch and UNO, which is why it feels so familiar — UNO’s own story traces back through this group, as our history of UNO explains. The big difference is that plain Crazy Eights has no custom deck and no Skip, Reverse or Draw Two cards unless you add house rules. It is the pure, stripped-back version of the UNO idea. Best for 2–7 players, almost any age that can recognise suits, and anyone who wants UNO-style play with a deck they already own.

2. Taki

Taki is the closest thing to a one-to-one UNO clone, built on the same colour-and-number matching. Created by Israeli designer Haim Shafir in 1983, it uses a dedicated deck of about 112 cards in four colours and has sold more than five million copies worldwide.

You match the top card by colour or number and play special cards — Stop (like Skip), Change Direction (like Reverse), Plus, Take Two and colour-changing cards — that line up almost exactly with UNO’s action cards. Its signature twist is the “TAKI” card: play one and you can dump every card of that colour from your hand in a single turn before play continues. Suitable for ages 5 and up and 2–10 players. If you want UNO with a few extra combo options, Taki is the natural step across.

3. Whot!

Whot! is a shedding game played with a special five-suit pack and is hugely popular across West Africa. It was invented and trademarked in England by W. H. Storey in 1935 and later became the national card game of Nigeria. The 54-card pack uses shapes — circles, triangles, crosses, squares and stars — instead of colours, numbered 1 to 14, plus wild “Whot” cards worth 20 points.

You match the “call card” by shape or number, draw from the “market” if you cannot play, and race to empty your hand. The special cards mirror UNO almost beat for beat: Hold On (skip), Pick Two and Pick Three (force draws, which the next player can defend by playing another of the same), General Market (everyone draws one) and Whot (wild, choose the next shape). If you enjoy stacking draw cards, it works much like the stacking in UNO No Mercy. Best for 2–6 players and ideal for older kids and adults.

4. Phase 10

Phase 10 is a rummy-style race from the same company that makes UNO, and it is officially the second best-selling card game in the world behind it. Designed by Kenneth Johnson in 1982 and now published by Mattel, it uses its own deck of numbered cards (1 to 12) in four colours plus Wild and Skip cards.

Instead of simply emptying your hand, you work through ten set “phases” — specific combinations such as two sets of three, a run of seven, or seven cards of one colour — and you must finish the current phase to advance. The Wild and Skip cards give it an UNO-like bite, but the core is collecting and melding, so rounds run longer and reward planning. In November 2024 it was inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame. Best for 2–6 players, ages 7 and up, who want something meatier than UNO.

5. Skip-Bo

Skip-Bo is Mattel’s sequencing cousin to UNO, where the goal is to empty a personal stock pile rather than your hand. The 162-card deck has number cards 1 to 12 plus 18 wild SKIP-BO cards.

Each player gets a face-down stock pile (30 cards for two to four players, 20 for five or more). On your turn you build shared centre piles upward from 1 to 12, always trying to feed cards off the top of your stock pile, and SKIP-BO cards are wild and can stand in for any number. It shares UNO’s quick turns, wild cards and “first to clear your cards wins” spirit, but it is about number order rather than colour matching. Best for 2–6 players, ages 7 and up, and a long-time family game-night favourite.

6. Five Crowns

Five Crowns is a five-suited rummy game that scratches the same quick family-game itch as UNO with a clever rotating wild. Published by Set Enterprises in 1996 for 1–7 players (ages 8 and up), it uses two 58-card decks — 116 cards in five suits (stars, hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds) plus jokers.

You play eleven rounds, starting with three cards and adding one each round up to thirteen, forming runs and sets to go out. The twist is that the wild card changes every round to match the hand size: threes are wild in the three-card round, and kings go wild in the final round, while jokers are always wild. It leans on melding under shifting rules rather than action cards, but the escalating rounds and ever-changing wilds keep it lively. Best for players who like UNO’s pace but want more decision-making.

7. Flip 7

Flip 7 is the newest game on this list and a press-your-luck hit from 2024. Published by The Op Games and designed by Eric Olsen, it uses a 94-card deck in which each number card appears as many times as its value (one 1, two 2s, up to twelve 12s), plus action cards (Freeze, Flip Three, Second Chance) and point-modifier cards.

On your turn you “Hit” to flip another card or “Stay” to bank your points; flip a number you already have face-up and you bust, losing that round’s points. Collect seven unique numbers and you “Flip 7” for a bonus, and the first player to 200 points wins. It won Origins and Golden Geek awards for Best Party Game and was a 2025 Spiel des Jahres nominee. It is not a matching game, but it delivers the same fast, high-tension, anyone-can-win energy that makes UNO a party staple. Best for 3–18 players, ages 8 and up.

A note on DOS and UNO’s own editions

Mattel also makes DOS, a direct spin-off from UNO’s makers; it did not make this list because it belongs to the UNO family rather than standing as a separate game, and we cover it in a dedicated DOS rules guide. If you actually want a different flavour of UNO rather than a new game, browse the full range of UNO versions and editions instead.

How close is each game to UNO?

The closest matches to UNO are Taki and Whot!, which copy the match-by-colour-or-number core and even the action cards almost directly. Crazy Eights is the simplest and oldest — essentially UNO with a regular deck and wild 8s.

Phase 10, Skip-Bo and Five Crowns share UNO’s family feel and quick turns but swap colour matching for melding or number sequencing, so they ask for more planning and run a little longer. Flip 7 keeps none of UNO’s matching but recreates its party energy and “just one more round” pull. Deck sizes vary widely too: for reference, a standard UNO deck has 108 cards, as our breakdown of how many cards are in UNO shows, while Skip-Bo has 162 and Flip 7 just 94.

Which card game like UNO should you choose?

The best pick depends on your group and what you liked about UNO in the first place.

• Want the most UNO-like experience: choose Taki or Whot! — same matching, same action cards.
• Only have a standard deck or are travelling light: play Crazy Eights.
• Big group or party: Flip 7 scales to 18 players and plays in about 20 minutes.
• Young children: Taki works from age 5, and Skip-Bo suits ages 7 and up.
• Want more strategy: Phase 10 or Five Crowns reward planning and set collection.
• Fast filler between other games: Crazy Eights or Flip 7.

Common mistakes when picking an UNO alternative

The main error is assuming every “card game like UNO” plays the same way. Phase 10, Skip-Bo and Five Crowns look similar on the shelf but are rummy or sequencing games, so expect longer rounds and more thinking than a quick UNO hand.

• Ignoring player counts: Flip 7 needs at least three players, Five Crowns tops out at seven, while classic UNO handles 2–10.
• Overlooking age and complexity: Five Crowns (8+) and Phase 10 carry more scoring than a young child may enjoy.
• Confusing UNO editions with separate games: UNO Flip, No Mercy and All Wild are still UNO; Taki, Whot! and Phase 10 are different games with their own decks.
• Expecting action cards everywhere: basic Crazy Eights only has wild 8s unless you add house rules.
• Assuming a standard deck works: only Crazy Eights uses ordinary playing cards; the rest need their own dedicated packs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What card game is most like UNO?

Taki and Whot! are the closest. Both are shedding games where you match the top card by colour (or shape) or number and play action cards such as skip, reverse and draw-two equivalents, just like UNO.

Is UNO based on Crazy Eights?

Yes. UNO belongs to the same Eights family as Crazy Eights, Mau-Mau and Switch. All of them are matching shedding games; UNO simply replaced the standard 52-card deck with its own colour-coded deck and action cards.

Are Phase 10 and Skip-Bo made by the same company as UNO?

Yes. Phase 10, Skip-Bo and UNO are all published by Mattel. Phase 10 is widely cited as the second best-selling card game in the world, right behind UNO.

What is the newest card game like UNO?

Flip 7, released in 2024 by The Op Games, is the newest hit. It is a press-your-luck game rather than a matching game, but it delivers the same fast, party-friendly, anyone-can-win feel.

Can I play card games like UNO with a standard deck of cards?

Crazy Eights plays perfectly with an ordinary 52-card deck. Taki, Whot!, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Five Crowns and Flip 7 each need their own dedicated deck because their cards are unique to the game.