How to Play UNO Attack
UNO Attack (sold as UNO Extreme in some regions) keeps standard UNO matching but replaces “draw a card” with a motorized launcher. When you can’t play, you press the button — and the machine decides whether you walk away clean or get blasted with a fistful of cards.
That randomness is the whole point: a single unlucky press can undo a winning hand.
Last reviewed 2026-07-27
What's in the box
- The electronic UNO Attack card launcher (battery powered)
- 112 cards, including number cards in four colors
- Classic action cards: Skip, Reverse, Wild
- Special cards: Hit 2 and Wild Hit
Setup
- Load the shuffled deck into the launcher as shown in its instructions and switch it on.
- Deal 7 cards to each player by hand.
- Flip one card to start the discard pile.
- The player to the dealer’s left goes first; matching rules are the same as classic UNO.
How to play — the rules
The launcher replaces drawing
You never draw from a pile by hand. Whenever you cannot (or choose not to) play a matching card, you press the launcher button once. The machine either does nothing — and your turn simply ends — or it fires out a random burst of cards that you must take into your hand.
This means a turn where you can’t play might cost you nothing or half a dozen cards. There is no way to know until you press.
Special cards
- Hit 2 — the next player must press the launcher twice (and keep whatever comes out both times) instead of playing.
- Wild Hit — you choose the next color, and the next player must press the launcher until it actually shoots cards out at least once.
- Skip and Reverse — identical to classic UNO.
A turn, step by step
- Try to play a card that matches the top discard by color, number, or symbol.
- If you have no play, press the launcher button once and take any cards it fires.
- Apply Hit 2 or Wild Hit effects to the next player when you play those cards.
- Say “UNO” when you are down to your last card.
How to win
You win by being the first to play every card in your hand — the same goal as classic UNO. Because the launcher can dump a pile of cards on you at any moment, protecting a small hand is much harder than in the standard game.
Most groups play single rounds rather than scoring to 500, since the launcher makes hand sizes swing wildly.
Strategy tips
- Play it safe near the end. With one or two cards left, avoid any move that forces you to press the launcher — one bad burst can bury you.
- Weaponize Hit 2 and Wild Hit against whoever is closest to winning; forcing multiple presses is far nastier than a fixed Draw Two.
- Dump numbers before Wilds, exactly as in classic UNO, so you always keep a legal play in reserve.
- Keep the launcher on a stable surface — a jam mid-game restarts the tension for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards does the UNO Attack launcher shoot?
It is deliberately random. Each press either releases no cards or a small unpredictable burst, so you can never plan around a fixed number the way you can with a normal Draw Two.
What does the Hit 2 card do?
It replaces the classic Draw Two. The next player must press the launcher twice and keep every card that comes out, then loses their turn.
Do you still call UNO in UNO Attack?
Yes. The one-card rule and the penalty for not calling “UNO” work exactly as in the classic game.
Can you play UNO Attack without the launcher?
You can fall back on classic draw-pile rules if the machine fails, but the launcher is the entire hook of this edition — the special Hit cards assume it is in play.
House-rule ideas
- Sudden death: any press that fires cards ends that player’s hopes of winning the current round — pure luck mode.
- Double Hit: treat every Hit 2 as “press until it fires,” matching the Wild Hit for maximum chaos.
Buy UNO Attack
UNO Attack Card Game (with launcher)
The full set including the motorized card launcher that makes the game.
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