Remember those classic card games from when we were kids? Well, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to play Crazy 8 with friends and family, iMessage has you covered!
The game itself isn’t a standalone app, so you’ll need to grab ‘GamePigeon.’ This app has Crazy 8, plus a bunch of other games too.
You can play with your buddies even if you’re not in the same room. You just need at least 3 players total to get a game going.
If you are familiar with UNO, Crazy 8 is quite similar, with its own set of rules, of course. Let’s quickly run through the basics before we get into how to start a game.
How to Play Crazy 8
The main goal of Crazy 8 is just like UNO, to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. You play using a regular 52-card deck.
In each game, every player is dealt 7 cards, and a single card from the remaining deck is placed face up on the table as the starting point. The first player must play a card from their hand that matches the color or number of the face up card (e.g., if the face-up card is a seven of yellow, they can play any yellow card or a seven of any color).
The ‘Eight’ card acts as a wild card. Whoever plays an ‘Eight’ can change the suit to any they like which means that the next player will have to play with the new suit.
If an ‘Eight’ is on top of the pile, the next player has to play either an ‘Eight’ or a card of the nominated suit. Also, there are special cards that add some fun twists to the game.
Special cards include: Skip, Reverse, Draw 2, and Crazy Draw 4. They work just like their names imply. If you use a Skip, the next player misses their turn, while Reverse changes the direction of play. A Draw 2 card forces the next player to pick two cards, and finally Crazy Draw 4 allows you to change the suit and make the next player draw four cards.
Remember, you can use Draw 2 or Crazy Draw 4 to defend against another player by adding the draw penalty to the next player.
Now that you know the rules, here’s how to start a game with your friends on iMessage. Since it’s not a standalone app, you need to download ‘GamePigeon’ from the iMessage store first.
Downloading Crazy 8 from iMessage App Store
It’s pretty easy to download apps but getting one from the iMessage store has a few more steps.
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Open the ‘Messages’ app on your iPhone, either from the home screen or the app library.
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Open any chat within the ‘Messages’ app.
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Tap the grey ‘App Store’ icon at the bottom of the screen to display the iMessage app bar.
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Tap the blue ‘App Store’ icon to open the iMessage store as a popup.
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Tap the search icon (top right) and type in ‘GamePigeon’. Hit ‘Search’ on the keyboard.
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Find the ‘GamePigeon’ app and tap ‘Get’ (or the cloud icon) to download it, confirming with your preferred authentication method.
Start a Game of Crazy 8 with your Contacts
Once you and your friends have downloaded GamePigeon, starting a game is simple. Remember, you need a minimum of 3 players to start.
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Head back to the ‘Messages’ app.
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Tap the ‘Compose new message’ button to start a new group chat.
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Add at least two contacts to the group, then tap the ‘GamePigeon’ icon above your keyboard.
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Find ‘Crazy 8’ in the list of GamePigeon games and tap it to load.
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Hit the ‘Send’ button to share the game with the group.
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Tap the game in the chat. Everyone will have to tap ‘Ready’ to start. Once everyone’s ready, the game begins.
The game starts with seven cards shown in your hand and the card from the deck in the center of the table. The current player will be highlighted with a spotlight.
When it’s your turn, tap a card that matches the card on the pile. The direction of turns is shown with white arrows.
Whenever you use a Crazy Draw 4 or an Eight, select a new suit color from the options.
That’s all! Now it’s just about being faster than the other players to clear all of your cards.