How To Play of the Ruthless Game UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy

How to Play UNO Show ’Em No Mercy

I’ve always loved discovering new twists on family favorites, and UNO: Show ’Em No Mercy has quickly become one of our go-to two player games for rainy afternoons and family nights. It keeps everything you already know and love about UNO but adds bigger surprises, higher stakes, and more laughter .And as the name suggest, it can be ruthless, but my son loves this version.

How to Set Up

Before you start, give the deck a good shuffle. In my house, we actually the “smoosh” technique: we spread all the cards face down on the table and swirl them around with our hands. This is especially helpful if more than two people are playing and you’ve used a “discard all” card — it mixes things up far better than a standard shuffle.

Once shuffled, deal 7 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in the center to form a draw pile, and flip the top card to start the discard pile. If that first card is an action card — like a +2, skip, or reverse — play it immediately before the first turn begins. This quick step adds a spark of excitement right from the start of your UNO Show ’Em No Mercy game night.

Game Mechanics

UNO Show ’Em No Mercy follows the classic UNO rules but spices things up with brand-new Action Cards and Wild Action Cards. Here’s how it flows:

Draw Two Cards: When this card lands, the next player must draw two cards. This can create a domino effect that keeps the tension high.

Skip Card: The next player loses their turn, so you can seize the advantage.

Discard All Card: Got a handful of the same color? Toss them all at once under the discard pile. This move can clear your hand and shock your opponents.

Draw Four Card (+4): When played, the next player draws four cards and misses their turn. This one’s a game changer, especially in competitive family or two player games.

Reverse Card: Change the direction of play instantly. With only two players, it simply bounces back to you, letting you control the flow.

Skip Everyone Card: True to its name, it skips all players, and you immediately take another turn. This card is a Show ’Em No Mercy exclusive — it’s as bold as it sounds.

Wild Action Cards: (Have a black background)

        Wild Reverse Draw 4 Card: The direction of play moves to the opposite way, and that person who is next to play draws 4 cards and misses their turn. But be warned when playing with 2 players; this means you have to pick up 4 cards, unless you can apply the stacking rule. 

Wild Draw 6 Card: You get to choose the colour to be played, while the next player picks up 6 cards and loses their turn. 

Wild Colour Roulette Card: The next player picks a colour and then continues to draw from the draw pile until they can play a card of their chosen colour.  Wild cards do not count. 

Wild Draw 10 Card: Eeekk, the following player must pick up 10 cards and hope they don’t go bust (over 25 cards in their hand).  Being a Wild card, you get to chose the colour of play. 

Phew, now if that wasn’t enough, there are a couple more rules to know about.

7’s Swap Card: I love this one. My son is very good at UNO, so I always end up with a stack of cards in my hand, and now I can swap. You can choose any player to swap with. 

0’s Pass Card: All players pass their hand of cards to the next person. 

Stacking: You are allowed to stack +2 or higher on top of a +2.  The + card must have a higher value than the one placed. This can continue around the players until someone can no longer add a + card. This gets dangerous, though, with 2 people. My son has managed to wipe me out with +26 in one go. 

Mercy: As mentioned, if you get more than 25 cards in your hand, you are out of the game. 

How to Play UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy

On your turn, you must match the card on the discard pile by color or number. If you can’t play a matching card, you must continue drawing cards until you can play one. 

Do you have to call UNO?

When you’re down to your last card, you must call “UNO.” If another player catches you not saying “UNO” before your next turn begins, you must draw two penalty cards.

If you are like me and don’t win often, you may like to take your chances at scoring for an opportunity to win. 

How to Score in UNO Show ‘Em NO Mercy

This is an optional part of the game. 

When a player wins, they can receive points based on the cards their opponent is holding.

• Number cards (0–9) are worth their face value.
• Action cards like Skip, Reverse, and +2 are worth 20 points each.
• Any Wild and Wild Draw Four cards (black background cards) are worth 50 points each.
• Bonus for knocking a player out of the game: 250 points for each player knocked out of the game (do not include the cards in their hands).

Play continues until a player collects 1000 points, at which point they become the winner.