- Set-up
- Under a minute
- Reading
- None
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Families and cousins who know classic UNO by heart and want more table talk
Think twice if Someone at your table hates being called a liar, or gets upset when caught out
How we rate it
Learning curve. Classic UNO plus one big idea (face-down claims and challenges), the 7 and 0 hand swaps and one new Wild. Anyone who knows UNO picks it up in a hand.
Luck & skill. The draw still decides a lot, but choosing when to lie, and when to call a lie, gives you more say than in classic UNO.
Interaction. Every face-down card invites a challenge, hands get swapped on 7s and 0s, and the Wild Liar's Challenge puts the whole table on the spot.
Set-up. Shuffle, deal seven cards to each player and turn over the first card of the discard pile.
Reading. Play is by colours, numbers and symbols, and claims are spoken in any language. Only the rule sheet has text.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Liar's UNO right for you?
Great if
- Families and cousins who know classic UNO by heart and want more table talk
- Groups who enjoy bluffing and reading faces, as in Coup or Skull
- Quick, noisy hands at Diwali get-togethers or on holidays; the pack is small enough to carry
- Colour-blind players: Mattel prints colour symbols on every card
Skip it if
- Someone at your table hates being called a liar, or gets upset when caught out
- You want a calm game for young children: accusing and bluffing can lead to arguments
- You want a game where the luck of the draw matters little
How Liar's UNO plays
Set-up is the same as classic UNO. Shuffle the 112 cards, deal seven to each player and turn over the top card of the draw pile to start the discard pile; if it's an action card, turn over another.
- Time to teach: about 10 minutes (less if everyone knows UNO).
- Reading and language: The cards use colours, numbers and symbols. You say your face-down card out loud, but you can do that in Hindi, English or any language at the table. Only Mattel's rule sheet has text.
How to play Liar's Uno · Triple S Games
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Match
Play a card that matches the top card by colour, number or symbol. Regular Cards always go face up.
- 2Bluff
Liar's Cards always go face down while you say what they are. If yours doesn't match, claim one that would.
- 3Challenge
Anyone may call your bluff before the next turn. A caught liar takes the card back and draws one; a wrong accuser draws one.
- 4Win
Get rid of your last card without being caught, and call 'UNO' when you're down to one.
The full explanation: how a game of Liar's UNO goes
The twist is in the deck. Each number comes in two kinds: a Regular Card, which you always play face up as in normal UNO, and a Liar's Card, which you always play face down while saying out loud what it is. Every action card except the Wild Liar's Challenge (so Skip, Reverse, Draw Two and Wild Draw 4) is a Liar's Card too. If your Liar's Card matches the top card, you are telling the truth. If it doesn't, you can still play it, as long as you claim a card that would match: on a red 3, that means any red card, any 3 or a Wild Draw 4.
Before the next player starts their turn, anyone may challenge you, and the card is turned over. If you lied, you take it back and draw one card; if you told the truth, the challenger draws one. If nobody challenges, your claim stands, and a claimed action card takes effect even if it was a lie. Mattel's sheet adds two hand-swapping rules that classic UNO doesn't have: a 7 makes you swap hands with a player of your choice, and a 0 makes everyone pass their hand along. Trying to pass off a Regular Card face down is not allowed: get caught and you take it back and draw six.
The Wild Liar's Challenge is the only action card played face up. You name a colour, and everyone else puts a card face down and says it is that colour, lying if they have to. You then challenge players one at a time. Each one caught lying takes the card back and draws one; as soon as you uncover someone who told the truth, they and everyone you haven't challenged yet get rid of their cards.
You win by playing your last card without being caught (call 'UNO' when you're down to one, or draw two if someone beats you to it); if your last card is challenged and turns out to be a lie, you take it back, draw one, and play goes on. Mattel's optional scoring plays to 500 points. Tip: watch who never challenges, because they are the easiest players to bluff, and remember that a wrong accusation costs you a card.
What's in the box
- 112Cards
number cards 0 to 9 in four colours, each number in a Regular and a Liar's version, plus Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, Wild Draw 4 and Wild Liar's Challenge cards - 1Instruction sheet
Mattel's fold-out sheet; the version online has English, Spanish, French and Portuguese
Mattel lists 112 cards for item JLH43, and its rule sheet names every card type but gives no count for each. Mattel's product graphics say half the number cards are Regular Cards and half are Liar's Cards, and that most action cards are Liar's Cards. Unlike classic UNO, the sheet lists no plain Wild and no blank customisable Wilds; the two Wilds are Wild Draw 4 and Wild Liar's Challenge.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Liar's UNO came out in 2025, and few written reviews exist yet. The one we read, a July 2026 review on a UK board game blog, calls it an effective twist that 'generally speeds things up whilst remaining as ruthless as ever' and recommends it to UNO fans. The speed comes from the Liar's Cards: you can get rid of a card that doesn't match, as long as nobody calls your bluff. We found no reviews from India and no forum discussion yet, so how well the bluffing goes down with young children is untested.
What people love
- Bluffing gives UNO a new layer: you can get rid of a card that doesn't match if nobody calls you out
- Hands move faster than in classic UNO, according to the review we read
- The Wild Liar's Challenge puts every player on the spot at once
- Colour-blind symbols on every card
Common complaints
- A wrong accusation costs a card, so cautious players may stop challenging and let bluffs through
- Children who don't like being called liars, or who can't keep a straight face, may get upset
- Still UNO underneath: the luck of the draw decides a lot
Based on 4 reviews and discussions
- Review Liar's UNO review (Sam de Smith, July 2026) · Zatu blog
- Reference Liar's UNO instruction sheet (Mattel, 2025) · Mattel
- Reference Liar's UNO Card Game, item JLH43 (Mattel, read October 2026) · Mattel Shop
- Reference Liar's UNO Card Game (store description, read October 2026) · Toycra
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game UNO with face-down cards, bold claims and calling out liars | A different fit Classic UNO rules in a cricket-themed deck made for India | A different fit The classic deck: every card face up, no bluffing and no challenges | A different fit Mattel's double-sided UNO twist, with a harsher Dark Side but no bluffing |
| Players | 2–6 | 2–10 | 2–10 | 2–10 |
| Best with | 4-6 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 4-6 |
| Play time | 15–30 min | 15–30 min | 10–30 min | 10–30 min |
| Age | 7+ | 7+ | 7+ | 7+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Imported | Available | Imported | Imported |
| On this page | Explore UNO Cricket | Explore UNO | Explore UNO Flip! |
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Questions people ask about Liar's UNO
What is the difference between UNO and Liar's UNO?
In classic UNO every card is played face up. In Liar's UNO, half the number cards and almost all the action cards are Liar's Cards, which you play face down while saying what they are, true or not. Anyone can challenge: a caught liar draws one card and a wrong accuser draws one. Liar's UNO also adds 7s that swap hands, 0s that pass hands round the table and a Wild Liar's Challenge card.
How many players can play Liar's UNO, and what age is it for?
Mattel's rule sheet and box say 2 to 6 players, and Mattel rates it for ages 7 and up. Bluffing works best with three or more, because there are more people to fool and more people who might challenge.
What happens if you challenge someone in Liar's UNO and they were telling the truth?
The face-down card is turned over. If it was what they said, you, the challenger, draw one card. If they lied, they take the card back and draw one. If nobody challenges before the next player starts, the claim stands, even for an action card.
Can I play Liar's UNO with my normal UNO cards?
No. Liar's UNO needs its own deck, where each number comes as a Regular Card and a Liar's Card and there's a Wild Liar's Challenge card. Classic UNO cards are all meant to be played face up.
Is Liar's UNO made in India?
We couldn't confirm it. The Amazon.in listing names an Indian card printer as maker and Mattel's Indian company as importer, but the back of Mattel's international pack, in Mattel's own photo, says Made in China, and we haven't seen the back of a pack sold in India. Check the label on the pack if it matters to you.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Mattel (Mattel Games)
- In India
- Mattel Toys (I) Pvt. Ltd. (named as importer on the Amazon.in listing)
- First published
- 2025
- Players
- 2–6
- Barcode
- 194735364275
- Language
- No reading – The cards use colours, numbers and symbols. You say your face-down card out loud, but you can do that in Hindi, English or any language at the table. Only Mattel's rule sheet has text.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.