UNO, the little card game that could, has undeniably secured its place as a family classic. It’s certainly one of the most popular games in the world. You’ll find a tattered copy in every home, hotel lobby, and Airbnb – tired from all that shuffling. And here’s the thing: the ease with which players of all ages can get to the table, learn the rules, and play the game is the key to its massive staying power. However, like any game, UNO has some weaknesses, such as the element of luck, extended game length, and a somewhat limited decision space.
In this review we’ll take a look at some of these flaws in detail and then list some games that might be able to address these issues for you and, if we get it right, keep your family coming back to the table to play.
Wait, what’s wrong with UNO? Isn’t it a Classic Board Game for a Reason?
It’s important to note here that we at the Board Game Collection don’t actively dislike UNO. What UNO does, perhaps better than any other game out there, is get people of all ages and all experience levels to the table. I have happy memories of playing UNO with all kinds of groups and it never fails to get people talking and engaging with one another, which is what any good game should do.
Now as an adult, I’ve played UNO with my own children, bringing it full circle. And while I still keep a deck in my collection, for nostalgia’s sake, I don’t find myself bringing it out very often, because there are a few important things about UNO’s game play that I don’t love:
UNO is too long
In my opinion, a great game never should never outstay it’s welcome. But what does that really mean? It has to do with the drama of the game – how long after the most dramatic moment in the game is the end? Is the drama of the game worth the amount of time it takes to get to it?
The highest drama point in UNO is when a person gets down to their last two cards. Because the game is based entirely on the luck of the draw, this can sometimes be a drag. Conversely, if somebody gets a bunch of Wild cards on the deal, the game might fly by so fast that everyone else around the table might feel cheated. These aren’t always the case, but, it isn’t very consistent. Because of its intended audience, UNO should be a quick light game with opportunities to play multiple quick rounds so lots of people have a chance to win. I wish that game length was more predictable.
UNO can be a little mean
Skip, draw 2, draw 4, calling “UNO!” when someone has one card – all ‘take-that’ type mechanisms that can feel targeted. Sometimes these lead to funny moments, other times they lead to people having no chance of winning, but in general they lead to conflict. While this can be a teaching opportunity, it keeps the game from being that light welcoming experience we are looking for with entry-level family card games.
UNO doesn’t have much, if any, strategy
I once read an article from a guy who had done a deep statistical analysis on whether, if given the choice, you should focus on matching the color or the number when playing UNO… Let’s not overcomplicate it, but the answer is you should go with the number. UNO is a game of luck. I’m not saying that a light game shouldn’t have elements of luck, and many of our choices also have those elements. Luck is fun and can be an excellent equalizer. But, the trick here is that a great game should offer players some interesting decisions. UNO doesn’t offer a lot of those.
What Card Games Like UNO Should I Play Instead?
First and foremost, keep playing UNO if you love it – we aren’t trying to yuck your yum here. But it is worth asking the question: are there other inviting, colorful games that can get your family and friends around the table without all of these weaknesses?
And if you haven’t looked around lately, you might be surprised at how easy it is to play a great fast-paced card game.
Here’s a list of 10 Card Games Like UNO we recommend that maintain the simplicity and accessibility for every family member, but also address these specific shortcomings. Give one of these card games a chance at your next game night and you’ll experience a perfect blend of enjoyment and strategy, ensuring delightful moments for both the young and the young at heart.
Hungry Monkey
Hungry Monkey is a great little shedding game (a game where the objective is to get rid of all your cards, like UNO) with lots of silly luck, a bit of memory, and charming, colorful artwork. You take turns drawing cards and playing onto the discard pile, like in UNO. You also have four cards face down in front of you and over the course of the game you are trying to replace the cards you start with with cards that will be easy to get rid of during the final phase of the game. Many of the cards have interesting effects that let you either manipulate or view the cards in front of you or allow you to get rid of cards.
it’s a trade off, because more decisions does mean that it is a slightly more difficult teach than UNO, but it’s worth it. It’s not difficult and kids will pick it up quick.
Why would you play this over UNO?
One notable improvement over UNO is the predictable length of Hungry Monkey. I love that this game essentially has two phases. The first you are working to improve your hand and the cards in front of you, and then, once you’ve got through a predefined number of cards in the deck, the final phase where you are trying to ditch all your cards. Because the progression is predefined based on the number of cards in the deck, it does a fabulous job of not outstaying its welcome. You still have the light-hearted atmosphere, and a lot of luck, but the drama of the game, is much better defined and predictable. You can either play one quick game, or you can play multiple rounds if you like using the magic bean victory point cards that come in the box to keep score.
Hungry Monkey is still lucky and chaotic, similar to UNO. But, while anyone can win, because this game has more decisions there’s an opportunity to be clever in how you set yourself up for when you get to the final phase – as opposed to UNO, where whoever draws the right cards wins. Kids and adults alike will get into the drama as players race to ditch their cards at the end of the game.
No Thanks!
No Thanks! has rightly become a classic game, because it is an excellent choice for the whole family. The game has a compelling and simple decision space: should I take the card or spend a token to pass? If you pass too often, you’ll run out of bidding tokens and will be forced to take all the cards you don’t want, which are worth points at the end of the game (you don’t want points). If you manage your tokens well, you’ll be able to take mostly low value cards or cards that are in sequence (both of which help lower your score).
Why would you play this over UNO?
No Thanks! proves that a game doesn’t have to be complicated to have strategic depth. You can teach this game in a few sentences, same as UNO, but with No Thanks! every decision is interesting and influences the outcome of the game. That does mean that kids will need to be slightly older to play this, but it’s still a great family game.
While No Thanks! may lack some of the silliness of UNO, it gets everyone around the table engaged, even during opponent turns, since their decisions matter too. Its simple elegance is hard to beat, and it’s a game that should really be in every collection.
Sea Salt & Paper
Sea Salt & Paper, known for its fantastic nautical themed origami artwork, is an excellent little card game that punches well above its weight. There is a lot of game for such a tiny box.
Players work to collect different sets of creatures to score big. Mermaids give you points for color sets, and certain pairs give you extra actions or immediate effects. It’s very straightforward, but definitely requires more of an explanation that UNO.
One of the trickier rules in the game is how a round ends. Once someone has seven points, they can either end the round immediately or risk it and give everyone one more turn, in the hopes that they’ll have the most points. If they do, they score big and everyone else doesn’t get to score all of their points. Get it wrong and you aren’t able to score your points – so it’s a bit risky, but a fun decision space and adds some good drama to the end of each round.
Something I really like is that, unlike other cards games where you are dealt a hand of cards, no player starts with any cards in their hand. You shuffle up all the cards, put them in a stack, and the first player draws their first card. I love this, because you are building your own hand, rather than being given a random assortment of cards. More games should to this, no question, but for now, I’ll just enjoy this mechanic in Sea Salt & Paper.
Why would you play this over UNO?
One of the big upgrades Sea Salt & Paper gives over UNO is the ability to actually influence the cards you put in your hand. Each turn you choose to either draw a face up card from one of two discard piles or to draw two from the top of the deck and pick one. This is so far superior to drawing a random card and hoping that it is the right color or number. You get to make interesting choices every turn.
Younger players may struggle a bit with the mechanics – especially the round end trigger and the iconography – but it really is a simple game. It’s very tactical and, because players are consistently making decisions, there is much more skill involved than a luck based game like UNO, and, generally, the most skilled player will win.
For the right crowd, there’s nothing wrong with that (and that crowd really shouldn’t be playing UNO). Any designer that is able to make a deck of cards feel like a dynamic, tactical race deserves our respect. This is a pretty recent release, but it’s one that going to be around a long time and fits really easily in a pocket, purse, or glove compartment, so no excuse not to have this great game with you.
For Sale
For Sale is a fast paced card game where players compete to buy and sell real estate. The game takes place in two stages beginning with a multi-round auction to pick up properties. If you play it right you can outwit your opponents and pick up a high rise or castle at an excellent price, or you could end up overpaying for the more undesirable properties, like the outhouse or the igloo.
In the second phase you’ll then sell those properties in a blind simultaneous auction where you use the properties you acquired to fetch the best prices. Again, you might be crafty and get a great price on you trailer home, and you might end up selling your luxury cabin for a song.
It’s funny. It’s dramatic, and it’s engaging all the way to the end, since players can still finesse points even if they don’t have the very best properties. As a result, the decisions in each round feel interesting and significant. The wacky artwork and quick playtime keep the light feel of a game like UNO, but there’s a real game to it with decisions to be made.
Why would you play this over UNO?
There’s bluffing, there’s push your luck, there’s table talk, there’s rug-pull moments. It’s everything that calling someone out when they forget to say UNO is when it’s at it’s best. You are playing a game with your friends, and you love your friends, but it’s fun to see them sweat a bit, not knowing what you are going to do, and there aren’t a lot of things more satisfying that keeping your poker face just long enough to surprise everyone with an amazing play. It’s all in good fun and is extremely accessible. You can get a lot of different groups to the table with this one and you’ll always have a good time.
Cockroach Poker
Cockroach Poker is the best bluffing game of all time, and, I would argue, probably the most fun a person can have with a single deck of cards. It’s dead simple and you can explain the rules in just a few moments. You place a card face down in front of the next player and declare what insect or rodent is pictured on the card. Are you telling the truth? Maybe, maybe not, and that’s what the next player has to decide. Should they call your bluff or look at the card and pass it to someone else? Eventually, someone will have to call the bluff. If they call it correctly you take the card face up in front of you, otherwise, they have to take it. You then continue to play cards, until someone runs out of cards or has four of the same type in front of them. The game ends and everyone else shares the victory.
So incredibly simple, and so incredibly fun, because the game is about you and your friends and family sizing each other up – not the luck of the draw.
Why play this over UNO?
In UNO there’s a lot of fun to be had with the playful arguments over house rules and who said UNO first, but with Cockroach Poker that is the entire game. You have this great tension and a simple decision to make, without any of the rules overhead, none of the downtime, and no risk of the game overstaying its welcome. It’s an incredibly social game and there’s a lot of pleasure in challenging your friends to call your bluff.
However, it does need to be noted that, unlike UNO, where there’s a single winner, Cockroach Poker has only one loser. While this might pose a challenge for some family members, as it has the potential to feel more mean-spirited if people gang up on the player in the worst position. So that’s something to keep in mind, but in all the times I’ve played it it’s quick and light and fun and people are far more likely to be laughing than upset.
The simplicity of this game and the potential for years of enjoyment make this one an auto-buy in my opinion. This is an absolutely essential card game. Buy it, start taking it with you places, and thank me later.
Take 5
Take 5 (or 6 Nimmit!) is an excellent card game that is sure to engage players with its intuitive mechanics and dynamic gameplay. The game is centered around players trying to play their cards into the middle of the table, fitting them into one of several rows in ascending order. The catch? When a sixth card is added to a row, the player who placed it must take the first five cards, hence the game’s title. This creates an interesting dynamic where players must carefully consider where to place their cards to avoid taking undesirable cards, as each card collected is worth penalty points and the player with the lowest score wins.
Very easy to follow rules. I usually teach it by dealing each person a random card and then having them place it correctly on the board, so they understand the placement rules. And that’s all it takes. We scoop up the random cards, deal everyone 10 and we are off.
Why would you play this over UNO?
While UNO is certainly a classic, Take Five offers a refreshing change of pace. Like UNO, it’s easy to learn, but it has a lot more to it. It’s easy to chat while you play, but you are playing a game, and it’s a blast trying to outthink your opponents. The anticipation of seeing who is going to get stuck picking up a row is pitch perfect.
The balance of trying to play your cards while avoiding collecting unwanted cards provides just the right amount of tension and the simultaneous play means that there isn’t a dull moment. You are sharing in all the highs and lows together. The game is definitely more tactical compared to the entirely luck-based elements of UNO, allowing players to feel a greater sense of control over their fates in the game – and if you lose, it’s because someone was clever, not because you happened to draw lousy cards. And it’s so quick that, trust me, you’ll challenge them to another match.
If you’re seeking a card game that offers that blend of simplicity and strategy, Take 5 is a fantastic choice.
Skull King
Skull King is a trick-taking card game with a pirate theme. Players are trying to acquire ships and treasure by playing suited cards to win different tricks. I grew up playing a version of this with a standard deck of cards called Diminish, but in this one there are special cards like mermaids and Pirates with different effects that improve the scoring and the game play, making it well worth picking up a copy.
Each round, players predict how many tricks they will take. Since this game is simple and is easy to pick up, it can be a great introduction to trick taking games for elementary age kids and tweens. They’ll learn about suits, trump cards, and tricks in a solid little game with a unique theme that enhances the mechanisms. It has the feel of a traditional card game, like Hearts or Spades, but it’s super easy to get to the table, even with a younger crowd that might not be as excited about card games played with playing cards.
Why play this over UNO?
Something this game does extremely well is give you the ability to bid the number of tricks that you think you will take. That makes it virtually impossible to be dealt a bad hand, because you get to set the objective. If you hit that objective you score big. Understanding how the scoring works and what cards are likely to take tricks may take players that are new to trick taking some time to wrap their heads around, but once they have the hang of it the game plays smoothly. In UNO, you get the cards you get, but Skull King mitigates luck, not by getting rid of it entirely, but by making the cards you draw basically irrelevant to whether you can win. Very clever mechanic.
This is the kind of game that can easily become a family staple and one you play over and over with the same group. An easy recommendation for a family with tweens. It does such a great job of getting you out of thinking about just what you are doing, but trying to predict what other players have and what they might play on their turn. Quite a bit different from just hoping a player switches it to blue and that they don’t drop a +4 Wild card on you.
Love Letter
Love Letter is a simple card game that comes in a signature velvet bag. You are a suitor trying to get your love letter into the hands of the princess. Some members of the court will help you, but some might get in your way. Players take turns playing character cards with different effects trying to find ways to identify what cards your opponents are holding, knock them out, and be the last one standing.
The game offers fairly straightforward decisions, but most of the drama comes from trying to guess what is in everyone else’s hand. Lot’s of accusations flying, clever play, and good old fashioned bluffing, make this a fantastic family game and one that only gets better the more you play. My cards are so worn out that I had to sleeve them.
Each player starts with one card in hand; on their turn, they draw one card and play one, trying to expose others and knock them from the game. The more powerful cards are nice, like the Princess and the Countess, and if you are holding the highest one at the end of the round, you’ll be awarded a point, but the lower point value cards, like Guards and Barons give you ways to remove your opponents from the game, which gives you a better chance to score. Normally, I don’t love player elimination games, but, because it is so quick, it doesn’t create a lot of down time. In fewer than five minutes you’ll shuffle up and deal every one back in for the next round.
Why play this over UNO?
Love Letter is perhaps the original microgame, with only 18 cards and some tokens, but it packs a lot of punch for a game you can take anywhere. It’s a quick thinking deduction game that manages to get more done with a quarter as many cards as most popular card games.
Unlike UNO, the game is less about hand management and getting rid of your cards and more about carefully navigating social dynamics and keeping track of what everyone is up to. Every decision matters and there’s a lot of great tension, but the rounds are so quick that it manages to still feel light and social and the wins and losses blend together as you deal for round after round. Might just eat up a whole game night, if you are careful.
Sushi Go Party!
Sushi Go Party! is a fast-paced card drafting and set collection game with cute sushi-themed artwork. Players are grabbing a combination of different sushi dishes off the passing conveyor belt to create the highest possible score. Different cards score in different ways, so while this is a simple game (also recommended as one of our best games for 8 year olds) there is bit more to it than you’ll find in a game like UNO. Players simultaneously select a card from their hand to add to their face up collection and then pass the cards to their neighbor. Play continues in this way until all cards have been selected and then points are tallied up for the round.
Why play this over UNO?
Sushi Go Party! does an excellent job of getting you thinking about what the people you are passing to might choose. Because you only get one card from each hand, you’ll always be passing away some cards that you’d really like. If you can think like your opponents, you’ll be able to give yourself a better chance of seeing those desired cards when they come around again.
It also should not be understated just how cute the sushi artwork is, setting it apart from other card games that focus on set collection. The clean and straightforward design makes this a game that’s very easy to get the table with enough interesting decisions to make it one that holds up to repeat play.
If you’re looking for a game, with a lot of replay value, than I would recommend getting Sushi Go Party! instead, which gives you more menu items to choose from when creating the deck you will draft from.
Check out our Full Review of Sushi Go! here
Abandon All Artichokes
Abandon All Artichokes is a quirky deck-building game, with veggie character art and an interesting twist. The game begins with each player having a deck full of undesirable artichoke cards. You may have guessed, since it’s in the name of the game, but the objective is to move those artichokes out of your hand and into the discard pile. First player to draw a hand without artichokes in it, wins.
Play starts with the first player selecting a face up card from the market. These action cards all have unique effects that help players draw more cards and/or discard artichokes into the compost heap (discard pile). In turn, players draw cards and take their actions until someone draws a clean, artichoke free hand.
Why play this over UNO?
Abandon All Artichokes retains the silly feel or UNO and the objective of getting rid of cards, but adds some more depth to the gameplay. Players have to make choices from a limited selection about what veggies they’ll add to their hand and how best to accomplish their goal. Most cards offer advantages, but not all of them will work together for an efficient strategy.
It’s an equalizer and can be played by pretty young kids. Its charming design, especially the Artichoke shaped tin, will make it one that kids pick out to play consistently and is a great way for them to learn how deck building games work. As kids get older it stays silly but becomes more competitive and is a tactical race where you can try new strategies every time you play. The powers also encourage a lot of player interaction, so it’s still a very social game and one that is excellent for families.
Conclusion – Your Next Great Card Game Is Out There
In the realm of family-friendly card games, you don’t have to limit yourself. Do yourself a favor and try out some more modern board games that can truly take your experience to the next level. The variety of different games in this list means that there should be something here to appeal to everyone. Remember that what UNO does best is get people to the table – and all of our picks do that too, but with these nobody will want to leave.
There’s nothing wrong with the classics. But maybe leave the worn out standard deck of UNO cards on the shelf for an evening and try any of these excellent family card games. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what they have to offer – the fun and the memories they’ll help you create.
Can’t decide which one to pick up! Why not pick up a handful. And if you are looking for a great way to store all these great new games, don’t miss our review of the Gamegenic 600+, which can hold all these and so much more. It’s how I keep all my great card games organized and portable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are these games suitable for all ages?
Most of these games are indeed suitable for a wide range of ages. However, it’s always a good idea to check the recommended age range on the game’s packaging or online description.
Where can I purchase these games?
Each game’s title is linked directly to its Amazon page for easy purchasing.
What is the average duration of these games?
The duration varies by game. Some, such as Cockroach Poker, can be played quickly, while others, like For Sale, might require more time. It’s best to check each game’s estimated playtime.
Can these games be played with two players?
While these games are primarily designed for in-person play, some may be adaptable for virtual play using video conferencing tools and digital platforms. However, the experience may differ from an in-person game.
Can these games be played virtually?
While these games are primarily designed for in-person play, some may be adaptable for virtual play using video conferencing tools and digital platforms. However, the experience may differ from an in-person game.
What if a game I purchased is missing pieces or has a manufacturing defect?
Most publishers offer excellent customer service and will replace missing or defective parts. Contact the publisher directly or the retailer where you purchased the game for assistance.
