Skyjo

About this board game

Skyjo is a card game for 2–8 players that takes about 45 minutes to play, with each player managing a 3×4 display of cards and aiming for the lowest score.

At the start, every player has 12 hidden cards, with two cards turned face up. On your turn, take the top card from either the discard pile or the draw pile, then exchange one card—hidden or open—from your display.

Each round ends when one player has only open cards. All players then receive the same number of turns, after which every remaining card is revealed. Add the numbers on your cards to calculate the round’s score.

• Players: 2–8
• Play time: approximately 45 minutes
• Cards range from −2 to 12
• Release year: 2015

Skyjo includes a special way to reduce your score: whenever one column of three cards has the same value, that entire column is discarded and is no longer scored. Watching for matching values can make the arrangement of your display especially important as cards are revealed and exchanged.

The game continues across rounds until one player reaches 100 or more points. Once that happens, the player with the lowest total wins. With hidden information, open cards, and changing opportunities from the discard and draw piles, every exchange contributes to the final result.