How to play War

War is the card game almost everyone learns first. There are no decisions, no strategy, and nothing to memorise — just the simple, hypnotic rhythm of flipping cards and seeing who wins. It is the perfect game for switching your brain off for a few minutes, and the slow swing of the card count from one side to the other carries a surprising amount of tension.

Goal

Win every card. The deck is split evenly between you and the bot, and play continues until one side holds all 52.

How a round works

• Both players flip their top card at the same time.
• The higher card wins both and they go to the bottom of the winner's pile. Aces are high; suits don't matter.
• Click the table or press Space to play the next round. Turn on Auto-play to let the rounds run by themselves.

Going to war

• If the two cards tie, it's war. Each side lays three cards face-down and one face-up.
• The higher face-up card wins the entire pile — all ten cards. If those tie too, the war repeats.
• A player who can't field enough cards for a war loses with what they have.

Strategy

There isn't any — and that's the charm. Every War game is decided entirely by the shuffle, which is exactly why it's such a relaxing way to pass the time or settle a friendly "best of." Wars are where fortunes swing: a single tie can hand over ten cards at once, turning a losing position around in an instant. Flip a few rounds by hand to enjoy the suspense, or hit Auto-play and watch the deck see-saw until someone holds the whole pack.