Friends Board Games: card game
UNO Friends: Rules for the Friends Card Game
UNO Friends is Mattel's Friends Card Game: a Friends-themed UNO deck in a collectible tin, with show artwork and one extra Wild card. Mattel lists it for 2 to 6 players, ages 7+, and it follows standard UNO rules, so it’s easy to pick up for groups that already know UNO.
- 2022
- 2-6 players
- Ages 7+
- card game
- Mattel
UNO means you have one card left. The One Where You Draw means someone else has a problem.
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If you know UNO, you know most of this game. The steps below explain one hand, and later sections cover the Friends-specific card and the Wild Draw Four challenge. For a Friends game with a board, Friends Monopoly offers a longer evening.
Wild The One Where You Draw lets you name one of the six Friends and pick the next color.
A quick look at one round of UNO Friends
A hand of UNO Friends plays like any UNO hand, with one extra Wild card in the deck.
You can play Wild Draw Four only if no card in your hand matches the discard color.
- Step 1:
Deal 7 cards to each player, then flip one card to start the discard pile.
- Step 2:
On your turn, play a card that matches the top card by color, number or symbol.
- Step 3:
Can't match? Draw one card and play it if it fits.
- Step 4:
Action cards have special effects: Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, Wild, Wild Draw Four and Wild The One Where You Draw.
- Step 5:
Wild The One Where You Draw: Choose a Friend, and the next player draws until a card showing that Friend appears. You also choose the color.
- Step 6:
Say UNO when you have one card left. If another player calls it first, you draw 2.
- 7Step 7:
Play your last card to win the hand. For optional scoring, the first player to reach 500 points wins.
Mattel's instruction sheet covers standard UNO rules and adds one Special Rule card. That’s the only change to play, so the rules section below focuses on it. Everything else is familiar UNO. Looking for a longer game afterward? Friends Clue is a good next step.
UNO Friends: How to play, with full rules
Setup
Pick a dealer and shuffle the cards.
Deal 7 cards to each player.
Put the remaining cards face down in the center to make the draw pile.
Turn the top draw-pile card face up to start the discard pile. If it’s an action card, ignore its effect and flip the next card.
The player to the dealer's left starts, and play moves clockwise.
Turn by turn
Play a card or draw
On your turn, play a card that matches the top discard by color, number or symbol. If you have no match, draw one card from the pile and play it if you can. You can also choose to draw even if you have a playable card.
Call UNO
As soon as you have one card left, yell UNO. If another player catches you before the next player takes a turn, draw 2 cards.
Refill the pile
If you run out of cards in the draw pile, reshuffle the discard pile to make a new one.
End of the game and scoring
Play your last card to win the hand. With optional scoring, you earn points for the cards left in opponents' hands: number cards count at face value, Skip, Reverse and Draw Two count 20 each, and any Wild counts 50, including Wild The One Where You Draw. Keep a running total across hands. The first player to reach 500 points wins.
Key rules
Wild The One Where You Draw
When you play this card, name Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Phoebe or Rachel. The next player in turn order draws from the pile until they get a card with that Friend. Since it’s also a Wild, choose the color to continue play.
Skip, Reverse, Draw Two
Skip makes the next player miss a turn. Reverse changes the direction of play. Draw Two makes the next player draw 2 cards and miss a turn.
Wild
A Wild matches any card. Choose the color to continue play.
Wild Draw Four
You can play this only if no card in your hand matches the discard pile’s color. The next player can draw 4 and lose a turn, or challenge you. If you have a matching color, you draw 4. If you don’t, the challenger draws 6.
Tips for your first game
- Save Wild cards for turns when you can’t match; they work with anything.
- Remember, Wild cards count as a match if someone challenges your Wild Draw Four.
- Call UNO as soon as you have one card left. A quick opponent can make you draw 2.
- Before the first deal, agree whether to use optional 500-point scoring.
Call UNO before the next player’s turn, or draw 2 cards.
UNO Friends is a licensed deck, not a new game. Its special card takes a cue from the show’s episode titles, like The One Where or The One with. Most players already know the base rules, so it’s easy to bring to a party. See Friends board games for the rest of the lineup.
The game and the sitcom
In the optional 500-point game, each Wild scores 50, including The One Where You Draw.
The game
Design and release
Mattel publishes UNO Friends as item HRF43 in a collectible tin. Its deck takes inspiration from the Friends television show. The instruction sheet has a 2022 Mattel copyright line and a Warner Bros. Entertainment notice.
The base game
Wikipedia credits UNO to Merle Robbins, who developed it in 1971 in Reading, Ohio. Mattel has published the game since 1992, after acquiring the original publisher, International Games.
The film or series it covers
All of Friends, ten seasons and 236 episodes on NBC from 1994 to 2004, represented through character artwork.
Mattel says the deck is inspired by the series and features favorite characters. The Special Rule card’s name follows the show’s episode-title style. Wikipedia says the titles began with The One after producers realized they wouldn’t appear in the opening credits.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
Artwork featuring the six Friends: Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Phoebe and Rachel
- 2
Wild The One Where You Draw, a rule card named in the style of the episode titles
What’s in the box
- 112 cards, including 1 Special Rule card (Wild The One Where You Draw)
- Collectible storage tin
- Instruction sheet
Editions and versions
UNO Friends Card Game in Collectible Tin (HRF43) 2022
The edition covered here. The year is the copyright date on Mattel's instruction sheet.
UNO Friends: Your questions answered
How is UNO Friends different from regular UNO?
Just one card. The deck adds Wild The One Where You Draw and features Friends artwork. Draw, Skip, Reverse, Wild, and Wild Draw Four work as they do in standard UNO.
What does Wild The One Where You Draw do?
Name one of the six Friends, and the next player draws from the pile until they get a card showing that Friend. Since the card is also a Wild, you choose the color.
How many cards come in UNO Friends?
It comes in a collectible tin with 112 cards, including the Special Rule card.
How many people can play UNO Friends?
Mattel’s product page lists 2 to 6 players, ages 7+. The instruction sheet cover shows 2 to 10 players.
How do you win UNO Friends?
Play your last card first to win. With the optional scoring method, collect points from opponents’ cards and reach 500 points over several hands.
Are there other Friends card games?
Yes. Friends Wicked Wango Quiz is a trivia game played with card decks, while Friends Trivial Pursuit is a boardless quiz with question cards. Both have their own pages on this site.
Wild The One Where You Draw lets you name one of the six Friends and pick the next color.
You can play Wild Draw Four only if no card in your hand matches the discard color.
Sources
- Mattel: UNO Friends Card Game in Collectible Tin (HRF43) shop.mattel.com
- Mattel instruction sheet HRF43 (PDF) service.mattel.com
- Wikipedia: Uno (card game) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Friends en.wikipedia.org