Crazy Eight Countdown Rules How to Play

For a twist on the classic Crazy Eight card game, you can try playing Crazy Eight Countdown. This game is easy for the whole family with just a little bit more challenge and a little longer time frame than the original. We played this in high school a lot.

In this post we’ll cover how to paly, the rules and how to win. Let’s get right into it.

This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

What You Need To Play Crazy Eights Countdown

You will need a standard deck of cards with the jokers removed and a score sheet to keep track of each player’s level.

If you need some new cards, and who doesn’t?, you can shop here; Canadians here. The Bicycle Disney Dogs and Cats look pretty cool.

The Object

The object of Crazy Eight Countdown is to be the first person to get rid of all of your cards.

Playing Crazy Eight Countdown

To start write all of the players’ names on a sheet with an 8 beside them. Next, deal eight cards to all players.

The basic play is the same as the original Crazy 8s game. Play moves around in a clockwise fashion. You play cards according to suit matching or number matching just as in the standard game. Eights are wild for everyone—but only at the start. Twos are still pick up 2 and the Queen of Spades is still pick up 5.

Crazy Eight Countdown player playing a two to make the next pick up — Just as in standard Crazy Eights, playing atwo will make the next player pick up 2.

player playing a wild eight — Eights are wild for everyone at the start of the game.

Now for the twist part. When a player successfully gets rid of all of her cards, she then picks up 7 cards for her hand. The eight is scratched off next to her name and a 7 is now written down. 7s are now wild for this player. Eights are now just regular cards. The play stays the same for all the other players, including the hands they have. Play continues as normal.

Crazy Eights Countdown player playing her last card in her hand — This player is down to one card. If she successfully playes the card, she will move to 7s.

Crazy Eights Countdown player showing the sevens are now wild for her — Now that she has played her last card, she moves to 7s and picks up 7 cards off the draw pile.

Crazy Eights Countdown player laying down a wild 7 — 7s are now wild for this player. Playing a secen now means she can choose the suit that the play changes to.

When the player at 7 gets rid of her cards again, she moves on to 6s, picking up 6 cards from the draw pile as her new hand. 6s are now wild for her and play continues.

When other players finish their hands, they, too, draw the next number from the draw pile and move on to the next number.

Crazy Eight Countdown player moving on to 6 and starting a new hand — This player has now moved onto 6s and draws six cards from the draw pile. 6s are now wild for this player.

Winning Crazy Eights Countdown:

The first player to get to the ace number and then get rid of all their cards is the winner.

Crazy Eight Countdown brings a new flavour to the standard game. It is great when you have tired of the traditional game. It takes a little bit more attention, as keeping track of what is wild for you can be more challenging than it sounds. The game takes longer to play than the traditional game, with most games averaging about 15 minutes.

The Final Countdown

Crazy Eight Countdown is a fun twist on the classic version. It will keep kids coming back for more and keep the smiles and good memories flowing for years. Get the printable rules here.

If you need a refresh on the rules for the classic and to find out some interesting facts about the game, see Crazy Eights here.

Looking for even more fun card games? Check out Go Boom, Help Your Neighbour card game, and Linger Longer. Be sure to check out our Family Game Shelf shop where you can get family favorites like the Sticks card game and our Whacky Putt–mini golf with dice!