UNO Triple Play Instructions (with Stealth Mode Rules)

Download Article

Learn the new cards and game modes for a fun family game night

Co-authored by Hunter Rising Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: July 18, 2024 Fact Checked

Download Article

Setup

|

Regular Gameplay

|

Action Card Meanings

|

Scoring and Winning

|

Game Mode Variations

|

Video

|

Tips

If you’re looking for a new twist on the classic card game, UNO Triple Play is the perfect game for you. Most of the rules are the same as the original, but there's a battery-operated game unit with 3 discard piles—and you may have to draw extra cards if they get too full. There are some new action cards and ways to play the game, too, so keep reading for how to set up and start playing UNO Triple Play in minutes.

UNO Triple Play Overview

Play a card from your hand that matches the number or color of one of the lit-up discard piles. If a pile overloads and plays a laughing sound effect, draw more cards into your hand. Be the first to play all the cards in your hand to score points and win the round.

Section 1 of 5:

Setting Up UNO Triple Play

Download Article

1
Turn the game’s switch to “ON.” When you first get UNO Triple Play, unscrew the cover on the bottom of the game unit, and install 3 AA batteries. Turn the switch to the “ON” position, which will have an “I” symbol next to it. After that, turn the game right-side up and put it in the middle of the table.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If your game’s switch is set to S/X, then it’s in Demo Mode and won’t work properly for a full game.
2
Shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player. Choose a player at random to be the first dealer. They shuffle the cards and deal them out to all the players. Set the leftover cards in a face-down deck right next to the game unit.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- You can play UNO Triple Play with 2–6 people that are 7 or older.
- Everybody can look at their own hand, but keep the cards a secret from the other players.
Advertisement
Flip over the top card of the deck and place it in one of the 3 discard pile spaces on the game. If the card doesn’t have a number printed on it, set it aside and draw the next card. Continue until you have one number card in each of the 3 discard spaces, then shuffle the other cards back into the deck.^{[3]
X
Research source}
4
Press the yellow Go button twice to start your game. Look for the triangular yellow button on the side of the game unit. Press the button once and wait for the lights in the middle to turn blue. After that, press the button again to change the lights to green and begin playing.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- If you accidentally leave the game sit for 2 minutes, it will turn off. Just press the button once to pick up right where you left off.

Section 2 of 5:

Regular Gameplay

Download Article

1
Play a card matching the color or number of a lit-up discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, and play continues clockwise around the table. During a turn, the sides of the discard piles light up white to show which ones are available to play on. A player can play any 1 card from their hand that has the same number, color, or symbol as the top card.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- You may only play 1 card on your turn to a single discard pile.
- The discard piles that are lit up change after every turn, so you never know which ones will be available when you play.
2
Take a card from the deck if you aren’t able to play. If you don't have any legal moves, take the top card of the deck and add it to your hand. If you're able to play the card you just drew, you may place it onto a discard pile.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- You may also choose to draw a card even if you have a legal play. Normally, you'll want to get rid of cards in your hand, but you may want to save more powerful actions for later.
3
Press down on the discard pile until it beeps. When someone plays onto a discard pile, press that pile down firmly to activate the card counter. Even when a player draws from the deck, they still have to choose one of the lit-up discard piles to press on.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- The card counter changes the light colors at the top of each discard pile, marking how safe each pile is. The light starts off green, but it changes to yellow and then to red as more cards are added and it gets more dangerous.
4
Draw the number of cards displayed if you overload a discard pile. If a player presses down on a discard pile and it plays a laughing sound effect, then the pile has become overloaded. Check the display in the middle of the game to see how many cards that player draws into their hand. Press the Go button to resume the game.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Overloading may make you draw anywhere between 1-4 cards.
- Once there are about 20 cards in a discard pile, remove them and only place the top card back in the space. This helps prevent the card counter from accidentally triggering and causing an overload.
5
Say “UNO” as soon as you have 1 card left in your hand. When a player has only 1 card left in their hand, they’re close to winning the game. If a player forgets to say “UNO” and another player catches them, they must immediately draw 2 cards.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Strategy Tip: Keep an eye on other players to see how many cards they have. If you can catch them before they say UNO, it’ll take them longer to win.
6
End the round when someone plays all of their cards. As soon as someone plays their last card, they must press the discard pile down and check if it overloads. If the pile doesn’t overload, then that player wins the round!^{[10]
X
Research source}
- If the discard pile overloads, then the player must draw the number of cards listed on the display.

Section 3 of 5:

UNO Triple Play Cards

Download Article

As soon as a player puts a Reverse card on a discard pile, the direction of play changes from clockwise to counter-clockwise, or vice versa.^{[11]
X
Research source}
When someone plays a Skip card, the next player loses their turn.^{[12]
X
Research source}
3
Discard Two of the Same Color You may play an extra card of the same color onto the same discard pile as this card. Place the Discard Two of the Same Color on the bottom and take the action on the top card if it has one.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- You may also play the Discard Two of the Same Color by itself.
Play a Wild card onto any lit-up discard pile, regardless of the top card’s color. Unlike a regular UNO game, the person who played the card doesn’t pick the color. Instead, whoever plays the next card on that discard pile chooses the color that must be played there.^{[14]
X
Research source}
5
Wild Clear When you play this card, press and hold the discard pile down for 2 seconds to reset the card counter. The light will turn green so it’s less likely to overload. The next player who puts a card on the same discard pile chooses the color.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Strategy Tip: Wait until a discard pile has a yellow or red light to play this card for a good defensive play.
6
Wild Give Away If you play the Wild Give Away card and it causes the discard pile to overload, draw the cards listed on the display and distribute them however you want between the players. The next person to play a card onto the discard pile selects the color.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- If the discard pile doesn’t overload, then the card is treated like a normal Wild.
Once you play this card, all other players take turns pressing a lit discard pile until one of them overloads. Whoever pressed the button that caused the overload draws the number of cards displayed and puts them in their hand.^{[17]
X
Research source}

Section 4 of 5:

Scoring and Winning

Download Article

1
The winner scores points for the cards left in other players’ hands. When someone plays their last card, they win and end the round. Every other player reveals the cards left in their hand and tallies up the points. The player who went out for the round gains all the points. The card point values are:^{[18]
X
Research source}
- 0-9: face value
- Reverse: 20 points
- Skip: 20 points
- Discard 2: 30 points
- Wild: 50 points
- Wild Clear: 50 points
- Wild Give Away: 50 points
- Wild All Tap: 50 points
Shuffle all the cards and deal out new hands. Press the Go button until the lights flash blue and then green to reset the game for the next round. Once a round ends and a player has a total of 500 or more points, they win!^{[19]
X
Research source}

Section 5 of 5:

UNO Triple Play Game Modes

Download Article

Instead of giving points to the winner of the round, keep track of each player’s totals. When a person reaches 500 points, they’re eliminated from the game. Whoever is the last player standing wins the game!^{[20]
X
Research source}
Turn the game off and move the second switch on the bottom to the side with the timer symbol. The game plays exactly the same, but each player only has 7 seconds to take their turn. If they take too long, a buzzer goes off and they must draw 6 cards from the deck.^{[21]
X
Research source}
In UNO Triple Play Stealth Mode, move the switch to the “STEALTH” position. During the game, the lights at the tops of the discard piles stay blue so you don’t know how close they are to overloading. This can make the game more risky because you may have to draw cards when you least expect it.^{[22]
X
Research source}

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

If you need to adjust the volume of the game, hold the Go button for 3 seconds until a number appears on the display. Press the button to change the volume and let it go for 2 seconds to save the setting.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
When you finish, store your UNO cards in the compartments on the bottom of the game so they’re easy to access next time you play!

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0