Addictive, rewarding, and delightfully simple – it’s no surprise that you are looking for fun card games like Phase 10. This family classic, created by Kenneth Johnson in 1982, is one of the best-selling card games in the world.
Whether you grew up playing Phase 10 or enjoy this fast-paced, competitive game with your friends or family today, you know there is plenty to love in this old-school card game. Luckily, there is a wealth of exciting card games out there for fans of Phase 10.
If you are looking for family-friendly card games similar to Phase 10 or a new addition to your game collection, our list of 10 great card games showcases the best alternatives.
10 Games like Phase 10
UNO
Is it an obvious choice? Yes. Anyone who has played both Phase 10 and UNO will know how much these games have in common. In fact, Phase 10 is second only to UNO when it comes to the best-selling card games.
Created by Merle Robbins in 1971, UNO is an iconic card-shedding game. Like Phase 10, getting rid of your cards is key to UNO, although, unlike Phase 10, emptying your hand before your competitors is the only route to winning the game.
The UNO deck consists of 108 cards: 25 of four different colours numbered 1 to 9 as well as ‘wild’ cards, ‘skip’ and ‘reverse’ cards that affect turn order, and penalty cards such as ‘draw 4’.
Players are dealt 7 cards each and the top card of the remaining deck is flipped. To discard a card on your turn, you must match the number or colour of the top card (unless you have a wild card). If you can’t shed a card you must draw one.
UNO is simple but undeniably addictive – most players will play several games and decide winners based on the number count of cards left in the losers’ hands. With so many similar elements of gameplay, anyone looking for card games like Phase 10 will find all their needs met in UNO.
Already love this game? Check out our list of games like UNO!
3UP 3DOWN
3UP 3DOWN is a fast-paced, family-friendly card game that is perfect for anyone looking for card games similar to Phase 10. Players compete to get rid of their cards before their competitors, but there’s a twist – three of your cards are not revealed until the final play.
This 2-6 player card game can be played in as little as 5 minutes and is simple enough for kids aged 6+ to enjoy but plenty of fun for parents too. Players are given three cards face down that they cannot look at and then six cards in their hand. Players choose three of these cards and place them face-up on their face-down cards and then gameplay begins.
The top card from the remaining cards is drawn and players must discard cards that are equal to or higher than the number of the top card and then draw back up to three. When the draw pile is empty, you can start discarding from your face-up cards and, finally, your face-down cards.
The face-down cards add an element of surprise and luck to this lightweight, face-paced card game.
Morels
Morels is a beautiful, 2-player card game designed by Brent Povis and with gorgeous woodland art by Vince Dorse, Jarek Nocoń, and Povis. Gamers looking for a simple yet elegant card game like Phase 10 will find plenty to love in Morels.
Players are exploring a dense wood filled with an array of wild mushrooms. A selection of mushroom cards are placed on the table, creating the forest path you will walk. On your turn, you can collect one of the cards closest to the draw deck, play a card from your hand, sell mushrooms for foraging sticks, cook mushrooms for points, or collect decayed mushrooms.
Morels is a light-weight card game suitable for players aged 10+ and the variety of mushroom species even gives it an educational twist. Whether you’re a family or a couple of regular gamers, the beauty of Morels is sure to captivate fans of Phase 10.
Sushi Go!
If you enjoy collecting sets of cards in Phase 10, Sushi Go! could be your new favourite. This 2-5 player pick-and-pass card game has players collecting sets of sushi cards from a ‘menu’.
Over three rounds, players choose a sushi card from their hand, play it face-up, and then pass their hand to the left. Like Phase 10, you’ll be scoring points by crafting matching sets, but with some extra mechanisms such as point-tripling wasabi or winning points for having the most maki rolls.
Sushi Go! is a fast-paced, cute game designed by Phil Walker-Harding, and the adorable sushi cards, designed by Walker-Harding along with Nan Rangsima and Tobias Schweiger, will endear gamers of any age.
This is a great game for families as well as regular gamers, and larger groups can upgrade to Sushi Go Party! for a game of up to 8 players with even more sushi cards.
Already love this game? Check out our list of games like Sushi Go!
Lost Cities
Fun card games like Phase 10 are quick, engaging, and easy to pick-up. Another game that ticks all these boxes is Reiner Knizia’s Lost Cities.
In this 2-player card game, players gain points by mounting successful archaeological expeditions. Each digging site is represented by a set of cards and players must discard their hand to corresponding piles of cards.
When the final card is taken from the draw pile, players calculate their scores from their expedition piles based on the total of the numbered cards placed in each one. Lost Cities is a speedy game and often played over three rounds to determine the winning archaeologist.
Players aged 10+ will adore this card-drafting classic.
Rummikub
Okay, Rummikub is not a card game. But if you’re looking for games like Phase 10, Rummikub simply must be on the list.
Like Phase 10, Rummikub borrows rules from the classic card game rummy. Players pick up 14 tiles from Rummikub’s 108 tiles, which are numbered 1 to 13 and split into four different colours. The aim of the game is to get rid of your tiles by creating sets of the same number or a run of numbers of the same colour.
These sets and runs are placed on the table and can then be manipulated to get rid of even more tiles. There are also two jokers that act as ‘wild cards’. The delightful simplicity of Rummikub, invented by Ephraim Hertzano, made it the best-selling game in America in the 1970s and a family classic ever since.
Rummikub has plenty of abstract strategy for regular gamers but is fun and easy enough for kids to enjoy as well.
Already know and love this game? Check out our list of games like Rummikub!
Coloretto
If you love the colourful mayhem of Phase 10, Coloretto is an excellent card game that families will play again and again.
Designed by Michael Schacht, this 2-5 player game is a simple set-collector suitable for gamers aged 8+ but adored by even the most seasoned gamers as a light-weight interlude on games night.
Each turn players can flip a card from the draw deck, which is made up of 63 cards of 7 different colours, and add that card to a face-up row – there are as many rows as there are players. Alternatively, you can pick up a row of cards, though you must do this if all rows are maxed out at three cards.
This continues till the draw pile is depleted and points are scored. Players choose three colours to score points with whilst the rest of the colours will grant penalties.
This abstract card game is a mixture of luck and strategy but simple and rewarding enough to engage gamers of any experience.
Arboretum
When you’re searching for card games like Phase 10, few games offer the gorgeous elegance of Arboretum. Dan Cassar’s 2-4 card game is fast, light-weight, and can be enjoyed by families or regular gamers.
Arboretum consists of a deck of 80 tree cards, which are split into colours by species. Each turn, players draw cards and then play cards to their personal arboretum.
Points are scored by laying cards in paths of matching colours but you must also have cards of this colour in your hand at the end of the game to score points for it.
Arboretum is simple but satisfying and is a great alternative for players looking for family games similar to Phase 10.
Sea of Clouds
Théo Rivière’s Sea of Clouds is a beautiful card game that anyone searching for card games similar to Phase 10 will fall in love with. In Sea of Clouds, 2-4 players are competing captains of flying pirate ships.
Each turn, players loot a flying ship for cards – rum, relics, treasures, and more pirates. The first player will secretly look at their share of the loot and decide whether to take the lot or abandon it in hopes of a better plunder. Legendary relics and rum score points, pirates assist in looting other ships, and other treasures grant special powers.
Sea of Clouds is a longer game than most on this list with a playtime of around 45 minutes, but it is still simple enough for families to enjoy whilst offering all the strategy and elegance needed for regular gamers to get hooked.
Red7
Red7 is another fun, fast-paced, and wonderfully simple card game like Phase 10. In Red7, players have a hand of cards from the deck, which is made up of 49 cards of 7 different colours and numbered 1-7.
Each card is valued based on its number and colour – 7 and red being the most valuable. The aim of the game is to always be ‘winning’ the game at the end of your turn. The ‘canvas’ pile determines the winning condition – for example, the highest number wins.
If it is your turn you can either play a card to your ‘palette’ to meet this condition or play a card to the ‘canvas’ to change the rule – or both. If you cannot meet the winning condition by playing a card then you are eliminated.
Red7 is a 2-4 player card game designed by Carl Chudyk and Chris Cieslik and is perfect for families looking for games similar to Phase 10. This addictive, fast-paced game is a great filler on games night or it can be transformed into a competitive tournament.
Card games like Phase 10 are exciting, fast-paced classics and are regulars at family games nights. If you’re looking for competitive, take-that games like Phase 10 or simply after more light-weight, engaging card games, this list of 10 great card games like Phase 10 offers a range of delightful games that will hook players of any age.
Are you looking for more games like Phase 10? Have any recommendations that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments!
