Ninja Game: Rules for the Party Hand-Tap Game

Ninja is a fast party game for a group standing in a circle. Players take turns making one quick move to tap another player’s hand, and the target may make one move to dodge. A hand that gets tapped goes behind your back, and when both hands are out, so are you. The last ninja standing wins. It needs no equipment at all, which makes it popular at camps, youth groups and parties.

What you need

• Three or more players. It works best with about 5 to 12.
• Enough space for everyone to stand in a circle and take a big step in any direction.
• A fair way to choose who starts, such as the random name picker or rock paper scissors.

How to play

1. Everyone stands in a tight circle, hands in the middle. Someone counts “3, 2, 1, ninja!”.
2. On “ninja!”, everyone jumps back and freezes in a ninja pose. From now on, you may only move on your turn or to dodge.
3. The first player makes one single, smooth move to try to tap the hand of any player. They must freeze where the move ends.
4. The player who is attacked may make one move to dodge, and then freezes too.
5. If a hand is tapped, that hand goes behind the player’s back. A player with no hands left is out.
6. Turns go round the circle, usually clockwise. Each player makes one move on their turn.
7. The last player with at least one hand left wins.

Rules vary between groups. In some, only hands count as targets. In others, a tap anywhere on the hand or lower arm counts. Some groups allow every player to dodge, not just the target. Agree before the first move.

A fair first move

The first player often gets an easy tap, because players are still close together. To keep it fair, let the random name picker pick the starting player, or play a quick round of rock paper scissors. In later games, the winner of the last round can start, or the starter can move one place round the circle each game.

How many players are left?

Games can be very short or quite long. To give a rough idea, we ran a simple simulation where each attack hits a random player’s hand about 3 times in 10. The table shows the average number of players still in the game after a given number of turns. “Turns” is the total number of moves made so far, and the columns 6, 8 and 12 are the number of players in the group.

In this simulation, a game with 8 players usually lasted between about 36 and 64 turns. Real games depend on how close people stand and how good they are at dodging, so treat this as a rough guide only.

Safety tips

• Taps should be light. No slapping, hitting or grabbing.
• Play away from furniture, walls and stairs, as players jump and lunge.
• Remove rings and watches if you can.
• Players who are out can be judges and watch for moves that break the rules.

Variations

• One life: one tap on either hand and you are out, for a faster game.
• Silent ninja: nobody may make a sound; a noise costs a hand.
• Team ninja: two teams; players may only attack the other team.
• Slow motion: every move must be done slowly, which is safer for young children.
• Revive: tapping a player who is out with your foot brings one of their hands back.

For more quick hand games, try thumb war, chopsticks or slapjack.

FAQ

How do you play the ninja game?

Players stand in a circle and strike a pose. On their turn, each player makes one quick move to tap someone’s hand, and the target may make one move to dodge. A tapped hand goes behind your back, and losing both hands puts you out.

How many people do you need for ninja?

At least three. It works best with about 5 to 12 players.

Can you move when it is not your turn?

Only to dodge when someone attacks you. Otherwise you must stay frozen.

How long does a game of ninja last?

Usually a few minutes. In a simple simulation, a group of 8 needed about 36 to 64 turns.

Who goes first in ninja?

Pick the first player at random with a name picker or rock paper scissors.