Edition: Classic War for two players with a standard deck without jokers. Last checked October 25, 2026
War Card Game Rules: How to Play War
War is one of the first card games kids learn, because all that matters is which card is higher. Here are the rules and the different ways families play the war itself.
- Players
- 2, or more with small changes
- Age
- 4 and up
- Playing time
- 15 to 60 minutes
How to win: Win all the cards. The player who runs out of cards loses.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play War.
How many cards go face down in a war?
It depends.
There is no official rule. Many American card guides say one card face down and one face up. Lots of families, and most Danish ones, put three face down while saying I de-clare war, then flip the fourth.
Others let the third face-down card decide the war.
Is the ace high or low?
High.
The ace is the highest card in War, and the 2 is the lowest.
Some little kids play with the ace as 1, so it is the lowest card.
Do you shuffle the cards you win?
No.
Won cards go to the bottom of your pile without shuffling.
Some keep won cards in a separate pile that gets shuffled and used when the first pile runs out.
What you need
- A standard 52-card deck
Setup
- 1Take out the jokers.
- 2Shuffle and deal out all the cards, so each player gets 26.
- 3Each player keeps their cards in a face-down pile in front of them. No peeking.
How to play
- 1Both players flip the top card of their pile at the same time.
- 2The higher card wins. The winner takes both cards and puts them at the bottom of their pile.
- 3Suits do not matter. Only the rank counts.
- 4If the two cards are the same rank, it is war.
- 5In a war, each player puts one or three cards face down, then flips one more card face up.
- 6The higher of the face-up cards wins all the cards on the table. If they tie again, it is war again.
- 7If a player does not have enough cards for a war, they use the cards they have, and their last card decides it.
- 8The game ends when one player has all the cards.
Card ranking
- Ace is high
- Then king, queen, jack and 10 down to 2
- 2 is low
- If you play with jokers, they beat aces
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our War rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a game of War take?
It can take a long time. Many set a time limit, like 20 minutes, and then whoever has the most cards wins.
Can more than two people play War?
Yes. Deal the cards as evenly as you can. Everyone flips a card, and the highest wins. If the highest cards tie, those players go to war.
Source: Common American and Danish family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.