Board games · family classic

Uno

One card too many and it's pure euphoria — or pure chaos. Uno turns an ordinary evening into an impromptu family tournament.

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Simple rules, guaranteed tension

Five minutes to learn, a full game to find out who gets competitive.

2 to 10 players

Works just as well for a one-on-one evening as for a full family dinner.

Portable format

The game that comes along on trips, to the cottage, or in a backpack without taking up space.

Who is it for?

For family nights where everyone, from the youngest to the grandparents, can play together without complicated rules.

What to know about the UNO card game

The link leads to the UNO card game by Mattel Games (model W2085), the classic 112-card deck. It plays 2 to 10, ages 7 and up. UNO was created in 1971 by Merle Robbins in Ohio and has belonged to Mattel since 1992.

The deck has the 108 classic cards (numbers 0 to 9 in four colours, plus Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, Wild and Wild Draw Four) and 4 extra cards depending on the edition: a Wild Shuffle Hands card and 3 customizable Wild cards where you write your own house rules.

The official rules in short: deal 7 cards each. On your turn, match the top card of the discard pile by colour, number or symbol, or play a Wild. If you can't play, draw. When you play your next-to-last card, shout "UNO!"; forget and get caught before the next turn starts, and you draw 2 cards. The round winner scores the points left in opponents' hands, and the first to 500 wins.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

Plays 2 to 10, from a one-on-one to a full family dinner.
Pocket-size, great for the cottage or travel.
Rules learned in minutes.
Customizable Wild cards for your own house rules.

Limits

Lots of luck, so the best player doesn't always win.
Games to 500 points can drag on.
House rules (stacking and more) spark plenty of debates.
Paper cards wear out over time.

Before you buy

Make sure it's classic UNO, not UNO Flip!, UNO No Mercy, UNO All Wild or UNO Junior.
Mattel's recommended age is 7+.
Recent Mattel decks add symbols for colour-blind players: check the listing photos if that matters to you.
Check today's price on Amazon.ca.

FAQ

UNO rules: can you stack Draw 2 cards?

No. Under Mattel's rules, the player hit by a Draw 2 draws 2 cards and loses their turn; they can't pass it on with another Draw 2. The official UNO account said so in 2019. Stacking is a house rule.

What are the UNO rules for 2 players?

In the official 2-player rules, a Reverse works like a Skip: whoever plays it goes again right away. Same with a Skip. After a Draw 2 or Wild Draw 4, your opponent draws and play comes back to you.

How many cards are in a UNO deck?

This classic Mattel deck has 112 cards: the 108 standard cards plus 4 special Wild cards. Each player is dealt 7 cards to start a round.