What is Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag?

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag turns the hand game into a two-team chase. Both teams huddle at their base, secretly agree on rock, paper, or scissors, then call it together — rock, paper, scissors, shoot. The team that loses the round sprints for its base while the winners chase them down, and every tagged runner switches sides.

It works because the roster never settles. One good guess can turn a chaser into a runner's new teammate mid-round, so a team down to its last few players is never really out until someone crosses the line.

It needs real room to move and a group that can run — a cramped room or a video call won't work here. For a group with mobility limits, swap in one of the slower movements in the variations below, or skip to a seated icebreaker instead.

The rules

Split into two teams, each with a base on opposite sides of the field.
Both teams huddle a meter back from the center line and secretly agree on rock, paper, or scissors.
Both teams call it and reveal their signal together — rock, paper, scissors, shoot.
The losing team sprints for its base; the winning team chases and tags runners before they get there.
Tagged players switch sides and join the team that tagged them.
A tie sends everyone to the ground — the last player seated swaps teams with someone from the other side.
Play ends when time runs out or one team has no players left; the bigger team wins.

Before you start

Group size: 6–30 players. Splits into two teams — the original guide calls for 6 to 30 players total.
A big room or open outdoor space. A gym, park, or any large area with enough room for two teams to run and chase without colliding.
Mark the bases and the center line. Chalk or a marker works — draw a line for each team's base on opposite sides, plus one line down the middle where teams face off.
Two teams, two bases. Split the group evenly and send each team to its base on opposite sides of the field.
Ages 8 and up. The original guide pegs this from age 8 on.

How to run it

Split into two teams 1–2 min
Divide the group into team A and team B, and send each to its base on opposite sides of the field.
Draw the lines 2–3 min
Mark each team's base and the center line with chalk or a marker, if you haven't already.
Pick a signal and face off 30 sec
Each team secretly agrees on rock, paper, or scissors, then huddles about a meter back from the center line.
Shoot 5 sec
Both teams chant "rock, paper, scissors, shoot" and reveal their signal at the same moment.
Run, chase, tag 10–20 sec
The losing team sprints for its base while the winning team chases and tags as many runners as it can before they reach safety.
Switch sides 30 sec
Tagged players join the team that caught them. On a tie, everyone drops to sit — the last one down swaps teams with a player from the other side.
Play to the finish 5–10 min
Repeat until time runs out or one team has no players left; whichever team has more players standing wins.

← nobody stays on one team for long.

Facilitator tips

Show the hand signals, don't just call themA quick chart or a live demo keeps anyone unfamiliar with rock, paper, scissors from getting lost before round one.

Open up how people runLet anyone who can't sprint choose crawling, hopping, or skipping instead — same chase, still in the game.

Balance the teams beyond headcountMix ages and sizes across both sides so one team doesn't walk in with a built-in speed advantage.

Give quieter players a base to guardAssign roles by comfort level — a less physical player can guard the base while the faster ones do the chasing.

Variations

Different movement

Swap running for crawling, jumping, skipping, or hopping on one leg — same chase, a different way to get there.

Younger or mixed-ability groups

Pair up players so team sizes and abilities stay balanced, and let anyone who needs it guard the base instead of chasing.

Why it works

Losing a round doesn't mean sitting outA tagged player switches teams instead of leaving the game, so the score keeps shifting and nobody's benched for long.

A guess made in public, under pressureBoth teams commit to a signal before they see the other's choice, so every round hinges on a split-second decision the whole team owns together.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"This is the one I bring out when a big group needs to move. A single tag switches someone's whole side, so the two teams never really settle — the room stays loud from the first shout to the last player standing."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

A few minutes of these turn the chase into an actual conversation about what just happened.

What strategies did you use to avoid getting tagged?Surfaces the quick thinking and teamwork that went into staying uncaught.
How did it feel to be on the chasing team versus the running team?Gets people naming the different emotions each role brings out, and builds a little empathy for both sides.
What did you learn about yourself or your group members through this activity?A chance to name something real that running around together made visible.
How can the skills from this game — running, quick thinking, teamwork — apply outside it?Bridges the sprint back to situations the group actually faces.
Which variation did you enjoy most or least, and why?A quick read on personal preference — useful for planning the next round.