Uno No Mercy rules
Uno No Mercy, sold as UNO Show ‘em No Mercy, is a harsher Uno with a 168-card deck. Draw cards go up to Draw 10 and can be stacked, 7s and 0s move whole hands around, and anyone holding 25 or more cards is out. You win by playing your last card or by being the last player left.
Also called UNO Show ‘em No Mercy.
- Players
- 2 to 6
- Ages
- 7 and up
- You need
- An UNO Show ‘em No Mercy deck of 168 cards
- Deal
- 7 cards each. The rest is the draw pile, and its top card is turned face up to start the discard pile.
- Goal
- Be the first to play every card in your hand, or be the last player left in the game
- Game ends
- A round ends when one player goes out or every other player is knocked out. If you keep score, the first player to 1000 points wins.
- Playing time
- About 15 to 30 minutes a round. A game to 1000 points can take a few hours.
UNO and UNO Show ‘em No Mercy are trademarks of Mattel, Inc. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Mattel.
Quick start
- Shuffle the 168 cards and deal 7 to each player. Turn the top card of the draw pile face up. If it is not a number card, turn over the next one.
- The player on the dealer’s left starts, and play goes clockwise. On your turn, play 1 card that matches the top card in color, number or symbol.
- If you cannot play, keep drawing until you get a card you can play, then play it.
- When a Draw card is played on you, you can stack a Draw card of the same or higher value. The total passes on. The first player who does not stack draws it all.
- A 7 swaps your hand with a player you choose. A 0 makes everyone pass their hand along. Anyone holding 25 or more cards is out of the game.
- Say “Uno” when you have 1 card left. Play your last card, or be the last player left, to win. In a scored game, 1000 points wins.
Rule sheet and score sheet
Print the whole game on one page, and a score sheet made for Uno No Mercy. Both are free PDFs for Letter paper.
Setup
2 to 6 players, each playing alone. Notes for 2 players are further down.
You need: One UNO Show ‘em No Mercy deck of 168 cards. That is 56 more cards than a classic Uno deck.
- The colored cards are number cards from 0 to 9 and 6 kinds of action card: Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Draw 4, Discard All and Skip Everyone.
- The wild cards are Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6, Wild Draw 10 and Wild Color Roulette. The rule sheet describes no plain Wild card and no classic Wild Draw 4.
- The rule sheet gives the total of 168 cards but does not say how many of each card the deck holds.
- Choose a dealer. Shuffle all 168 cards and deal 7 to each player.
- Put the rest face down as the draw pile.
- Turn its top card face up to start the discard pile. If it is not a number card, turn over another until a number card comes up.
- The player on the dealer’s left goes first, and play moves clockwise.
Each player’s hand
Draw pile
Face down
Discard pile
Face up
- The rule sheet says to pass over an action card turned up first. Its scoring list calls the wild cards Wild Action Cards, so pass over those as well.
How to play
Uno No Mercy plays like classic Uno, with more draw cards, stacking, hand swaps and a 25-card limit. Turns go clockwise from the dealer’s left until a Reverse changes the direction.
-
Match the top card
On your turn, play 1 card that matches the top card of the discard pile in color, number or symbol. A wild card can go on any card. After a wild card, match the color that was named.
- A symbol matches the same symbol in any color. A Draw 4 can go on any Draw 4, and a Skip Everyone on any Skip Everyone.
- The rule sheet does not say who names the color after a Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10. This page follows classic Uno, where the player of a wild card names the color.
- The rule sheet puts no limit on when a wild card can be played, and it has no challenge rule.
Top of the discard pile
Same color
Same number
Wild
Goes on any card
What can be played on a green 5. -
Draw until you can play
If no card in your hand matches, draw from the draw pile one card at a time until you get one that does. Then play it.
- Every card you draw stays in your hand. Watch the count, because 25 cards puts you out.
- The rule sheet covers drawing only when nothing in your hand matches. It does not say whether you may draw while holding a card you could play, so agree on that before you start.
- When the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new one. Leave the top card face up where it is.
-
Use the colored action cards
Skip: the next player loses their turn. Reverse: play changes direction. Draw 2 or Draw 4: the next player draws 2 or 4 cards and loses their turn. Discard All: also discard every card of its color from your hand. Skip Everyone: you take another turn.
- Discard All: put the extra cards under the Discard All card, so it stays on top. Its color is the one to match.
- Skip Everyone skips every other player. Your extra turn is a normal turn, so if nothing matches you draw until something does.
- A Draw 2 or Draw 4 can be answered by stacking. See Stack Draw cards below.
- With 2 players a Reverse works like a Skip, so you take another turn.
-
Play the wild cards
Wild Reverse Draw 4: play changes direction, then the next player draws 4 cards. Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10: the next player draws 6 or 10. Either way they lose their turn. Wild Color Roulette: the next player names a color and turns up cards until that color appears. They keep them all and lose their turn.
- After a Wild Reverse Draw 4, the player who draws is the next one in the new direction. With 3 or more players, that is the player who went just before you.
- Wild Color Roulette: the player after you picks the color, not you. They turn up cards from the draw pile one at a time. A wild card turned up does not count as the color, so they keep going.
- The rule sheet does not say which color is in play after a Wild Color Roulette. Agree on it before you start. Using the color the next player named is the simplest choice.
- With 2 players a Wild Reverse Draw 4 skips the other player, so you draw the 4 cards yourself. You can stack a Draw card worth 4 or more on it to send the cards back.
- The rule sheet does not say what a second Wild Reverse Draw 4 does when it is stacked in a 2-player game. Agree on it before you start.
-
Stack Draw cards
When a Draw card is played on you, you can play a Draw card of the same or higher value on it. The total passes to the next player. This goes on until a player cannot stack, or chooses not to. That player draws the whole total and loses their turn.
- The Draw cards are worth 2, 4, 6 and 10. The colored Draw 4 and the Wild Reverse Draw 4 are both worth 4.
- Only a Draw card can pass the cards on. A Skip, Reverse, Skip Everyone or Wild Color Roulette does not stop a stack.
- Stacking is a choice. You can take the cards even when you hold a Draw card that would stack.
- A Wild Reverse Draw 4 added to a stack changes the direction, so the total goes to the next player in the new direction.
- The stacking rule does not mention color. Agree before you play whether a colored Draw card stacked on a Draw card of another color is allowed.
- Drawing a stack can take you to 25 cards or more, and then you are out.
-
Swap hands on a 7 or 0
When you play a 7, you must swap your whole hand with another player of your choice. When anyone plays a 0, every player passes their whole hand to the next player in the direction of play.
- This happens with every 7 and every 0, in any color.
- After the swap or the pass, play carries on in the same direction.
-
Mercy Rule: 25 cards and you are out
If you ever hold 25 or more cards, you are out of the game. Set your hand aside, and play carries on without you.
- It applies at any moment, including partway through drawing a stack or a Wild Color Roulette.
- The hand stays set aside until the draw pile runs out. Then shuffle it in with the discard pile to make the new draw pile.
- In a scored game, the winner of the round gets 250 points for each player knocked out.
-
Say Uno
Say “Uno” when you are down to 1 card. If another player catches you first, before the next player starts their turn, you draw 2 cards.
- If nobody catches you in time, there is no penalty.
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Win the round
The first player to play their last card wins the round. You also win if every other player has been knocked out by the Mercy Rule.
- Without scoring, the winner of the round wins the game. For a longer game, use the scoring below.
| Card | What it does | When you can play it |
|---|---|---|
| Number card (1 to 6, 8, 9) | Nothing extra. The next player has to match it. | On the same color or the same number |
| 7 | You swap your whole hand with another player you choose. | On the same color or any 7 |
| 0 | Every player passes their whole hand to the next player in the direction of play. | On the same color or any 0 |
| Skip | The next player loses their turn. | On the same color or any Skip |
| Reverse | Play changes direction. With 2 players you take another turn. | On the same color or any Reverse |
| Draw 2 | The next player draws 2 cards and loses their turn, unless they stack. | On the same color or any Draw 2 |
| Draw 4 | The next player draws 4 cards and loses their turn, unless they stack. | On the same color or any Draw 4. In a stack, also on a Draw 2 or a Wild Reverse Draw 4 |
| Discard All | You also discard every card of its color from your hand, under it. | On the same color or any Discard All |
| Skip Everyone | Every other player is skipped, and you take another turn. | On the same color or any Skip Everyone |
| Wild Reverse Draw 4 | Play changes direction. The next player in the new direction draws 4 cards and loses their turn, unless they stack. With 2 players, that is you. | On any card. In a stack, only on a Draw 2, a Draw 4 or another Wild Reverse Draw 4 |
| Wild Draw 6 | The next player draws 6 cards and loses their turn, unless they stack. | On any card. In a stack, on anything but a Wild Draw 10 |
| Wild Draw 10 | The next player draws 10 cards and loses their turn, unless they stack. | On any card, and on any Draw card in a stack |
| Wild Color Roulette | The next player names a color and turns up cards until one of that color appears. They keep every card turned up and lose their turn. | On any card, but it cannot answer a Draw card |
| Draw card played on you | Draw cards you can stack on it |
|---|---|
| Draw 2 | Draw 2, Draw 4, Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10 |
| Draw 4 or Wild Reverse Draw 4 | Draw 4, Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10 |
| Wild Draw 6 | Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10 |
| Wild Draw 10 | Wild Draw 10 |
| Rule | Classic Uno | Uno No Mercy |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | 112 cards | 168 cards, with new action and wild cards |
| When you cannot play | Draw 1 card | Keep drawing until you can play, then play that card |
| Draw cards | Draw 2 and Wild Draw 4 | Draw 2, Draw 4, Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6 and Wild Draw 10 |
| Stacking | Not allowed | Allowed, with a Draw card of the same or higher value |
| Wild Draw 4 challenge | Yes | No challenge rule |
| 7s and 0s | Plain number cards | A 7 swaps hands with one player. A 0 passes every hand along. |
| Too many cards | No limit | 25 or more cards and you are out |
| Winning a round | First player out of cards | First player out of cards, or the last player left |
| Scored game | 500 points | 1000 points, with 250 for each player knocked out |
Example: a stack of 3 Draw cards
Four players sit in order: Ana, Ben, Cal and Dee, and play is going clockwise. Ana plays a red Draw 2. Ben could draw 2 cards, but he stacks a red Draw 4, so 6 cards are now waiting. Cal stacks a Wild Draw 6, which makes 12. Dee’s only Draw card is a blue Draw 2. That is lower than 6, so she cannot stack. Dee draws all 12 cards and loses her turn. She had 13 cards, so now she has 25 and is out under the Mercy Rule. Play moves on to Ana.
Ana plays
2 cards waiting
Ben stacks
4 is higher than 2. Now 6 cards
Cal stacks
6 is higher than 4. Now 12 cards
The discard pile
Wild Draw 6 on top
Dee’s only Draw card
2 is lower than 6. Dee draws 12 and is out at 25 cards
Scoring
Keeping score is optional. Without it, the winner of the round wins the game. For a longer game, the winner of each round scores points for the cards left in the other players’ hands, plus a bonus for each player knocked out. Nobody else scores in that round.
| Card or player | Points |
|---|---|
| Number card (0 to 9) | The number on the card |
| Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Draw 4, Discard All or Skip Everyone | 20 |
| Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6, Wild Draw 10 or Wild Color Roulette | 50 |
| Each player knocked out during the round | 250 |
- A 0 is worth 0 points.
- The cards of a player who was knocked out do not count. The 250 points take their place.
- The rule sheet does not say whether a player knocked out in one round is dealt back in for the next round of a scored game. Agree on it before you start.
The first player to play their last card, or the last player left, wins the round. In a scored game, the first player to reach 1000 points wins.
Keep a running total for each player on paper. After each round, add the round’s points to the winner’s total. The other totals stay the same.
A worked example: scoring one round
Four people are playing. Earlier in the round, Dee reached 25 cards and was knocked out. Then you play your last card and win the round. Ana and Ben show the cards they still hold, and you add them up with the bonus for Dee. You score 356 points.
Ana
77 points
Ben
29 points
Dee
Knocked out: 250 points. Her cards do not count
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Ana: a red 7 | 7 |
| Ana: a green Skip Everyone | 20 |
| Ana: a Wild Draw 10 | 50 |
| Ben: a yellow 0 | 0 |
| Ben: a blue 9 | 9 |
| Ben: a blue Draw 4 | 20 |
| Dee: knocked out by the Mercy Rule | 250 |
| Your points for the round | 356 |
Scorekeeper
For 2 to 6 players. After each round, enter the points for the winner, including 250 for each player knocked out. The first player to 1000 wins. It works in this browser, keeps the game if the page reloads, and needs no account.
Other ways to play
Uno No Mercy for 2 players
Play by the normal rules. The rule sheet has two notes for 2 players. A Reverse works like a Skip, so you take another turn. A Wild Reverse Draw 4 skips the other player, so you are the one who draws 4 cards, unless you stack a Draw card worth 4 or more on it to send the cards back. The rest follows from the normal rules. After a Skip or a Skip Everyone, the turn comes straight back to you, and so it does after a Draw card unless your opponent stacks. A 7 swaps hands with your opponent, and so does a 0.
Rule questions
How many cards are in Uno No Mercy?
168, which is 56 more than a classic Uno deck. The colored cards are the numbers 0 to 9, Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Draw 4, Discard All and Skip Everyone. The wild cards are Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6, Wild Draw 10 and Wild Color Roulette. The rule sheet does not say how many of each card the deck holds.
How many cards do you deal in Uno No Mercy?
7 cards to each player. The rest of the deck goes face down as the draw pile. Turn its top card face up to start the discard pile, and keep turning until a number card comes up.
How many people can play Uno No Mercy?
2 to 6. The rule sheet prints no player count in words. It carries an unlabeled 2-6 mark, and store listings for the game say 2 to 6 players. The rule sheet has notes for a 2-player game.
Can you stack a Draw 2 on a Draw 4 in Uno No Mercy?
No. A card you stack must be worth the same as the last Draw card or more. On a Draw 4 you can stack a Draw 4, a Wild Reverse Draw 4, a Wild Draw 6 or a Wild Draw 10. In a stack, a Draw 2 can go only on another Draw 2. If you cannot stack, you draw the whole total and lose your turn.
Can you stop a stack with a Skip or a Reverse?
No. Only a Draw card of the same or higher value passes the cards on. A Skip, Reverse, Skip Everyone or Wild Color Roulette does not count. A player with no Draw card high enough draws the whole total.
Do you keep drawing until you can play in Uno No Mercy?
Yes. If no card in your hand matches, you draw one card at a time until you get one that does, and then you play it. Every card you draw stays in your hand, and reaching 25 cards puts you out.
What happens when you have 25 cards in Uno No Mercy?
You are out of the game. The Mercy Rule knocks out any player who holds 25 or more cards at any time. Set that hand aside until the draw pile runs out, then shuffle it in with the discard pile. In a scored game, the winner of the round gets 250 points for each player knocked out.
Who picks the color on a Wild Color Roulette?
The next player, not the player of the card. They name a color, then turn over cards from the draw pile one at a time until a card of that color appears. A wild card turned up does not count. They keep every card turned over and lose their turn.
What do 7s and 0s do in Uno No Mercy?
A 7 makes you swap your whole hand with another player you choose. The swap is not optional. A 0 makes every player pass their whole hand to the next player in the direction of play. Both happen with every 7 and every 0, in any color.
Is there a Wild Draw 4 challenge in Uno No Mercy?
No. The rule sheet has no challenge rule and puts no limit on when a wild card can be played. Its Wild Reverse Draw 4 is a different card from the classic Wild Draw 4, because it also reverses the direction of play. The colored Draw 4 is played like any colored card, on its color or on another Draw 4.
How does the Discard All card work?
Play it like any colored card, on its color or on another Discard All. Then put every other card of its color from your hand under it, so the Discard All stays on top. A blue Discard All gets rid of all your blue cards in one turn.
How many points do you need to win Uno No Mercy?
1000. Scoring is optional. The winner of each round scores the cards left in the other hands: number cards at face value, colored action cards at 20 and wild cards at 50. They also score 250 points for each player knocked out during that round.
Words used in Uno No Mercy
- Draw pile
- The face-down stack of cards left after the deal. You draw from it when you cannot play.
- Discard pile
- The face-up pile where cards are played. The card on top is the one you have to match.
- Number card
- A colored card with a number from 0 to 9. Only the 7 and the 0 do anything extra.
- Action card
- A colored card with a symbol in place of a number: Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Draw 4, Discard All or Skip Everyone.
- Wild card
- A card with no color of its own that can go on any card: Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6, Wild Draw 10 or Wild Color Roulette.
- Draw card
- Any card that makes the next player draw: Draw 2, Draw 4, Wild Reverse Draw 4, Wild Draw 6 or Wild Draw 10.
- Stacking
- Answering a Draw card with a Draw card of the same or higher value, so the growing total passes to the next player.
- Mercy Rule
- The rule that puts a player out of the game once they hold 25 or more cards.
- Knocked out
- Out of the game under the Mercy Rule. A knocked-out player plays no more cards that round.
- Uno
- What you say out loud the moment you are down to 1 card.
- Go out
- To play your last card. The first player to go out wins the round.
- Round
- One deal, played until a player goes out or is the last player left. The rule sheet also calls it a hand.
What you need
- An UNO Show ‘em No Mercy deck168 cards. A classic Uno deck does not have the cards this game needs.Find it on Amazon (An UNO Show ‘em No Mercy deck, opens in a new tab)
- A score pad and pencilFor a game to 1000 points. Plain paper works, and so does our printable score sheet.Find it on Amazon (A score pad and pencil, opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. How the site is paid for.
Checked against
These rules are written in our own words from a Mattel instruction sheet and checked against the Mattel product page. Sources last checked on October 12, 2026.
- First source: Mattel, UNO Show ‘em No Mercy instruction sheet, English, product HWV18 (code HWV18-4B70_4LB printed on the sheet, copyright 2023). The whole game: 168 cards, the deal, the first card, matching, drawing until you can play, every action and wild card, stacking, the Mercy Rule, 7s and 0s, the 2-player notes, calling Uno, the two ways to win, and optional scoring to 1000 with 250 for each knockout.
- Second source: Mattel, UNO Show ‘em No Mercy product page, Mattel shop, product HWV18 (same text on Mattel’s UK shop and Mattel Creations pages). A check of the 168 cards, the 56 cards added to classic Uno, ages 7 and up, stacking, the Mercy Rule at 25 cards, 7s and 0s, calling Uno and the two ways to win.
Other sources we used (3)
- Mattel, UNO Show ‘em No Mercy instruction sheet, Spanish, product HWV18 (code HWV18-4B70_4LB, copyright 2023). A second reading of the same rules, to confirm every number: the 7-card deal, drawing until you can play, stacking and its +4 and +6 example, the Mercy Rule, Wild Color Roulette, the 2-player notes, the Uno penalty and scoring to 1000 with 250 for each knockout.
- Best Buy Canada, Mattel UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy Card Game, model HWV18, product listing. The player count of 2 to 6, which neither Mattel source states in words.
- Currys, MATTEL UNO Show-em No Mercy Card Game, product listing. A second check of the player count of 2 to 6.
Where the sources differ (6)
| Topic | First source | Second source | This page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7s and 0s | A 7 swaps your hand with one player of your choice. A 0 makes every player pass their hand to the next player in the direction of play. | Says only that when a 7 or a 0 is played, players must swap hands with another player. | Follows the rule sheet, which spells out the two different rules. |
| Stacking | A Draw card can be stacked only with a Draw card of equal or higher value. The player who cannot stack takes the whole total. | Players can pass the penalty (+2, +4, +6, +10) to the next player until someone cannot play. No equal-or-higher condition is given. | Follows the rule sheet, with a table of what can go on each Draw card. |
| Scoring | Optional scoring: the round’s winner scores the other hands, plus 250 for each player knocked out. 1000 points wins. | No scoring. | Gives the rule sheet’s scoring as optional. |
| Number of players | No player count in words. An unlabeled 2-6 mark sits beside an unlabeled 7+ mark. The Spanish sheet has the same marks. | No player count. | Says 2 to 6, from two store listings that state it. |
| Ages | Only the unlabeled 7+ mark. | Ages 7 and up. | 7 and up. |
| Size of the deck | 168 cards. No count for any card type. | 168 cards, which it says adds 56 cards to classic Uno. No count for any card type. | Gives the 168 total and the 56 extra. No counts by card type. |
What on this page is our own
- The playing times, about 15 to 30 minutes a round and a few hours for a game to 1000, are our estimate.
- The green 5 diagram, the stacking example and the scoring example are our own, and so is their arithmetic. The pieces pictured at the top of the page are our own example.
- The player count of 2 to 6 comes from two store listings. The Mattel sources do not state it in words.
- The rule sheet says to pass over an Action Card turned up first. The page applies that to the wild cards too, because the sheet’s scoring calls them Wild Action Cards.
- That a wild card can go on any card and that its player names the color come from classic Uno. The rule sheet says the game plays like classic Uno but does not say either thing for these cards, except that the next player names the color for Wild Color Roulette.
- Leaving the top card in place when the draw pile is rebuilt, and shuffling knocked-out hands into the new draw pile, are our reading of the rule sheet.
- That the player who takes a stack also loses their turn follows from each Draw card’s own text. The stacking rule says only that they take the whole penalty.
- That the colored Draw 4 and the Wild Reverse Draw 4 are worth 4 for stacking, and that a Wild Reverse Draw 4 in a stack sends the total in the new direction, follow from the cards’ own text.
- That only a Draw card can answer a stack is our reading of the rule that stacking goes on until someone cannot play a Draw card of equal or higher value.
- That stacking is a choice follows from the rule sheet saying you can stack, not that you must.
- That the extra turn after a Skip Everyone is a normal turn, and that the Mercy Rule applies partway through a draw, are our reading of the normal rules and of the word ever in the Mercy Rule.
- In the 2-player notes, the results of a Skip, a Skip Everyone, a Draw card, a 7 and a 0 are our reasoning from the normal rules. Only the Reverse and Wild Reverse Draw 4 notes are on the rule sheet.
- That there is no penalty if nobody catches a missed Uno in time follows from the deadline on the rule sheet.
- The suggestion to treat the color named for a Wild Color Roulette as the color in play is ours. The rule sheet does not say.
- The comparison with classic Uno uses our classic Uno page, which follows the current Mattel UNO rule sheet.
- The notes under What you need describe products and are not rules. The score sheet and scorekeeper are our own design.
Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected] and we'll check it against the sources.