How to Play War

Players: 2 to 4
Time: 10 to 40 minutes
Deck: One deck, no jokers
Level: Easy

October 31, 2026

Updated November 3, 2026

War, with a war between two Cowboy Edition hands: two nines tie, three cards down each, and the ace beats the king.

War, called Battle in the UK, is a two-player game of pure luck. Turn up a card at the same time. The higher card takes both. Win every card in the deck.

At a glance

Players: 2, or up to 4
Deck: One standard 52-card deck, no jokers
Time: Often 10 to 40 minutes. A game can run long, so many tables set a timer.
Goal: Win all 52 cards

War rules summary, with a war between two Cowboy Edition hands that the ace wins.

The cards above are from The Cowboy Edition.

Setup

Shuffle and deal the whole deck, one card at a time, face down. Each player gets 26.

Keep your cards in a face-down pile in front of you. Don't look at them.

How to play

Both players turn up their top card at the same time.

The higher card wins. Its player takes both cards and puts them face down under their pile.

Play straight on. There are no turns to wait for.

War

When the two cards match in rank, it's war. Leave the tied cards on the table.

Each player puts three cards face down, then turns one card face up. The higher face-up card takes all ten cards.

Many players say "I de-clare" over the three cards and "war" on the flip.

If those cards tie too, go to war again. The winner takes everything on the table.

Card ranking

Rank	Order
Ace	Highest
King, Queen, Jack	Next, in that order
10 down to 2	By number
Suits	Don't count

In the war above, the two nines tie. Three cards go face down on each side. The ace beats the king and takes all ten cards.

How to win

The game ends when one player has all 52 cards. That player wins.

Short on time? Stop at an agreed time. Whoever holds more cards wins.

Tips

War has no choices to make, so it suits young players and long car rides.
Say both ranks out loud. It keeps the game honest and teaches the order.
Don't shuffle the cards you win. They go under your pile as they come.
For a quicker game, play to a timer or a set number of wars.

Variations

One card down. Bicycle's rules put one card face down in a war, not three. Each war goes quicker.
Addition War. Each player turns up two cards, and the higher total wins. Aces count 1, jacks 11, queens 12 and kings 13. It's good practice for sums.
Jokers. Shuffle in both jokers. They rank above the aces.
Three or four players. Deal 17 each for three, setting one card aside, or 13 each for four. The highest card takes the round. Every player in a tie goes to war.
A timed game. Set a timer. When it rings, the bigger pile wins.

Where these rules come from

These rules follow Bicycle's War, checked against Pagat, with one change. Bicycle puts one card face down in a war. Fieldmark puts three down, so each war is a bigger swing. It also fits the chant: one card for each beat of "I de-clare," then war.

Common questions

Are aces high or low?

High. The ace beats every other card.

Do suits matter?

No. Only the rank counts, so two sevens tie whatever their suits.

What if I run out of cards during a war?

Agree before you deal. One common rule: both put down only as many cards as the shorter pile allows. Then both turn up their last card. Some tables say the player who runs out loses.