14 Games Like UNO — Free Shedding Card Games Online

The closest free game to UNO you can play in a browser is Crazy Eights, the older card game UNO grew out of. Dominoes and Golf Solitaire run on the same “match the last card, empty your hand” loop. Below are 14 games like UNO, ranked from closest relative to looser cousins, plus a quick history and the house rules that start arguments.
Key takeaways
- Crazy Eights is the nearest match: wild 8s, draw-two 2s and skipping Aces stand in for UNO’s action cards.
- Dominoes (draw game) is a shedding game too, and the winner scores what is left in the loser’s hand, as in UNO.
- Golf Solitaire is a solo take on the matching mechanic: play one rank up or down onto the waste pile.
- Every game here is free, runs in a browser tab, and pits you against the computer.
What makes a game “like UNO”?
UNO was invented in 1971 by Merle Robbins, a barber in Reading, Ohio, who first sold copies from his barbershop. He later sold the rights for $50,000 plus royalties to a group led by Robert Tezak, who formed International Games to market it. Mattel has owned UNO since 1992.
The format is simple: shed cards by matching color or number, and use action cards (Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Wild, Wild Draw 4) to disrupt the other players. Card-game people call this family shedding games. It has been copied many times, and its ancestor is still around. The picks below are sorted by how much of that feel they keep.
1. Crazy Eights
The family of card games UNO grew out of. Same shed-cards mechanic: match the top card by suit or rank. In our version you play the computer with eight cards each. 8s are wild and let you pick the next suit (like UNO’s Wilds), 2s make your opponent draw two (like Draw 2), and Aces skip, so you play again. One difference from official UNO rules: a 2 can be answered with another 2, which passes the growing penalty back. Play Crazy Eights.
2. Dominoes
Tiles instead of cards, but the loop is almost identical. Each player starts with seven tiles, you match an open end of the line, and if you can’t play you draw from the boneyard. The first to empty their hand wins and scores the pips left in the other hand. If the game blocks, the lower hand wins. Our guide on how to play dominoes covers the variants. Play Dominoes.
3. Golf Solitaire
A solo game built on UNO’s matching instinct. You play a card from the bottom of any column onto the waste pile if it is one rank higher or lower, and turn a new card from the stock when you are stuck. Clear all 35 cards to win. A toggle lets you allow King-to-Ace wrapping, and Undo is there for misclicks. Play Golf Solitaire.
4. Hearts
A trick-taking game rather than a shedding one, but it has the same table feel: four players (you and three computer opponents), passing three cards before each hand, and one card, the queen of spades, that everyone tries to dump on someone else. Lowest score when someone reaches 100 wins. Play Hearts.
5. Gin Rummy
Draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard: the same draw-and-dump rhythm as UNO, with the goal of turning your hand into melds. Our version sorts your melds and deadwood for you. Knock at 10 deadwood or less, or go gin with none. First to 100 wins. Play Gin Rummy.
6. War
Different mechanic but the same “who wins this card?” tension. Higher rank wins both. Ties trigger WAR (3 down + 1 up), and an Auto-play button runs the rounds for you. Play War.
7. Klondike Solitaire
Single-player card game where you clear the tableau by building up the foundations. Different goal, same pleasure of emptying the layout. Play Klondike Solitaire.
8. FreeCell
Solitaire variant. Shed cards from 8 tableau columns using 4 free cells. Play FreeCell.
9. Spider Solitaire
Build complete K-to-A sequences to remove them, with 1-suit, 2-suit and 4-suit modes. Same satisfaction as throwing down a final UNO card. Play Spider Solitaire.
10. Pyramid Solitaire
Pair cards summing to 13 to remove them. Pure shed-the-deck satisfaction. Play Pyramid Solitaire.
11. Video Poker
Jacks or Better. Hold cards; draw replacements. Same five-card-pattern thinking as the UNO endgame. Play Video Poker.
12. Blackjack
Beat the dealer to 21. Hit, stand, double down, split pairs. Card-game muscle memory transfers from UNO. Play Blackjack.
13. Mahjong Solitaire
Pair-matching shed-the-board game on the classic turtle layout. Same loop as racing to your last UNO card. Play Mahjong Solitaire.
14. Mahjong Connect
Connect identical tiles with a path of no more than two turns. Same shed-the-board logic, different mechanic. Play Mahjong Connect.
UNO alternatives compared
| Game | Type | Players here | Closest UNO element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Eights | Shedding | You vs computer | Wilds, Draw 2, Skip |
| Dominoes | Shedding (tiles) | You vs computer | Match, draw if stuck, score the loser’s hand |
| Golf Solitaire | Solo matching | Solo | Play onto one discard pile |
| Hearts | Trick-taking | You vs 3 computers | Dumping bad cards on opponents |
| Gin Rummy | Draw and discard | You vs computer | Draw, then discard each turn |
| Solitaires (Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, Pyramid) | Solo patience | Solo | Emptying the layout |
How to choose a game like UNO
- You want the real UNO feel: start with Crazy Eights. It is the same game with a standard deck, and the action ranks map straight onto UNO’s action cards.
- You like the “draw until you can play” pain: Dominoes. The boneyard works like UNO’s draw pile, and blocked games add a twist.
- You’re playing alone: Golf Solitaire keeps the match-one-card decision; Spider and FreeCell give longer, deeper sessions.
- You want more players at the table: Hearts seats four, and the passing phase gives it the same “pass the pain along” mood as a Draw 4.
Strategy that carries over from UNO
The habits that win at UNO work in most shedding card games. Hold your wild cards (8s in Crazy Eights) until you need them, since they can save a turn when nothing else matches. Change the suit to the one you hold most of, which is exactly what our computer opponent does. And watch the other hand size: when the computer is down to one or two cards, use your penalty cards rather than saving them.
For deeper UNO tactics, see our UNO strategy guide.
Why do UNO games end in arguments?
Because official rules and household rules drifted apart long ago. The most common house rules that aren’t in the printed rulebook: stacking Draw 2 / Draw 4 (Mattel says no), Jump-In (playing the identical card out of turn), and the 0/7 rule (0 = all hands rotate, 7 = swap hands with one opponent). In 2019 the official UNO account on Twitter said stacking Draw cards is not allowed, which surprised a lot of players. Officially, stacking is a house rule; at your own table, anything goes.
Is Crazy Eights actually older than UNO?
Yes. A game called Eights is recorded from the 1930s, and the name Crazy Eights dates to the 1940s, decades before UNO arrived in 1971. UNO belongs to the same Eights family of shedding-type games. Its big change was printing the special actions onto the cards (“DRAW 2”, “SKIP”) instead of assigning them to ranks in a standard deck, as Crazy Eights variants do.
For the full rules and variants, see our guide on how to play Crazy Eights. Need a break from cards? The Chrome Dino game is one button and zero house rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest game to UNO?
Crazy Eights. UNO is part of the same family of shedding games, and Crazy Eights uses a standard 52-card deck where certain ranks act like UNO’s action cards. In our version, 8s are wild, 2s make the next player draw two, and Aces skip.
Can I play a game like UNO for free in a browser?
Yes. Crazy Eights, Dominoes and Golf Solitaire all run free in a browser tab on dinogame.gg, with no download or signup. You play against the computer, so you don’t need anyone else online.
Is Crazy Eights the same as UNO?
Not quite. The core is the same, matching suit or rank and racing to empty your hand, but UNO uses its own deck with printed action cards and four colors. Crazy Eights uses ordinary playing cards, and which ranks do what varies from table to table.
Can you stack Draw 2 cards in UNO?
Not under the official rules. Mattel’s UNO account said so publicly in 2019, so stacking is a house rule. Our Crazy Eights does let you answer a 2 with another 2, which passes the penalty back.
What are shedding card games?
Games where the goal is to get rid of all your cards first. UNO, Crazy Eights and draw dominoes are the best-known examples. Most use matching rules that decide what you can play on the last card.
Play your next round
If you want UNO without the UNO deck, open Crazy Eights first, then try Dominoes for the same race with tiles. When you need a break from cards entirely, the T-Rex Runner is waiting on our homepage.
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