UNO is one of the most popular games for extreme fun at birthday parties, family game nights, or sleepovers with friends. And UNO Attack is a spinoff of the classic game – with a little more excitement.
UNO Attack rules indicate that the players must try to do away with their cards first. But one major USP of this game is the Card Launcher, a tiny and unpredictable machine holding the Draw pile. There’s no telling how many cards it will shoot out when pressed!
You can understand that the Launcher can make it quite difficult for the players to get rid of their cards easily. Keep reading to learn about Mattel UNO Attack rules and card meanings.
How to Play UNO Attack 2022: A Quick Look
UNO Attack is a card game for 2-10 players. Each player starts with seven cards, and the goal is to get rid of them before the other players.
Each card has certain points, and once a player is out of cards, they gather points, i.e., the sum of points of cards in the hands of the other players. The game continues in multiple rounds – until one player gathers 500 points.
There’s a Discard pile where the cards played by each player are piled up. There’s also a Draw pile from which the player must collect cards when they do not have a playable card.
The game plays just like the classic UNO – except for one big difference, i.e., the Card Launcher, a small machine that holds the Draw pile. It has a switch, which, when pressed, releases cards that have to be drawn.
This game is exciting because you cannot predict what the Card Launcher will do. It can release one card, multiple cards – or no card at all. And the player using the Launcher must collect them all!
Related: UNO Flip Card Meanings: Updated Guide 2023
UNO Attack Cards and Points
UNO Attack mainly has many versions – the old version (2002), the Mega Hit version (2019), and the new version (2020). Another popular version is UNO Extreme, available in Canada and the UK.
They all have 112 cards, including the Number cards and the Special cards. Let’s take a look at these.
UNO Attack Number Cards and Points
The Number cards in all versions of UNO Attack are the same. There are 18 Number cards in each color, i.e., Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green. They are as follows.
| Card Color | Card Number | Total Cards | Points |
| Blue | 1-9 | 18 (2 in each number) | Face Value |
| Red | 1-9 | 18 (2 in each number) | Face Value |
| Yellow | 1-9 | 18 (2 in each number) | Face Value |
| Green | 1-9 | 18 (2 in each number) | Face Value |
UNO Attack Special Cards and Points
There are some common cards in the two versions. But some cards are also unique to each version of UNO Attack.
Look at the Special cards in the old and new versions of UNO Attack.
| Card Name | No. of Cards (Old) | No. of Cards (New) | Points |
| Wild | 4 | 4 | 50 |
| Skip | 8 (2 in each color) | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
| Wild Hit 2 | 8 (2 in each color) | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
| Discard All | 4 (1 in each color) | 8 (2 in each color) | 30 |
| Reverse | 8 (2 in each color) | 4 (1 in each color) | 20 |
| Trade Hands | 4 (1 in each color) | NA | 30 |
| Wild All-Hit | 2 | NA | 50 |
| Wild Hit-Fire | 2 | NA | 50 |
| Wild Attack-Attack | NA | 4 | 50 |
| Wild Hit 4 | NA | 1 | 40 |
| Wild Customizable | NA | 3 | 50 |
The Special cards in UNO Mega Attack are as follows –
| Card Name | No. of Cards | Points |
| Wild | 4 | 50 |
| Wild Attack-Attack | 4 | 50 |
| Skip | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
| Reverse | 4 (1 in each color) | 20 |
| Discard All | 8 (2 in each color) | 30 |
| Hit 1 | 4 (1 in each color) | 20 |
| Hit 2 | 8 (2 in each color) | 40 |
The Special cards in UNO Extreme are as follows –
| Card Name | No. of Cards | Points |
| Wild | 4 | 50 |
| Extreme Hit | 4 | 50 |
| Skip | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
| Reverse | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
| Discard All | 8 (2 in each color) | 30 |
| Hit 2 | 8 (2 in each color) | 20 |
UNO Attack Rules and Instructions
To play UNO Attack, you must follow the steps given below –
- One player must become the dealer who shuffles the stack and deals seven cards to each player.
- These are held by the players in their hands with the number/action side facing up so that the other players can see them.
- One card from the remaining is turned up to start the Discard pile. The other cards form the Draw pile – which is loaded into the battery-powered Launcher.
The dealer should open the door on top of the Launcher, place the Draw pile face down, and close the door. Here’s a video to help you load the Launcher.
- Press the on/off button on the Launcher to start it. Remember that after 5 minutes of inactivity, the Launcher will automatically turn off.
The Launcher must keep turning toward the player playing a card.
- The first player to play will be the one on the dealer’s left. And the game must proceed in a clockwise direction, i.e., move in the leftward direction.
- The player must play to match the color or number of the card on the Discard pile. They can also play a Special card, as explained below.
- If a player does not have a playable card, they must smack the Launcher. If it releases cards, they must add them to their hand.
If there are cards sticking out of the Launcher, the player must collect those, as well.
Remember that if a player hits the Launcher, they cannot play a card in this turn, even if the Launcher shoots a playable card.
- Each player gets their turn to play a card like this – or hit the Launcher and miss their turn.
- When a player has only two cards left in hand, they must shout UNO when playing the second last card. If they don’t, another player may challenge them.
In that case, the challenged player must press the Launcher twice and collect all the cards released.
- The round ends when all cards in the hands of any one player are played. This player is the winner of the round.
- The winner is awarded points equal to the points of the cards held by the other players.
- A new round starts and the game continues until one player collects 500 points. This player is the final winner.
Alternative Rules: UNO Attack Challenge
- Instead of declaring the player with 500+ points the winner, they get eliminated from the game as the loser.
- The rounds continue until there are two players left. They play a round head-to-head.
- Whoever gets rid of their cards first is the final round winner – and the game!
Watch this video if you want to understand the UNO Attack rules better. Remember to download and print a few copies of our UNO Attack rules PDF file for the participants.
UNO Attack Mega Hit Rules
The basic rules of the game are the same as above. The difference arises when it comes to Stacking. First, you must understand what Stacking is in UNO.
When you play a card that forces others to draw cards, they may try to block it with a similar Draw card. For instance, you play Wild Hit 2 – and the next player tries to block its action by playing or “Stacking” another Wild Hit 2.
But Stacking is not allowed in regular UNO games, including UNO Attack. UNO’s verified Twitter profile Tweeted against Stacking –
However, while playing UNO Attack Meta Hit, you can Stack the Hit cards and Wild Attack-Attack cards.
So, if you play Hit 1, the player after you can respond with a Wild Attack-Attack instead of using the Launcher. The following player will have to perform all the actions of the Stack – or make an addition to the Stack.
Here’s a video to give you a quick look at how to play UNO Attack Mega Hit.
UNO Attack Cards Meaning: What do All the Cards Mean in Uno Attack?
All versions of UNO Attack have 72 Number cards and 40 Special cards. But what do all the cards mean in Uno Attack? Take a look:
Number Card
There are 72 Number cards in UNO Attack, divided into four colors – Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green. Thus, each color has 18 cards, numbered 1-9, with two cards for each number in every color.
While playing UNO Attack, you must match the last card on the Discard pile by number or color. So, if the last Discarded card is Blue 6, you can play a Blue 1 or 6 card in any color.
Wild Card
The Wild card is a special card that lets a player change the color that the next player has to play. But changing the color is unnecessary, i.e., you can call the same color currently in play.
So, if you play the Wild card and call Blue, the next player must play a Red card – or draw cards by pressing the Card Launcher. They can also play another Wild card – and call a different color.
You can play a Wild card even if you have another playable card that matches the color or number of the last Discarded card. If this is the first card of the Discard pile at the start of the game, the first player to the dealer’s left calls the color.
Skip Card
When you play the Skip card, the player after you cannot play and has to wait for the next turn. You can play this card to match the last card on the Discard pile.
For instance, if the card on the Discard pile is Green 7, you can play the Green Skip card so that the player after you misses their turn. If this is the first card turned at the start of the game, the first player after the dealer loses their turn.
Wild Hit 2 Card
When you play the Wild Hit 2 card, the player after you has to hit the Launcher twice. They must collect all the cards it releases and miss their turn to play.
You can play it to match the color of the Discard pile. For instance, if the last Discarded card is Blue 3, you can play the Blue Skip card.
If this card turns up at the start of the Discard pile, the first player on the dealer’s left must smack the Launcher twice. In that case, the first card is played by the second player to the dealer’s left.
Discard All Card
When you play this card, you can discard all the cards in the color of the Discard All card you’ve played. It has to match the last card on the Discard pile.
So, if the last Discarded card is a Red 8, you can play the Red Discard All – and get rid of all the other Red cards in your hand. Or you can respond with another Discard All card.
But if this is the first card of the Discard pile, the first player on the dealer’s left must play only one card to match the Discarded card’s color. The player can also play another Discard All card – or press the Launcher.
Reverse Card
Playing this card reverses the current direction of the game, i.e., the order in which the players take turns to play. So if the current direction of the game is clockwise, i.e., towards the left, this card will change it to counter-clockwise or rightward.
Similarly, if it is played when the current game is moving towards the right, the direction will become clockwise. As a result, the direction of the play will be toward the left.
This card can be played to match the color of the last card on the Discard pile. If it is the game’s first card, the player on the dealer’s right must play first instead of the left.
If the game is played between two players, the Reverse card acts as the Skip card. That means when you play the card, you can immediately play another card, and the other player loses their turn.
Wild Attack-Attack or Extreme Hit Card
By playing this card, you get to attack a particular player – and that player must press the Launcher twice and collect all the released cards. This Wild card also lets you call a color for the next player.
If this is the first card on the Discard pile, the first player on the dealer’s left attacks a player and calls a color. If it’s the last card played by someone, the attacked player must slam the Launcher and collect cards before scores are counted.
In UNO Extreme, The Wild Attack-Attack card is replaced by the Extreme Hit card. The rules of playing the Extreme Hit are the same.
Wild Hit 4 Card
If you play this Wild card, the player next to you must use the Launcher four times and collect all the released cards. You also get to call the color in which the game must continue.
If it is turned up first, the first player to the dealer’s left must hit the Launcher, collect the cards, and miss their turn to play a hand. If it is the last card played by someone, the next player must follow these rules before the points are counted.
Wild Customizable Card
This is a unique Wild card with no set rules – and the participants must set house rules for this card at the start of the game. When you play this card, you get to call a color – and the other players must follow the pre-decided rule.
There is no limit to the rules, and the action can involve anything. It can entail all players hitting the Launcher any number of times, selecting a specific player for the same, etc.
You must write the action on the blank surface with a pencil – and can erase it later. There are 3 of these cards, and you may choose to use as many of them as you want in the game – or none at all.
The player playing this card must also call the color in which the round continues. The player to the dealer’s left must call the color if it is the first Discarded card.
Trade Hands Card
If you play this card, you can exchange your cards with any player of your choice. If this is the first card turned up, it must return to the Draw pile – and another card should be drawn for the Discard pile.
The Trade Hands card is extremely powerful, especially in the later parts of the game. It gives you the opportunity to trade your hand with a player with fewer cards than yours.
You can play this card to match the color of the last Discarded card, e.g., you can play a Blue Trade Hands card to match a Blue 4. But remember that it cannot be the last card you play to end the round.
Wild All-Hit Card
If you play this card, all the other players must strike the Launcher once. Each player must collect the cards released when they press the Launcher.
If the Launcher doesn’t release cards, the next player must slam the Launcher. If this is the first card turned up, every player must smack the Launcher, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.
Also, remember that this is a variant of the Wild card. That means you can call a change in color or continue with the current color when you play it.
If this is the last card played by a player before they go out, the other players must continue with the play. That means they must strike the Launcher and collect cards before the score is counted.
Wild Hit-Fire Card
When you play this card, the player next to you must use the Launcher – and should continue hitting it until the launcher releases cards. They must add the released cards to their hand and miss their turn to play.
When playing the Wild Hit-Fire, you must call the color in which the game should continue. That’s because this is also a Wild card and brings with it the elementary privilege of the Wild card.
If this is the first card turned up as the first one on the Discard pile, the first player to the dealer’s left must press the Launcher repeatedly till it releases cards. If it’s the last card played, the other players must follow the rule of the card before the points are counted.
This is an exciting card because the Launcher is an unpredictable device that may or may not shoot cards. Or, it can launch anything from a single card to an entire bunch!
Hit 1 Card
When you play this card, the player after you must use the Launcher once and add the released cards to their hand. They must also miss their turn to play.
You can play it to match the color of the last Discarded card, i.e., a Yellow Hit 1 can be played after a Yellow 5. If it is the first card turned, the first player on the dealer’s left must use the Launcher.
UNO Attack Mega Hit Card Meanings
Mega Hit’s cards are quite similar to those of the new version of UNO Attack. The following cards mean the same –
- Wild
- Wild Attack-Attack
- Skip
- Reverse
- Discard All
The additional card is Hit 1, while Hit 2 is slightly different from Wild Hit 2. Here’s how these two cards work.
When you play Hit 1 or Hit 2, the next player must slam the Launcher one or two times (as per the card) and collect the cards released. But unlike Wild Hit cards, you do not get to call a color.
Final Words
As you must have understood, there are different versions of UNO Attack – and their stacks vary slightly. The basic rules are the same unless you play Mega Hit, which bends the traditional rules and allows Stacking.
If you refer to the rules and card meanings described in detail above, you will likely be able to avoid starting World War III, the UNO Attack version.