Edition: The standard UNO card game from Mattel with 108 cards, or 112 cards in newer boxes with a Shuffle Hands card and blank Customizable cards. Last checked October 25, 2026
UNO Rules: How to Play UNO (Official Rules)
UNO is a fast card game where you get rid of your cards by matching color or number. Here are the official rules and answers to the questions that cause the most arguments at the table.
- Players
- 2 to 10
- Age
- 7 and up
- Playing time
- 15 to 45 minutes
How to win: Be the first to get rid of all your cards. If you play for points, the first player to reach 500 points wins.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play UNO.
Can you stack a Draw Two on a Draw Two?
No, not under the official rules.
The player hit by a Draw Two draws the cards and loses their turn. Mattel has publicly confirmed that you cannot stack draw cards.
Many play that you can answer a Draw Two with another Draw Two, so the pile grows until someone cannot play and has to draw it all.
Do you have to say UNO, and what happens if you forget?
Yes.
You must say UNO when you play your second to last card. If you are caught before the next player starts their turn by drawing or playing a card, you draw 2 cards. If no one catches it in time, nothing happens.
Some families make the penalty 4 cards, or keep the penalty open until the next player has played their card.
Can you win on an action card?
Yes.
You may go out on any card. If your last card is a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four, the next player still draws the cards, and they count toward the score.
Some play that your last card must be a regular number card.
Can you play a Wild Draw Four when you have a card that matches?
Not if you have the current color.
You may only play a Wild Draw Four if you have no card in the current color. The next player can challenge you. If you bluffed, you draw the 4 cards yourself. If you were honest, the challenger draws 6 cards.
Many play without challenges and let the Wild Draw Four be played anytime.
What happens if the first card turned over is an action card?
It depends on the rulebook.
Under the older rules the card takes effect right away, so the first player draws 2 on a Draw Two, for example. In newer rule sheets you instead turn over a new card until a number card shows.
Many families just turn over a new card if the starting card is an action card.
What you need
- An UNO deck
- Paper and pencil if you keep score
Setup
- 1Shuffle the cards and deal 7 to each player.
- 2Place the rest face down as the draw pile.
- 3Turn over the top card and place it next to the pile to start the discard pile.
- 4The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise.
How to play
- 1Play a card that matches the top card by color, number or symbol.
- 2A Wild card can always be played, and you choose the color that play continues in.
- 3If you cannot or do not want to play, draw one card from the draw pile.
- 4If the card you drew can be played, you may play it right away. Otherwise play passes on.
- 5Action cards affect the next player immediately. See the list below.
- 6When you play your second to last card, you must say UNO.
- 7If you forget and someone catches you before the next player starts their turn by drawing or playing a card, you must draw 2 cards.
- 8The round ends when a player plays their last card.
Action cards
Action cards are played like any other card. They must match in color or symbol, such as a red Skip on a blue Skip. Wild cards can always be played.
- Draw Two: the next player draws 2 cards and loses their turn.
- Reverse: play changes direction. With two players it works like a Skip.
- Skip: the next player is skipped.
- Wild: you choose the new color.
- Wild Draw Four: you choose the new color, and the next player draws 4 cards and loses their turn. You may only play it if you have no card matching the current color.
- Wild Shuffle Hands (in newer boxes): all hands are collected, shuffled and dealt out again.
- Wild Customizable cards (in newer boxes): you write your own rule on the card before playing.
Scoring
The player who goes out scores points for the cards left in everyone else's hands.
- Number cards: face value
- Draw Two, Reverse and Skip: 20 points
- Wild and Wild Draw Four: 50 points
- Wild Shuffle Hands and Wild Customizable: 40 or 50 points, depending on the rulebook in your box
- The first player to reach 500 points wins
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our UNO rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you get in UNO?
Each player gets 7 cards at the start.
How many cards are in an UNO deck?
Classic boxes have 108 cards. Newer boxes have 112 cards because they include a Wild Shuffle Hands card and three Wild Customizable cards.
How do you score UNO?
Number cards count their face value, Draw Two, Skip and Reverse are 20 points, and Wild cards are 50 points. Play to 500.
Source: Mattel's official rules and common family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.