Skyjo Voyage: Rules & How to Play | The Big Book of Games

01Discover the game

Skyjo Voyage is played from two to four, with a grid of twelve cards in front of each person. Many are hidden: you have to memorize the right cards and replace the wrong ones. The goal is to have the smallest total.

02Equipment

This edition contains 105 cards: three cards -2, eleven cards 0, and seven cards of each other value between -1 and 1 to 12. Also provide a sheet and pencil for totals. The following rules are those of Travel, not those of another Skyjo box.

03The goal

Reduce the total number of cards on your grid. Negative values are good for you. One part has several rounds; it stops when a total reaches 100 points or more. The person who then has the least points wins.

04Prepare the handle

Shuffle the 105 cards. Deal twelve cards face down to each player. Nobody looks at them. Arrange them in four columns of three cards. Each player turns over two cards of their choice. Put the rest face down as the draw pile and flip its top card to start the discard pile.

The person whose two visible cards have the highest sum starts the first round. Then, the game moves in the clockwise direction. For the next round, the person who finished the previous round starts.

Initial installation: four columns of three cards, twelve cards per person. In this example, only two cards are returned. The barred backs represent the ten cards still hidden, never viewed in advance.

05Play his turn

First choose where to take a card. If you take the visible top of the waste, you have to exchange it for one of your cards, visible or hidden. The new card is placed visible in its place. The old visible part on the waste; if it was hidden, you only discover it at that time.

If you pick up a hidden card, look at it without showing it. Then you have two possibilities: exchange it for a card on your grid, as above; or undo it immediately. In this second case, you must return one of your cards still hidden. You cannot look at a hidden card before choosing which one to replace or return.

Whenever the three cards in the same column are visible and identical, remove the entire column from the waste. It will no longer count in your score. An identical horizontal row does not withdraw. Leave the remaining cards in their columns well: do not bring them together to make a new column.

If the Stock is exhausted, mix the Waste to redo a Stock by keeping its top card as a new Waste. The first player whose remaining cards are visible triggers the end of the Round. All the others still play a turn; the person who triggered the End does not play again.

06An example to understand

Your first column shows 4, 4 and one face-down card. Take a 4 from the discard pile and replace the face-down card. Even if it was a -2, you must discard it because you made the exchange before seeing it. Your column now has three face-up 4s. Remove them all. You have avoided twelve points.

The exchange is decided before seeing the old hidden card; a removed column is worth zero.

Later, Léa finished with 10 points. Tom had 8 and Inès 13. Léa triggered the end but didn't have the smallest score: her 10 points were doubled, she scored 20. Tom entered 8 and Inès 13.

During the round, replace the face-down card in the first column with a 4 from the discard pile. Reveal the old card, a -2, and discard it. Then remove the three face-up 4s in that column. Leave the other cards in their columns.

07Calculate points and win

At the end of the round, return the last hidden cards. Remove the columns from three identical values that appear so. Add the remaining cards of each person: for example -2 + 0 + 3 + 7 = 8.

If the person who triggered the end does not have a strictly lower total than each of the others, their total is doubled. A tie with the best opponent is therefore not enough. A negative total is not doubled. Add the results to those of the previous rounds.

As soon as a person reaches or exceeds 100 cumulative points, the game stops after the full count. The smallest total wins. The booklet does not specify a general split in case of final tie; you can share the win, an agreement announced before playing.

08Frequent errors

Do not confuse a column of three cards with a line of four. Do not take the waste and then discard it without exchange. When you refuse a picketed card, return a hidden card is mandatory. Do not trigger the end too soon by forgetting the risk of doubling.

09Start well

First replace the large values. Keep in mind the already removed values: a column of 11 identical can disappear, but it is a bet. Observe the opposing grids before returning your last card. A small safe value is sometimes better than an uncertain column attempt.

10Express summary

Twelve cards each, four columns of three; return two cards.
Take the waste and exchange, or pick up and then swap or discard by revealing a card.
Three identical values visible in one column: remove the column.
All your cards are visible: the others play one last time.
Adds cards; the trigger doubles its total if it is not strictly the best, except negative total.
At 100 points or more, the smallest total wins the game.

FOR FURTHER READING

References and variant

Bibliography of edition 4.0, consulted on October 27 and 28, 2026. Explanations, examples and original diagrams of the book. The documentary reserves mentioned in the tutorial remain applicable.

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