Free Rummikub Online - Single and Multiplayer

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Check out this free Rummikub online board game. Play the classic Rummikub in your browser, a tile game enjoyed by millions worldwide.

This game is part of the free online brain games collection.

To begin, click the Small, Medium, or Large button under the picture of the game,. This opens the game in a pop-up window.

This game is online multiplayer. You can even set up a private game to play with friends or family!

Free Rummikub Online - Instructions

Like this free Rummikub online game? You might enjoy the other multiplayer online games on this site, such as Snakes and Ladders.

If you have a Facebook account, you can login into Facebook in the Rummikub game, through the gear icon in the game. From there you can connect and sync your Facebook account with the Rummikub game, if you wish. Note: A Facebook account is not required to play this game.

Rummikub is a tile game I hadn't heard of previously. It turns out Rummikub has been around as a board game for decades, and it's played by millions worldwide. Having played this online version, I can tell you it is really engaging and fun.

This is a "timed" version. That means you have to focus intently, or risk missed opportunities to play your tiles.

This free Rummikub online game is by the Kinkajoo company. If you've never played Rummikub before, check out the in-game tutorial and help file. See below for a summary of the rules.

Quick Notes.To move tiles on the screen, left-click and hold down the tile on your rack or on the playing area and drag the tile. To add a fresh tile to your rack, click the "+" button on the righ side of the game. To auto-sort the tiles on your rack, click the "789" button on the right of the game (to rearrange your tiles in "runs") or "777" button (to rearrange your tiles as "groups").

What's really great about this free Rummikub online version is the multiplayer features. You can play against random players from around the world. Or you can set up a private game to play against friends or family.

My Impression of Rummikub. As the name implies, this game is reminiscent of the Rummy card game. But instead of playing cards, you play with tiles that look a bit like mahjong tiles.

This game reminds me of Scrabble as well, since your Rummikub tiles are set on a rack at the bottom of your screen. you can sort the tiles there, and you can add new tiles to your tray as needed.

Credit: Ryan Harvey - Flickr

This free Rummikub online game follows the popular Sabra version of the game in terms of scoring (see more below).

Rummikub can be played from 2 to 4 players. At your option, the other players can be random people from around the world. Or, you can set up a private game room to play against friends and family.

In the beginning, you'll need to set up a profile. This includes your name (any name you want), plus you can select a cartoon profile picture. If you're on Facebook, you can link your Facebook account to this game.

Brief Instructions. This is just a quick overview of how to play this free Rummikub online board game. For more detailed instructions, please see the in-game tutorial and help file.

The object of Rummikub is to be the first to use up all your tiles. You use tiles by forming "groups" of tiles and "runs" of tiles on the board.

There are 106 total tiles in the game. There are four "suits," the colors red, orange, blue, and black. There are two copies of each tile in the game, plus two jokers.

The tiles are numbered from 1 to 13. So the full Rummikub tileset is like two decks of standard playing cards. That is, four suits with 13 tiles each is 52 tiles; two copies of each tile brings this up to 104 tiles; then add the 2 jokers to make 106 total tiles.

Full Rummikub Tileset

The Meld. Your first turn is called the "meld". During this turn, you cannot play tiles on any groups or runs that your opponents have already placed on the board.

Rather, you need to form original runs or groups from the tiles on your rack and place them on the playing board. Further, your meld must have a numerical value of at least 30 points (add up the values of the tiles you played).

If you are unable to form 30 points worth of groups and/or runs on your meld turn, then you must draw a new tile. This ends your turn.

Groups. A "group" consists of 3 or 4 of the same numerical value. An example of a valid group would be 7 black - 7 blue - 7 orange. Or, 12 orange - 12 blue - 12 red - 12 black.

A group cannot have same-color tiles in it. Groups = all different color tiles. For instance, 2 red - 2 red - 2 black is invalid. That's why 4 is the maximum number of tiles allowed in a group... because there are only 4 color suits.

Runs. Besides groups, "runs" are the other way you can play tiles. A run is like a straight in card games. Runs = all same color tiles.

A run must consist of at least 3 tiles and can be as long as 13 tiles. A run is played from least to greatest value, and there cannot be any gaps in the sequence. All the tiles in a run must be the same color.

An example of a valid run is 4 blue - 5 blue - 6 blue - 7 blue - 8 blue.

Jokers. There are 2 wildcard tiles in the game, and orange and a black. They show a smilie face icon. When you get a joker tile, you can use it in place of any numerical tile in the game.

For example, suppose you have these tiles on your rack: 2 - blue, 4 - blue, 5 - blue, and a joker tile. You can place the joker tile between the 2 - blue and 4 - blue to act as a 3 - blue tile.

Scoring. The first player to use up all the tiles on their rack is the winner of that round. The winner receives a positive total score equal to the sum of the tiles remaining on the other players' racks. The other players receive a negative score, which is the negative sum of their own remaining tiles.

As a simple example, suppose there are three players. Player 1 is the first to use up all his/her tiles, and is thus the winner. Player 2 has a total of 15 points worth of tiles remaining on their rack. Player 3 has 4 points of tiles on their own rack. Player 1, the winner, therefore gets 15 + 4 = 19 points. Player 2 gets negative 15 points (-15), and Player 3 gets negative 4 points (-4).

The challenge and fun of this game comes when playing and rearranging tiles that are already on the board. The idea is to strategically use existing groups and runs on the playing board to get rid of tiles from your rack.

For instance, suppose another player already played a 3-3-3 group of black, blue, and red. If you have an orange three, you can append it to that group, forming a complete 3-3-3-3.

Don't be intimidated by the game. My advice is to jump right in and start playing. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Tile games like this free Rummikub online game train important brain skills including attention, short-term memory, and mental flexibility. Play these games often to give your brain a boost!

Published: 01/17/21
Last Updated: 01/22/21