UNO Attack takes the familiar race to empty your hand and wires it to a motorised Card Launcher that can fire no cards at all or bury you under a fistful. Because the machine fires at random, a calm round can turn to chaos with a single button press. This guide explains how UNO Attack is set up, how every special card behaves, how the UNO penalty works and exactly how points are counted — all based on the current official Mattel rules.
This guide was produced in collaboration with k-boardgame.com.
What Is UNO Attack?
UNO Attack was first released by Mattel in 1998 (it is sold as UNO Extreme in some markets). It keeps the core UNO goal — be the first to shed every card — but replaces the draw pile with an electronic launcher that decides how many cards you pick up. It plays with 2 to 10 players, suits ages 7 and up, and a full game is a race to 500 points spread across several rounds. If you are new to the base game, our definitive guide to classic UNO rules covers the fundamentals the Attack edition builds on.
UNO Attack is a physical, table-top game and has no official online version, since the whole experience is built around the launcher. If you want to play online, you will need a digital version of classic UNO instead — and it pays to take the usual online-safety precautions. For a faster launcher-driven spin-off, see the related UNO Attack Mega edition.
What Is in the Box
A standard 112-card UNO Attack set from Mattel contains:
- 72 number cards, 1 to 9 in blue, green, red and yellow (18 per colour)
- 8 Hit 2 cards (2 per colour)
- 8 Skip cards (2 per colour)
- 8 Discard All cards (2 per colour)
- 4 Reverse cards (1 per colour)
- 4 Wild cards
- 4 Wild Attack-Attack cards
- 3 Wild Customizable cards
- 1 Wild Hit 4 card
- 1 electronic Card Launcher
Older or slimmer editions ship with fewer cards (some later versions use 106) and may leave out newer cards such as Wild Attack-Attack, so it is worth checking the rules printed with your specific pack.
Quick Facts
| Maker | Mattel |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–10 |
| Age | 7+ |
| Cards | 112 (some editions 106) |
| Launcher power | 3 × C alkaline batteries (not included) |
| First released | 1998 |
| Goal | First player to 500 points |
| Official rules | Mattel instruction sheet (PDF) |
How the Card Launcher Works
The Card Launcher holds the draw pile. Whenever you would normally draw, you press the button on top. Every press triggers flashing lights and sounds, but cards do not fly out every time — sometimes nothing happens, sometimes a few cards launch, and occasionally a whole stack shoots out. When no cards fire, the lights and sounds pulse faster with each press until, eventually, the launcher fires. Whatever comes out goes into the hand of the player who pressed the button.
The unit runs on three C-size alkaline batteries (not supplied) and goes to sleep after about five minutes of inactivity; a single press wakes it up again.
Setting Up the Game
Choose a dealer, shuffle the deck, and deal seven cards to each player. Place one card face up in the middle to start the discard pile, then load the remaining cards face down into the launcher and switch it on. Rotate the launcher so it always faces the player whose turn it is, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.
If the first card turned up is a special card, apply its effect before the first proper turn, following the same start-of-play notes that the printed rules give for each card.
Playing a Turn
On your turn you must match the top card of the discard pile by colour, number or symbol, or play an appropriate special or Wild card. If you have nothing to play, you must press the launcher once. If nothing fires, play simply passes to the next person; if cards launch, you add them to your hand and your turn ends.
One rule catches out players used to classic UNO: in UNO Attack you may not play any of the cards the launcher gives you, even if one would have been playable. Once you press the button, your turn is over. You may also choose not to play a card you are holding, but if you do that you must still press the launcher.
Special Cards
Skip and Reverse
These behave exactly as in classic UNO. Skip makes the next player lose their turn, while a Reverse card flips the direction of play. Each is worth 20 points if left in a hand at the end of a round.
Hit 2
An Action card unique to this edition. The next player must press the launcher twice, add anything that fires to their hand, and forfeit their turn. Play then continues with the following player.
Wild Hit 4
The heaviest launcher card. The next player must press the button four times and take whatever comes out. It is also a Wild, so the player who lays it down chooses the colour that resumes play.
Discard All
Play a Discard All on a matching colour and you clear every card of that colour from your hand in a single move (a Discard All can also go on top of another Discard All). It is a genuine lifesaver after a big launcher burst.
Wild and Wild Customizable
A Wild card can be played on anything and lets you name the next colour, even if you hold other playable cards. The Wild Customizable cards are blank: before the game you decide how many of the three to use, then write a house rule on each in erasable pencil — they wipe clean so you can invent a new rule next time.
Wild Attack-Attack
When you play this card you call a colour and then choose any other player to attack. Rotate the launcher to face them and they must press the button twice, keeping whatever fires. Play then resumes with the next player after the one who was attacked. Older editions of UNO Attack do not include this card.
Saying UNO and the Penalty
When you are down to one card, you must call “UNO” before you play your next-to-last card. If you forget and another player catches you, the penalty is to press the launcher twice and take whatever comes out. Note that UNO Attack has no penalty stacking: a Hit 2 or Wild Hit 4 cannot be bounced back with another card, so the targeted player simply accepts the launcher’s verdict. Our guide on what happens if you forget to say UNO explains the call in more detail.
Scoring in UNO Attack
A round ends the moment one player runs out of cards. Every opponent counts the cards left in their hand, and the player who went out scores the total. Rounds accumulate, and the first player to reach 500 points wins. Some groups prefer the reverse method: keep a running total of what each player is caught with, and when someone hits 500 the player with the lowest score is the winner. Either way, the point values below apply. For the wider UNO family, see how scoring works in UNO.
Scoring Values
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Number cards (1–9) | Face value |
| Skip | 20 |
| Reverse | 20 |
| Hit 2 | 20 |
| Discard All | 30 |
| Wild Hit 4 | 40 |
| Wild | 50 |
| Wild Attack-Attack | 50 |
| Wild Customizable | 50 |
Two-Player and Challenge Variants
With two players, three tweaks apply: a Reverse works like a Skip and lets you play again; a Skip also lets you play a second card; and after a Hit 2, once your opponent has pressed twice, play returns to you.
The Challenge variant keeps a running total of what each player is caught with. Once a player reaches an agreed threshold (500 is suggested) they are eliminated; when two players remain they finish head to head using the two-player rules.
Looking After the Launcher
Press the button once, firmly, and let go — repeated jabbing can jam the mechanism. If cards start slipping and will not come out, wipe the rubber roller with a damp cloth or one dipped in rubbing alcohol. Turn the switch off after play, and remove the batteries if the game is going into storage for a while.
Tips for Better Play
- Hold cards in more than one colour so a single colour change cannot strand you.
- Use plain Wild cards early to steer play toward the colour you hold most of, but keep one in reserve in case the launcher hands you trouble.
- Play high-value Wilds and Action cards before someone else goes out; stranded in your hand they become heavy penalties.
- Watch for hesitation — a player who pauses before naming a colour probably lacks it, so steer play back that way when you can.
Reference sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many cards do you deal in UNO Attack?
Seven cards to each player. One more card starts the discard pile, and the rest are loaded into the Card Launcher.
What happens if the launcher fires no cards?
Nothing is added to your hand and play simply moves to the next player. Once you have pressed the button, your turn is over either way.
Can you stack Hit 2 or Wild Hit 4 cards?
No. UNO Attack has no stacking mechanic, so the targeted player must press the launcher the required number of times and keep whatever comes out.
How many points do you need to win UNO Attack?
500 points, accumulated across rounds. Groups can agree a different target, and some score by knocking players out once they reach 500 instead.
Do you have to say UNO, and what is the penalty?
Yes. You must call UNO before playing your next-to-last card. If you are caught not saying it, you press the launcher twice as a penalty.
