Players in Tiger & Dragon play tiles from their hand to participate in waves of attack and defense. Be the first player to empty your hand to score points based on whichever one of ten scoring cards are in use this round.

The game contains 38 tiles: 36 numbered tiles with one 1, two 2s, etc. up to eight 8s, along with a tiger and a dragon. Shuffle the tiles face down, then each player takes tiles based on the player count, with the round's starting player taking one additional tile. With four players, for example, the starting player draw ten tiles and all other players nine. At least one tile will remain out of play.

The start player attacks by playing a tile from their hand. The next player can either pass or defend the attack by playing the same tile. Note that the dragon defends against any odd-numbered tile and the tiger against any even-numbered tile. After defending, place a tile of your own to attack. If a player passes, the next player either passes or defends. If all other players pass on your attack, place a tile from your hand face down, then choose a new tile to attack again. If you attack with the dragon or tiger, a player can defend with any odd- or even-numbered tile, respectively.

The first player to empty their hand wins the round and scores points based on the last tile that they played and the specific scoring card for that round. They score 1 bonus point for each time an attack of theirs went undefended. At the end of a round, if a player has scored 10+ points, they win.

Tiger & Dragon is based on the popular Japanese traditional game GOITA, and it can be played with team rules like that earlier team. Teammates sit across from one another, and the first team to collectively score 15+ points wins.