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Chameleon game rules

How to play the card game in three steps

Chameleon is a game of focus and quick thinking, where everyone plays at the same time. Here’s how to set up the card game, how a round works and who wins.

What you need

  • Ages 5+
  • 2–4 players
  • 15 min
  • 52 round playing cards
  • Metal storage tin
  • English instructions

See the Chameleon game

Learn it in 20 seconds

Spot it. Call it. Play it.

Flip a card, spot what it shares with a card in the middle and call it out: the same chameleon, the same border colour or the same background pattern. Everyone plays at once. The first player with no cards left wins.

1. Setup

  1. Shuffle all 52 cards.
  2. Place three cards face up in the middle of the table, side by side.
  3. Share the rest of the cards out evenly among all players.
  4. Each player places their deck of cards face down in front of them.
Chameleon card with an orange chameleonChameleon card with a red chameleonChameleon card with a yellow chameleon

2. How to play

  1. All players play at the same time. Each player turns over the top card of their deck and tries to match it with the three cards in the middle.
  2. Each time you make a match, call out what matches and place your card on top of that card in the middle.
  3. If you can’t match your card with any in the middle, put it at the bottom of your deck and keep playing.

The three ways to match

One thing in common is enough. These three examples show what to look for.

Card with a blue chameleon and a red borderCard with a blue chameleon and a yellow border

Same chameleon

Both cards show a chameleon in the same colour.

“Chameleon!”

Card with a blue chameleon and a red borderCard with a green chameleon and a red border

Same border colour

Both cards have a border in the same colour.

“Border!”

Card with a turquoise chameleon on a dotted backgroundCard with a green chameleon on a dotted background

Same background pattern

Both cards have the same background, here dots.

“Background!”

3. Who wins?

The winner is the first player to get rid of all their cards. If no one is able to match all their cards, the player with the fewest cards left in their deck wins.

Our tips for the first round

  • Play the first few cards face up and slowly, and say together what matches. Then pick up the pace.
  • Don’t skip the call: saying it out loud helps younger children tell the three features apart.
  • Put the three centre piles where everyone can reach them.

These tips are ours and are not part of the printed instructions.

Questions about the rules

What if my card doesn’t match?

You put it at the bottom of your own deck and turn over the next card.

Do I have to call out the match?

Yes. Each time you make a match, call out what matches (“Chameleon!”, “Border!” or “Background!”) and place your card on top.

What if nobody gets rid of all their cards?

Then the player with the fewest cards left in their deck wins.

How many cards are in the middle?

Three. You play onto each of them, and the top card of each centre pile is always the one you compare with.

How many players is the game for?

Two to four players aged 5 and up.

Imagiland Chameleon card game: green box with metal tin and round cards

No Chameleon at home yet?

See the Chameleon game