War Card Game Rules: How To Play, 2, 3, 4 Player

If you think Lady Luck has favored you, then there is one game that you must try! Today, we will be talking about ‘War’ – a card game like no other! We shall explain in detail the war card game rules, card rankings, and a number of different variations of this game that you can try. Luck is a key factor in this game, but how you assess every step will also play a major role in deciding outcomes.

Also popularly known as ‘Battle,’ this card game has quickly become a favorite – and for a good reason! War is simple, straightforward, and easy to learn. If you want to pick up a new card game that you just can’t get enough of, then keep reading!

How To Play War Card Game?

The beauty of card games is that they do not require any beforehand preparation. To play most card games (War, for example), all you need is a regular deck of 52 playing cards. Then, you can mutually decide on a dealer who will hand out the deck of cards by distributing them equally between players.

Once the game begins, players are to turn over their cards, and the one with the higher number or face value wins, per war rules card game. They get to take back all their cards along with their opponents. However, this game has some fascinating nuances; without them, War would be just another card game. We will justly explain the aforementioned nuances when we talk about the war card game rules in detail. Read on to find out!

Objective

The objective of the War Card Game is to win. There are two ways to win in this card game. The first is straightforward: The player who collects all the cards of the deck (including their opponent’s) wins the game. The second way to win is if there is an ongoing ‘war’ and the player runs out of cards they can put at stake. Either way, the bottom line is that every player must try to collect all the cards.

War Card Game Rules

In this section of the article, we will discuss the gameplay and war card game rules. While most of it is standard, as mentioned earlier, there are subtleties without which the game wouldn’t be half as fun. Let’s look at the war rules card game and learn how to play the game.

Setup And Dealing

Setting up the War Card Game is easy. All you need is another player, a deck of 52 regular playing cards, a round table, or a flat surface to lay out your cards on. Then, both players can mutually decide and pick a dealer, or a third person can be the dealer; in the case of war card game rules 2 players. Then, the dealer has to distribute all the cards between the two players. Once that is done, both players are ready to play a game of ‘War.’

General War Rules Card Game

Under the general rules of war card game, we have explained the playing guidelines of the game of War along with the specifics of the game. These guidelines and rules are as follows:

• After both players are dealt their share of cards, they decide who goes first. This can be decided mutually or via a coin toss, or a game of rock, paper, and scissors will also suffice. 
• The player who starts the game must flip a card from the top of their pile and place that card face up on the table. Then, the opposing player must do the same.
• According to the war card game rules, the player whose card bears a higher face value wins the turn. They get to pick up all the cards, including their opponents. Then, they add them face-first to a ‘discard pile’ that each player must create on their side of the table. Alternatively, they can turn all these cards face down and put them at the bottom of their pile.
• When both players flip a card with the same face value, it is called a ‘War.’
• In case of a ‘War,’ players must place three cards from their deck face down on top of or next to the face-up cards they had played. Then, they pick one more card from their deck and place this card face up while adhering to the war card game rules 2 players.
• The player whose face-up card bears a higher face value wins the War. In such a situation, the player who wins gets to collect all their cards (face up and face down) and all their opponent’s cards (face up and face down).
• In some cases, after a ‘War’ ensues and the face-down cards have been placed, the new (fourth-drawn) face-up cards for both players might also be the same, leading to ‘War’ again. In such a case, the game continues until one of the players loses all their cards or both players get cards with different face values.
• If you run out of cards, you can play, pick up the face-up discard pile, turn the cards face down, shuffle them, and start using them again while following the war rules card game.

Card Hierarchy (Card Scoring)

The scoring system of cards is something you must remember when playing. While there are differing schools of thought regarding scoring, the gist remains the same. For example, the card hierarchy is usually as follows:

• A (high)
• K
• Q
• J
• 10
• 9
• 8
• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2 (low)

Each player starts with 26 cards but is not allowed to look at their hand unless the card is put face up on the table.

Alternative Card Scoring

There is an alternative playing method that includes the Joker card as well. In such a case, the Joker card becomes the highest card. Then, the card hierarchy is as follows:

• The Joker Card (Included in this version of the game)
• A
• K
• Q
• J
• 10
• 9
• 8
• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2

Variations Of War Card Game

Undoubtedly, ‘War’ is a great game to play with friends. It’s simple, fun, and competitive, but you should adhere to the war card game rules. But what if there was a way to make it even more enjoyable? Well, the War Card Game has several variations that you can try, and in this section, we will explain these variations simply and straightforwardly. 

Multiplayer

If you have more than one other enthusiastic player, then don’t fret! The Multiplayer version of War allows up to 4 players to play this game at one time. In this case, there are specific changes in the playing guidelines and war card game rules, and these are as follows:

• Everything remains the same except for the number of cards each player is given. In a multiplayer game between four players, each player gets 17 cards. 
• In case of a tie between 3-4 players, all players play one card face down and one card face up. The card with the highest face value wins. In the case of another draw, the play continues the same.

Steal War

As explained earlier, Steal War is a version where the Joker card is allowed to be included as a playable card. In this variation of the game, the Joker card is the one that is considered to have the highest face value. There are some other war card game rules in this version of the game, and they are as follows:

• After winning a war, the winning player can collect the cards and create a separate discard pile with the cards facing up. Then, all newly won cards from that point on can be added to the top of that pile. The winner also gets to choose which card will be on top. 
• In this version, players can look at the card they are about to play from the face-down pile. 
• If the value of your played card from the face-down pile matches that of the card of the opponent’s face-up pile, you can steal the entire pile from that player. Then, you must place your card on top of the opponent’s pile, steal it, and place it on top of your own face-up pile. However, the rules of war card game suggest that you cannot change the order or shuffle the cards.
• You can either play a card or use it to steal the opponent’s pile. Sometimes, it is better to play a card if you are close to winning than to steal a small pile from the opponent.
• If you are playing the multiplayer version of the game and your card matches the face value of all or some of your opponent’s face-up piles, you can steal all their piles, per the war card game rules.

Război

Razboi is a Romanian interpretation of the traditional game of ‘War.’ This version can also be quite competitive and thrilling. Here are the variations in terms of rules and general game mechanics:

• If two or more players flip an 8-numbered card, then the number of face-down cards each player needs to place during war becomes 7. The 8th card can be placed face-up.
• In this variation of the game, the highest numerical face value of a card is 10. Hence, nine face-down cards need to be played along with one face-up card. 

Winning

Now that we know the war rules card game let’s see how you can win the game. To win the game, a player must collect all the cards before the other player does. This can be achieved if a player has the most cards with higher face values or wins most of the ‘Wars.’ Alternatively, if a player is all out of cards during a ‘War,’ they lost the war. 

Did You Know?

• Gary Philippy and Hayes Ruberti developed the Steal War version of this game.
• The game’s origins are unknown since it is one of the simplest card games in existence. Therefore, it can be assumed that the game might have been discovered in China during the early 19th century (when playing cards were introduced).
• Although it relies on the most basic card gameplay, ‘War’ is a great card game for kids as it teaches them to tell greater values from less with a fun and casual approach.

FAQs

Conclusion

If you are looking for a card game that is easy to learn and involves minimal set-up, then there is no better game for you than War Card Game. Because the war card game rules are easy to remember, the game is super fun, and you can play it for as long as you like. And now, with the help of our guide and your new deck of cards, you are ready to go to War. This is all for now. Stay with Play With Rules to stay updated with more such game rules.  

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