How to play Twister

What you need

• A Twister mat. The classic mat has 24 circles in four long rows of six, one row each of red, yellow, blue and green.
• A spinner. It has four sections, one each for left hand, right hand, left foot and right foot, and every section has all four colors. That makes 16 possible moves.
• Two or more players, with bare feet. The rules say to take your shoes off.
• A referee, who spins and calls each move. If you use the online spinner, nobody has to sit out for this job.
• Clear floor space on a carpet or rug, with furniture pushed back.

The classic mat: four rows of six circles. In a two-player game, players start at opposite ends.

Newer versions of the game add two extra spaces to the spinner. Air means you lift the called hand or foot off the mat, and Spinner's choice lets the person spinning make up a move for another player.

Setting up

1. Lay out the mat

   Spread it colored side up on a carpet or rug. Outdoors, hold the corners down with shoes or other weights.

2. Take off your shoes

   Bare feet grip the mat best. Socks slide, so take those off too.

3. Pick a referee

   The referee spins, calls each move, such as "Right hand, red", and settles arguments. Or open the online spinner and let it call the moves.

How each move works

The referee spins and calls a hand or foot and a color. In the classic rules, every player makes that move on every spin, rather than taking turns. Each player puts the called hand or foot on a free circle of the called color.

If your hand or foot is already on that color, you still have to move it, to a different circle of the same color.

Sharing circles

• Only one hand or foot can be on a circle at a time.
• If two players reach for the same circle, the referee decides who got there first, and that player keeps it.
• If every circle of the called color is already taken, the referee spins again until a different color comes up.

Lifting a hand or foot

Once a hand or foot is placed, it stays put until a spin calls it. That includes your starting feet. There is one exception: you may lift a hand or foot to let another hand or foot pass, as long as you tell the referee first and put it straight back on the same circle.

When you're out

You're out if you fall, or if your elbow or knee touches the mat. You can also give up if a called move looks impossible or would make you fall.

Two, three and four players

Two players

Face each other from opposite ends of the mat. Each player puts one foot on the yellow circle and one foot on the blue circle nearest their end. The referee starts calling moves. The first player to fall or touch an elbow or knee down loses, and the other player wins.

Three players

Two players start at the ends as in the two-player game. The third player stands at the side of the mat, facing the middle, with their feet on the two middle red circles. Everyone makes every move. When one player is out, the other two keep going until only one is left.

Four players in teams

Two teams of two. Each team stands side by side on the four circles at its end of the mat, facing the other team. All four players take every called position, and partners are allowed to share a circle. As soon as any player falls or puts an elbow or knee down, the other team wins.

Five or more players

The classic rules stop at four, so most groups play in turns: each spin is for one player, in order around the group. Add everyone's name in the spinner's Players panel and it will announce whose turn it is, keep track of who is out and name the winner.

Variations from the rule book

• Round robin. Teams of two play every other team. The team with the most wins takes the title.
• Elimination. Teams play in pairs, winners play winners, and losers drop out until one team is left.
• Two players, no referee. Skip the spinner and take turns calling moves for each other. The caller names the hand or foot they most want to move, and the other player picks the color, the more awkward the better.

House rules worth trying

These aren't in the official rules, but they are popular at parties. Agree on them before you start.

• Speed rounds. Start with 10 seconds between calls and drop a second or two each round.
• Random timer. Turn on Random time in the spinner, for example 3 to 12 seconds, so nobody can brace for the next call.
• Spinner's choice for everyone. Even on an older spinner, the referee gets one free call per round, such as "Left hand on the farthest green."
• Mirror match. Two players must keep their bodies mirror images of each other. The referee judges.
• Tournament night. Run a bracket of two-player games and write the winners on a scoreboard.

Playing with kids

• Give young players longer between calls. Around 8 to 10 seconds works well for ages 5 to 7.
• Left and right are hard at first. Put a sticker on each child's right hand and right foot.
• Keep rounds short and play lots of them, so getting out isn't a big deal.
• Let kids take a turn as referee. They love calling the moves.
• Group kids by size so nobody ends up underneath a much bigger player.

Play safely

• Play on carpet, a rug or soft grass, never on a hard, slippery floor.
• Move tables and anything with sharp corners away from the mat.
• Stop if anything hurts, and don't force a stretch to stay in the game.
• Keep an adult nearby when young children play with older kids or grown-ups.

Questions