Card games like SKYJO: 6 picks for families who already love it
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SKYJO is the most-reviewed game we track, with 76,155 Amazon ratings at 4.8★, and families who play it tend to ask the same question a few weeks later: what should we play next? This guide answers that one question. Every pick below shares at least one of the things that make SKYJO work: hidden cards you uncover as you go, the lowest score wins, simple adding up, or a press-your-luck moment. For a broader list of family games, see our family game night guide. Ratings and ranks are from our latest catalog check, in October 2026.
The quick answer
- Closest to SKYJO: Play Nine, the card game of golf. A grid of face-down cards, lowest score wins, 4.9★ with 21,819 ratings.
- For the “one more card” feeling: Flip 7, a press-your-luck number game, 4.9★ with 5,449 ratings and #3 in Dedicated Deck Card Games.
- For adults who want a longer game: Five Crowns, a rummy game where the lowest score wins, 4.9★ with 34,429 ratings.
- For kids who like the adding up: Sleeping Queens, 4.9★ with 9,458 ratings.
- Free if you own a deck: classic Golf, the old card game SKYJO borrows from, played with any standard deck such as Bicycle.
What makes SKYJO fun
Each player lays out a grid of twelve face-down cards and turns over two. On your turn you take a card from the draw pile or the discard pile and either swap it into your grid or throw it away and flip one of your hidden cards. Cards run from -2 to 12, and a column of three matching cards is cleared from the grid. When one player has turned over every card, the round ends, and the game ends once someone reaches 100 points. The lowest total wins.
That simple loop gives SKYJO four qualities, and they are what to look for in the next game:
- Hidden information. You do not know what is under your own cards, so every flip is a small surprise.
- Low score wins. A bad round is not the end of the game, which keeps younger players in it.
- Easy maths. Adding numbers up to about 100 is the only skill needed, which the listing points out as a learning benefit.
- Short turns. Nobody waits long, and the 2 to 8 player range means the whole family fits at one table.
SKYJO itself: 150 cards, 2 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, about 30 minutes. #5 in Dedicated Deck Card Games. If you do not own it yet, start here. See its full ToyScout page.
Games like SKYJO compared
| Game | What it shares with SKYJO | Players | Age on the box | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SKYJO | The original: hidden grid, lowest score | 2–8 | 8+ | 4.8★ (76,155) |
| Play Nine | Hidden grid, swap cards, lowest score | See listing | 8+ | 4.9★ (21,819) |
| Flip 7 | Number cards, push your luck, simple adding | 3+ | 8+ | 4.9★ (5,449) |
| Five Crowns | Lowest score wins over many rounds | 1–7 | 8+ | 4.9★ (34,429) |
| Sleeping Queens | Short turns, simple maths | 2–5 | 8+ | 4.9★ (9,458) |
| Phase 10 | Draw-and-discard turns, mixed ages | 2–6 | 7+ | 4.8★ (19,980) |
| Classic Golf (any deck) | Hidden grid, pairs cancel, lowest score | Depends on the rules you use | No box age | Bicycle deck 4.8★ (1,354) |
Closest match: Play Nine, the card game of golf
1. Play Nine. If your family likes SKYJO for its grid of hidden cards, this is the one to buy next. Each player is dealt eight cards, and on your turn you draw, discard or swap to bring your total down. As in golf, a game is nine “holes” and the lowest score wins. The listing gives ages 8 and up and about 15 minutes of play, and several buyer reviews call it a good game for two, which is where SKYJO is weaker. Rated 4.9★ across 21,819 ratings. See its full ToyScout page.
2. Classic Golf with a standard deck. SKYJO and Play Nine both build on Golf, a traditional card game that needs only an ordinary deck. In a common version each player lays out cards face down in two rows, flips a couple, and swaps cards from the draw or discard pile to lower the total; a matching pair in a column cancels out. House rules vary, so agree on them before the first hand. A two-deck pack such as the Bicycle Standard (red and blue) lets a bigger group play, and it is #1 in Standard Playing Card Decks, 4.8★ with 1,354 ratings. See its ToyScout page.
For the press-your-luck feeling: Flip 7
3. Flip 7. In SKYJO the tense moment is deciding whether to flip a hidden card. Flip 7 is built entirely around that moment. You turn cards over one at a time and add up their numbers, but if the same number comes up twice you bust and score nothing that round. The deck is uneven on purpose: one 1, two 2s, and so on up to twelve 12s, so high cards are both tempting and dangerous. Action cards such as Freeze, Flip Three and Second Chance change the round, and the first player to 200 points wins. For 3 or more players, ages 8 and up, about 20 minutes. It ranks #27 in all of Toys & Games and #3 in Dedicated Deck Card Games, at 4.9★ with 5,449 ratings. It is newer than the other games here, so it has fewer ratings. See its full ToyScout page.
For a longer game night: Five Crowns and Phase 10
4. Five Crowns. A rummy game with five suits (the fifth is stars) and a wild card that changes every round. Hands start at three cards and grow to thirteen, and the cards left in your hand count against you, so, as in SKYJO, the lowest score at the end wins. It plays longer than SKYJO: one reviewer puts a full game at 45 minutes to an hour. Rated 4.9★ with 34,429 ratings. There is also a collectible tin edition (1 to 7 players, ages 8 and up, 4.8★) with its own score card. See its full ToyScout page.
5. Phase 10. Draw a card, discard a card, and try to complete ten phases of sets, runs or same-colour cards in order. Players who miss a phase repeat it, so a fast player and a slow one stay in the same game for a long time. It is less of a number game than SKYJO, but the turn rhythm will feel familiar. The deck is colour-blind accessible, and it comes in a storage tin. For 2 to 6 players, ages 7 and up. Rated 4.8★ with 19,980 ratings. See its full ToyScout page.
For kids who like the maths: Sleeping Queens
6. Sleeping Queens. Twelve queens are asleep in the middle of the table, and players use kings, knights, jesters, dragons and potions to wake them and steal them. To draw extra cards you play simple addition equations from your hand, so it practises the same adding that SKYJO does, with a story on top. It has 79 illustrated cards, takes 2 to 5 players, and the listing gives 15 to 20 minutes and ages 8 and up. Rated 4.9★ with 9,458 ratings. See its full ToyScout page.
Which game for which age
- Age 7: almost every game on this list says 8 and up on the box, SKYJO included. For a seven-year-old, Phase 10 is 7+, and so is UNO. Some buyers say in their reviews that they play Flip 7 or Sleeping Queens with younger children, but go by the box if you are unsure.
- Ages 8 to 10: Flip 7 and Sleeping Queens are the easiest to teach. Play Nine is next, since it plays almost like SKYJO.
- Ages 10 and up, teens and adults: Five Crowns for a longer evening, Play Nine for two players, and classic Golf when you only have a deck of cards with you.
What to skip
Speed and slap games, if your family liked SKYJO’s calm pace. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a great game, but it is about reflexes and noise, not quiet planning. Collectible card games such as Pokémon or Magic: The Gathering also sit on the same Amazon charts, but they are a hobby with packs and deck-building, not a family game you can learn in five minutes. Unofficial “like SKYJO” clones with a handful of reviews: the games above have thousands or tens of thousands of ratings. And a second SKYJO for a bigger group is rarely needed, since one box already seats eight.
Frequently asked questions
What card game is most like SKYJO?
Play Nine. Both games use a grid of face-down cards that you swap to lower your score, and the lowest score wins. Classic Golf, played with a normal deck, works the same way.
Is Flip 7 like SKYJO?
Partly. Both are number-card games with simple adding and a moment of risk on every flip, but in Flip 7 you want a high total and you bust on a duplicate number, while in SKYJO you want the lowest score.
What age is SKYJO for?
The box says 8 and up, for 2 to 8 players, with games of about 30 minutes. Most of the alternatives here are 8+ as well; Phase 10 is 7+.
What is a good SKYJO alternative for two players?
Play Nine, which several buyer reviews call a favourite for couples, or Five Crowns, which plays from one to seven.
The bottom line
If your family loves SKYJO, buy Play Nine next: it is the closest match and rated 4.9★. Add Flip 7 for a faster, riskier game, Five Crowns for longer adult evenings, and Sleeping Queens for younger players who like numbers. Check the price on Amazon before you buy, since it changes often. For more ideas, see our full Games page.