Crazy Eights
Be the first to get rid of all your cards!
How to Play
Goal
Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Gameplay
Play a card matching the color or value of the top card. Or play a wildcard.
Drawing
If you can't play, draw a card from the deck.
Action Cards
Skip = next player skipped. Reverse = change direction. +2 = next draws 2. Wild +4 = choose color + next draws 4.
Last card!
When you have only 1 card left, press the "Last card!" button!
Strategy & tips
Shed high numbers early. Being stuck with a nine while everyone else is nearly out costs you twice: it blocks you, and it is hard to place because only colour or number will match.
Always keep one card in the colour currently showing. The most common mistake is clearing a colour entirely and then having to draw the moment play returns to it. One fallback card per colour saves several turns over a game.
Action cards are moments, not cards. A skip or a reverse played just before the turn of someone holding a single card is worth more than the same card three turns earlier. Keep at least one in hand while anyone is close to going out.
When someone is down to one card, change the colour. The odds that their last card matches the new colour drop sharply — and the wild card you need for it exists for exactly this situation.
Variants
Sevens draw two
In the classic German house rules the seven forces the next player to draw, the eight skips and the jack calls the colour. The action cards here follow the same idea with their own symbols.
Draw until playable
Instead of drawing one card, you keep drawing until something fits. Games get shorter and considerably more luck-driven.
Stacking
Draw penalties can be passed along: hold one yourself and you hand the penalty to the next player, increased. Whoever breaks the chain draws the lot.
How it works
1. Create a game
Click "Create Game" and receive a 6-digit code.
2. Share the code
Share the code with your friends – via WhatsApp, Telegram, or just tell them.
3. Play instantly
Your friends enter the code and you start playing immediately. No login required!
Origin
Crazy Eights belongs to a family of shedding games built around the eight, which spread across Europe and North America during the twentieth century. Relatives are everywhere: Prší in Czechia, Makao in Poland, Mau-Mau in Germany, Vändåtta in Sweden — the same core idea with slightly different action cards each time.
The call at the end is part of the game rather than decoration. A player who forgets to announce their second-to-last card has to draw under most house rules. That single rule turns a game of luck into a game of attention.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when I am down to one card?
The call button appears. Press it in time and you are fine — forget it and most groups apply a penalty.
What if nothing in my hand matches?
You draw a card from the deck. If it fits you may play it immediately, otherwise play passes on.
How many players work best?
Three to five. With two the reverse card barely matters, and from six upwards the wait between your own turns gets long.
Can I play a wild card at any time?
Yes, a wild always matches. That is exactly why it pays to save one for the decisive moment.