Go Fish

Go Fish is the friendly card game most kids learn first: ask for cards, fish from the pond and collect sets of four. Play the Go Fish card game free in your browser, with no download or sign-up, on desktop or on your phone. You play against one, two or three computer players, and the player with the most books at the end wins.

How to play

The game uses a standard 52-card deck. Suits don’t matter, only ranks. With two or three players everyone gets seven cards, and with four players everyone gets five. The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the pond.

• Ask for a rank you hold. On your turn, tap a card in your hand to choose its rank, then tap the player you want to ask (or press their Ask button). You can only ask for a rank you already have, so the game only lets you pick cards from your own hand.
• If they have it, they hand over every card of that rank, and you go again. You can ask the same player or someone else.
• If they don’t, they say “Go fish” and you tap the pond to draw the top card. If it’s the rank you asked for, that’s a lucky catch and you go again. If not, the turn passes to the next player.
• Books: as soon as you hold all four cards of one rank, they’re laid down as a book. Your books show as gold tiles next to your name.
• Empty hand: if your hand runs out while the pond still has cards, you draw one card on your turn and carry on. If the hand and the pond are both empty, you’re out for the rest of the game.
• The end: the game ends when all 13 books are made. Most books wins, and equal top scores are a tie.

Before each game you pick how many computer players to face, Easy or Smart opponents, and whether they talk in speech bubbles. Your wins, ties and best book count are saved in your browser.

Easy or Smart opponents

Easy computer players ask for a random card from their hand and pick a random player to ask. They’re a good match for young players learning the turn order.

Smart computer players keep track of the table. When you ask for a rank, they remember that you hold it, and they come after it on their turn. They also remember who has just said “Go fish” for a rank and avoid asking that player again until they’ve drawn new cards. They only use what was said out loud, never your hidden cards.

Tips

• Listen to the asks. If Pip asks Marlo for 7s, Pip is holding at least one 7. When you have a 7 too, ask Pip for it on your turn.
• Ask for your biggest group. If you hold three Queens, one more Queen finishes a book, so that rank is often the best ask.
• Remember the “Go fish” answers. A player who just said they have no 9s probably still has none, unless they’ve drawn from the pond since.
• Mind what you give away. Every ask tells the table you hold that rank. Against Smart players, a rank you ask for once may be taken from you later.
• Watch the books. Nobody can ask for a rank that’s already booked, so the gold tiles show which ranks are finished.

FAQ

Is this Go Fish game free?

Yes. It’s completely free with no account and no install. Press New game at any time to change players and deal again.

How many cards does each player get?

Seven cards each with two or three players, and five cards each with four players. That matches the standard rule for Go Fish.

Can kids play it on a phone or tablet?

Yes. Everything is a tap: tap a card, tap a player, tap the pond. Cards are large, a short message under the table explains every step, and the speech bubbles can be switched off if they’re distracting. On a keyboard, the arrow keys pick a rank, keys 1–3 ask a player and Space draws from the pond.

What happens if I fish the card I asked for?

You go again. The same happens when a player hands you the rank you asked for. Any other draw ends your turn.

What other card games can I play?

For more easy card games, try Crazy Eights, where you match the top card by suit or rank, or the simple luck-of-the-draw game War.