Shuffle and deal.
Shuffle the 72-card deck. Deal face down: 36 cards each for two players, 24 each for three, or 18 each for four. For solo play, make two piles of 36.
Fiction / Interactive card preview
WAR: The Card Game™
See the illustrated battle cards, try the race to 25 battle wins, and read the current rules preview.
How the game works
Flip. Compare. Continue.
A historical reimagining of the familiar card game. Everyone reveals a card at once; the highest modified War Score wins the battle. In this online version, the first player to win 25 battles wins the game.
Modern era beta edition available to order.
Read how to playPhysical beta edition for playtesting. Rules and components may change as testing continues.
Order the Beta Edition · The Game CrafterWAR online / Modern era F25
Turn over a piece of history.
Flip one card at a time from the 72-card deck. The winner lights up after card effects are applied; ties call for another reveal. You play as Guest; Player 2 is automated. First to 25 battle wins takes the game. Ties escalate until resolved and count as one battle. If a player runs out of cards, the deck is redealt and win totals are kept.
The deck is ready.
Your WAR game wins: — · Position: Guest game · Sign in · Sign up
Guest0 / 25Battles won
Player 20 / 25Battles won
Tap the deck or use the button. Reveals advance after 10 seconds; tap to move sooner. Keyboard: Enter or Space.
Card scores are game abstractions, not rankings of historical importance or human cost.
History behind the cards
Reveal a battle to see its cards and histories.
How to play / Modern era rules preview
Flip. Compare. Continue.
One to four players, ages 10 and up. A solo player can run two opposing piles without making decisions for either side.
Compare the scores.
All active players flip their top cards simultaneously. Apply any pending MOMENTUM or FATIGUE change and relevant printed effects. The highest modified War Score wins the battle.
Only the leaders continue.
For a highest-score tie, check DOMINANT and VULNERABLE on the tied cards. If there is still no single winner, only the tied players reveal another card. Compare those new cards; continue until the tie breaks. Earlier revealed cards remain in the prize.
Keep the game moving.
The winner puts every revealed card into a face-down win pile, ordered by reveal round and then player seat clockwise from the dealer. Do not rearrange or inspect the piles. When your draw pile runs out, shuffle your win pile to make a new draw pile before your next reveal.
What the card effects mean
- DOMINANT / VULNERABLE
- Settle an otherwise tied highest score when their stated conditions apply.
- ESCALATE / GUARD
- ESCALATE adds 1 when that card is an extra reveal in a tie. GUARD blocks other cards’ effects that would change its score.
- MOMENTUM / FATIGUE
- After the printed win or loss trigger, add or subtract the stated value on that player’s next reveal. One pending change per player; it expires after that reveal.
Online finish: The first player to win 25 battles wins. A tied battle counts once, when its winner collects the cards. If a player runs out of cards, reshuffle and redeal the full deck while keeping both win totals. If no tied player can continue, that battle is a draw and the deck is redealt. Play again starts both totals at zero.