In this article
What is Chromeld?
Chromeld is BoardGame Battles' own card game for 2 to 4 players. The goal is simple: be the first to get rid of all the cards in your hand. But the special action cards — Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, Wild, and Wild Draw 4 — create constant chaos and unpredictable comebacks, making every game feel different.
The rules are easy to learn in minutes, but mastering when to use which card takes real skill.
The deck
A Chromeld deck has 108 cards:
- Number cards (0–9): 4 colors (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow) × 19 cards each = 76 cards. Each color has one 0 and two of each number 1–9.
- Skip: 8 cards (2 per color)
- Reverse: 8 cards (2 per color)
- Draw 2: 8 cards (2 per color)
- Wild: 4 cards (colorless)
- Wild Draw 4: 4 cards (colorless)
Setup
- Shuffle the full deck.
- Deal 7 cards to each player, face-down.
- Place the remaining cards face-down as the draw pile.
- Flip the top card of the draw pile to start the discard pile. If it's a Wild Draw 4, shuffle it back and draw another.
- The player to the left of the dealer goes first.
How to play a turn
On your turn, play one card from your hand onto the discard pile. The card you play must match the top card of the discard pile by either:
- Color (e.g., play any Red card on a Red card)
- Number (e.g., play a Blue 7 on a Red 7)
- Symbol (e.g., play a Green Skip on a Red Skip)
You can always play a Wild card on any card, regardless of color.
If you can't play: draw one card from the draw pile. If the card you drew can be played, you may play it immediately. If not, your turn ends.
💡 Chromeld rule: you draw only one card when you can't play — not until you find a playable card. Some house rules change this, but this is how Chromeld plays it by default.
Special cards explained
Skip (⊘)
The next player in turn order loses their turn entirely. Play it on any card of the same color, or on another Skip of any color. In 2-player games, Skip gives you another turn.
Reverse (↩)
Reverses the direction of play (clockwise → counter-clockwise or vice versa). In 2-player games, Reverse acts like Skip — it gives you another turn.
Draw 2 (+2)
The next player must draw 2 cards and lose their turn. Can only be played on a matching color or on another Draw 2. Stacking: Chromeld does not allow stacking Draw 2s — the next player must always draw. (Many house rules allow stacking; see below.)
Wild 🌈
You can play a Wild on any card at any time. Choose any color — that color becomes the new active color. The next player must match that color (or play another Wild).
Wild Draw 4 (+4) 🌈
The most powerful card in Chromeld. Play it to change the color AND force the next player to draw 4 cards and lose their turn. It can be played anytime it's your turn — there's no restriction on when you can use it.
How Draw Two and Wild Draw Four work
When a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four is played, the next player must draw the matching amount before their turn continues — Chromeld does not support stacking one draw card on top of another. Whatever is owed gets resolved in one draw, then play continues normally.
Winning
The first player to play all their cards wins. In Chromeld, you play until one player runs out of cards — that player wins the game.
Popular house rules
Color-matching card games like Chromeld are some of the most house-rule-heavy games around. Here are common variants some groups play with — none of them are how Chromeld plays by default:
Stacking Draw 2s and Draw 4s
When you're about to draw cards, you can play a Draw 2 (or Draw 4) to pass the pile to the next player. The stack accumulates until someone can't deflect it. Not how Chromeld plays by default, but a popular variant.
Jump-in
If you have the exact same card (same color AND number) as the card just played, you can "jump in" and play it out of turn. The game then continues from your position.
Draw until you can play
Instead of drawing just one card, you keep drawing until you have a card you can play. This variant extends games significantly.
Seven-0
When a 7 is played, the player who played it swaps hands with any other player. When a 0 is played, everyone passes their hand to the next player in the current direction.
Strategy tips
Save Wild Draw 4 for critical moments
Wild Draw 4 is your most powerful card. Don't waste it early — save it for when an opponent is about to win or when you need to change a color that's hurting you.
Avoid being the color changer
When you play a Wild and choose a color, you reveal which color you have the most of. Experienced players will immediately block that color with Skip or Reverse cards. Sometimes choosing a color you don't have many of can be strategically smarter.
Watch your opponents' hand sizes
Keep track of how many cards each opponent has. When someone gets down to 2–3 cards, prioritize blocking them with Draw 2, Skip, or Reverse rather than trying to win yourself.
Diversify your hand's colors
Holding too many cards of one color leaves you vulnerable whenever that color changes. Spread your hand across colors when you can.
Force color changes in your favor
If you have many cards of one color, use Reverse and Skip to keep the active color on what you need, while building toward an unstoppable run.
Ready to play Chromeld online?
Put your cards to the test. Free Chromeld multiplayer — up to 4 players, no download required.