Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopCard games
Phase 10
MattelKen Johnson1982
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 45
- years
- 8+
In the box
108 cards: 96 numbered, 8 wild cards and 4 Skip cards
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Ken Johnson
- Artwork
- Lüders & Baran
- Publisher
- Mattel
- Mechanics
- MeldingSet Collection
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Complete the ten phases in order: 2 sets of 3, then a set of 3 and a run of 4, and so on. On your turn, draw a card from the draw pile or the discard pile, lay down your current phase in full as soon as you can, then discard one; once your phase is down, you may play cards onto your own and others' laid-down phases. The round ends when a player has emptied their hand, and the first player to complete phase 10 wins.
Checked against the official rules · September 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
10 cards each, Everyone on phase 1, 108 cards
- A 108-card deck: four colours from 1 to 12, twice each, eight Wild cards and four Skip cards.
- Each player is dealt ten cards. One card is turned over to start the discard pile.
- If that first card is a Skip card, the first player misses their first turn; if it is a Wild card, they may take it.
- Everyone starts on phase 1 and attempts the phases in order.
- Phase 1: 2 sets of 3. Phase 2: 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4.
- Phase 3: 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4. Phase 4: 1 run of 7.
- Phase 5: 1 run of 8. Phase 6: 1 run of 9.
- Phase 7: 2 sets of 4. Phase 8: 7 cards of one colour.
- Phase 9: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2. Phase 10: 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3.
How to play
Draw, Lay your phase at once, Discard
- On your turn, draw a card, from the draw pile or the discard pile, then discard one to end your turn.
- A Skip card is never taken from the discard pile.
- As soon as you can complete your current phase, lay it down in front of you, in full and all at once.
- A Skip card makes the targeted player miss their turn: playing it counts as your discard. It cannot be used in any combination, and you cannot target the same player two turns in a row.
- A Wild card replaces any number or any colour, but a combination cannot be made of Wild cards alone. Once played, it cannot be taken back.
- Once your phase is down, you may, on your turn, play cards onto your own and other players' laid-down phases, as long as they fit correctly.
- The round ends as soon as a player has got rid of all their cards. Everyone who laid down their phase moves on to the next one; the others play it again in the next round.
Scoring
1 to 9: 5 points, 10 to 12: 10, Skip 15, Wild: 25
- The player who emptied their hand scores 0 for the round.
- The others count the cards left in hand: 1 to 9 are worth 5 points, 10 to 12 are worth 10, Skip 15, Wild 25. Cards already laid down do not count.
- Points add up from round to round, and the fewer you have, the better.
- The lowest total breaks ties between players who finish phase 10 together.
End of the game
Phase 10 completed, Tiebreak: lowest total
- The first player to complete phase 10, checked at the end of a round, wins.
- If several players complete it in the same round, the lowest total wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players play phase 10 again: the first to empty their hand wins.
House rules and pitfalls
The game does not stop after ten rounds: whoever misses their phase starts it again…
- The game does not stop after ten rounds: whoever misses their phase starts it again, and a full game often takes fifteen.
- A Skip card is best saved for whoever is about to lay down.
- Official ten-round variant: everyone moves on to the next phase each round, completed or not, and the lowest total after ten rounds wins.
- Official short variant: agree before starting on the number of phases to complete, five or seven for example.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family · Play with the game assistant
Variants
Phase order
In order (official)
Everyone starts on phase 1 and moves up one phase on each success. The first to complete phase 10 wins; points only break ties.
Phases in any order (house rule)
Each player announces the phase they are attempting. You still need all ten, but you pick the one your hand allows.
Game length
10 rounds
Official variant: everyone moves up one phase each round, completed or not; after ten rounds, the lowest total wins.
5 phases (short game)
Like the 10-round variant, but you stop after the fifth: about an hour shorter.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What are the ten phases of Phase 10?
2 sets of 3; 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4; 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4; 1 run of 7; 1 run of 8; 1 run of 9; 2 sets of 4; 7 cards of one colour; 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2; 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3.
What happens when you miss your phase?
Count the points of the cards left in your hand, and play the same phase again in the next round while the others move on. That is the real engine of the game: you do not lose points, you lose ground.
Can you lay down part of your phase?
No. The phase is laid down whole, in a single turn. Once it is down, however, you can play cards onto your own combinations and those of the other players.
What is the Skip card for?
It makes the player of your choice miss their turn. It cannot go into any combination and is worth 15 points if it stays in your hand at the end of the round.
Can a Wild card replace any card?
Yes, in a run as well as in a set, but a combination cannot be made up only of Wild cards. In hand, it costs 25 points, the most in the game.
Who wins if two players finish phase 10 in the same round?
The one with the lowest points total. That is the only role of the score in this game: breaking ties. If the tie persists, the tied players play phase 10 again.