Hasbro's 5 AlivePhoto: Hasbro
108 cards: numbers, Wild cards and Alive cardsPhoto: Toycra
Each player starts with five livesPhoto: Toycra
Wild cards change the totalPhoto: Toycra
Best with four or morePhoto: Toycra
The last player alive winsPhoto: Toycra
Video

Card game

5 Alive

Don't push the total past 21, or you lose a life

2–6players · best with 4-6
20–30 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
More luck than skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
High
Set-up
About 2 min
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Groups of four to six who like loud, quick card games

Think twice if You mostly play with two; reviewers find it much better with more players

How we rate it

Learning curve. Add numbers up to 21 and learn ten Wild cards; most children have it after one round.

Luck & skill. The hand you are dealt decides a lot. Saving Wild cards like =0 and =21 for the right moment is the main skill.

Interaction. Draw 1, Draw 2, Bomb and Skip all hit other players, and emptying your hand takes a life from everyone else.

Set-up. Hand out a set of five Alive cards to each player, shuffle and deal 10 cards each.

Reading. Short English words on the Wild cards; everything else is numbers and symbols.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is 5 Alive right for you?

Great if

  • Groups of four to six who like loud, quick card games
  • Children practising fast addition up to 21
  • UNO fans who want a new twist with similar Skip, Reverse and Draw cards
  • Travel and holidays: everything is in one small box of cards

Skip it if

  • You mostly play with two; reviewers find it much better with more players
  • Someone hates being knocked out: eliminated players wait until the game ends
  • You want strategy, since the cards in your hand decide a lot

How 5 Alive plays

Set-up: give each player a set of five Alive cards in one colour; these are your lives. Shuffle the rest of the deck, deal 10 cards to each player and put the remainder face down as the draw pile.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Number cards need no reading. The Wild cards carry short English words (Bomb, Skip, Reverse, Pass Me By, Re-Deal, Draw 1, Draw 2) alongside symbols, which children pick up after a round or two. Players call out the running total, which works in Hindi or any language, and it is good practice in quick addition.
Each player starts with five lives · Photo: Toycra

How To Play 5 Alive in 2 minutes · Tabletop Duo

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Play

    Play one card. A number adds to the shared running total, which you say aloud; a Wild card does its action.

  2. 2
    Survive

    Keep the total at 21 or under. If every card you could play would take it past 21, flip one of your Alive cards and the total goes back to 0.

  3. 3
    Empty

    If you play your last card, everyone else loses a life and a new hand is dealt.

  4. 4
    Win

    Lose all five Alive cards and you're out. The last player with a life left wins.

Read the official rules5 Alive Card Game instructions (Hasbro item F4205) · English (the sheet also has French)
The full explanation: how a game of 5 Alive goes

A turn: play one card onto the discard pile. A number card adds to a running total that everyone shares, and you say the new total aloud. If it is still 21 or under, you've stayed alive and play passes on.

Wild cards can be played at any time. The =0, =10 and =21 cards set the total; Skip, Reverse and Pass Me By move play along; Draw 1 and Draw 2 make every other player pick up cards; Re-Deal gathers all the hands and deals them out again; and Bomb makes everyone else discard a 0 straight away or lose a life.

Losing lives and winning: if the only cards you could play would take the total past 21, you don't play; you flip one of your Alive cards and the total goes back to 0. If you play your last card, everyone else flips an Alive card and a new hand is dealt. Once all five of your Alive cards are flipped, you're out, and the last player with a life left wins.

Variants: the Sudden Death ending stops the game as soon as one player loses their fifth life, and whoever has the most lives left wins (a tie goes to the lowest total of number cards in hand). With 4 to 6 players, the team game splits you into two sides that share one set of Alive cards.

What's in the box

108 cards: numbers, Wild cards and Alive cards · Photo: Toycra
  • 108Cards
    number cards, Wild cards and coloured sets of five Alive cards, one set per player for up to six
  • 1Rule sheet

Hasbro's own pages and Indian listings for item F4205 say 108 cards and game rules; the 2021 rule sheet prints '109 Cards'. We found no breakdown by card type. The rule sheet lists the Wild cards as Draw 1, Draw 2, Skip, Reverse, Pass Me By, Re-Deal, Bomb, =0, =10 and =21.

Where to buy

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How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai sells 5 Alive here as item F4205, Hasbro's 2021 version. Indian store listings don't agree on where it is made: one gives India as the country of origin, but the box-back picture on the same listing reads 'Made in Vietnam', so check the label if it matters to you. Either way it is the same Hasbro game with the same rules. Our Amazon.in link goes to Hasbro's F4205 box.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Hasbro Gaming logo and the 5 Alive name; the item number F4205 is printed on the front of the current box.
  • Indian listings give the barcode 195166164267 and name Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
  • The deck should have 108 cards with sets of five Alive cards in different colours, number cards and Wild cards such as Bomb, Re-Deal, =21 and Pass Me By.
  • Check for the ISI mark on the box; toys sold in India must carry it.
  • Older 5 Alive boxes from the 1990s are an earlier print with the same rules; the current box says Hasbro Gaming and F4205.

What reviewers and players say

Geeky Hobbies' reviewer found 5 Alive fun and easy to learn, with sturdy, easy-to-read cards, and enjoyed it most with four players. The complaints were about luck and balance: the better hand usually wins, there are a lot of Wild cards, Draw and Bomb cards can feel too strong, and two-player games drag. The review rates it 2.5 out of 5, an average family card game that is good fun for UNO fans but adds little if you already own a similar game such as Boom-O.

What people love

  • Easy to learn and fun to play
  • Clear, easy-to-read cards and symbols
  • Plays well with four players

Common complaints

  • Luck: the player with the better hand usually wins
  • Too many Wild cards, and Draw and Bomb cards feel overpowered
  • Not much fun with only two players
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Best with4-62-44-65-8
Play time20–30 min20–45 min10–30 min20–40 min
Age8+7+7+8+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedAvailableImportedImported
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Questions people ask about 5 Alive

How many cards are in 5 Alive?

Hasbro's listings say 108 cards plus the rules, though the 2021 rule sheet prints 109. The deck holds number cards, Wild cards and the coloured sets of five Alive cards, one set per player for up to six. Each player is dealt 10 cards to start.

What happens if you go over 21 in 5 Alive?

You never actually go over. If every card you could play would push the total past 21, you flip one of your Alive cards instead and the total goes back to 0. Wild cards such as =0, =10 and =21 are the usual way to escape.

Is 5 Alive like UNO?

It feels similar, with Skip, Reverse and Draw cards. But instead of matching colours you add numbers to a shared total, and everyone has five lives, so it is a last-player-standing game rather than a race to empty your hand.

Can 2 people play 5 Alive?

Yes, the box says 2 to 6, and Skip and Reverse have special two-player rules. Reviewers find it much more fun with four or more, because a two-player game turns into a long duel.

What age is 5 Alive for?

Hasbro says 8 and up. Players need to add numbers up to 21 in their heads quickly, so younger children may need a grown-up beside them for the first few games.

Game facts

Publisher
Hasbro (Hasbro Gaming)
In India
Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai (named as manufacturer/importer on an Indian store listing)
Players
2–6
Barcode
195166164267
Language
Little reading – Number cards need no reading. The Wild cards carry short English words (Bomb, Skip, Reverse, Pass Me By, Re-Deal, Draw 1, Draw 2) alongside symbols, which children pick up after a round or two. Players call out the running total, which works in Hindi or any language, and it is good practice in quick addition.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.