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The Floor is Lava Board Game: Rules for How to Play

The Floor is Lava Board Game: Rules for How to Play

Looking for a specific The Floor is Lava Board Game rule?  |  Set Up  |  Playing the Game  |  Falling Into the Lava  |  Winning the Game  |  Cooperative Game  |  FAQ  |  Components  |

Objective

The objective of The Floor is Lava Board Game is to be the last remaining player by jumping between tiles without touching the floor.

Set Up

  • Choose a player to be responsible for spinning the spinner at the start of the game. This player is also responsible for handling the challenge cards. The player can still play the game. Once a player is eliminated form the game, they will take over this role.
  • The players randomly place all of the foam tiles around the room. You should place the tiles so the printed side is face up.
  • Shuffle the challenge cards and create a draw pile.
  • Once everyone is ready, the first spinner yells out “The Floor is Lava”. All of the players race to stand on the foam tile closest to their current location. The color of the tile does not matter.

How to Play The Floor is Lava Board Game

Each turn begins with a player spinning the spinner. The color spun on the spinner determines which color of tile that the players need to step on. If you are currently on a tile that matches the color spun, you can stay on your current tile. Should a color be spun that no longer has any tiles left, you will spin the spinner again until you get a color that still has tiles left on the floor.

Spinning blue on the spinner
Blue was spun on the spinner. All of the players will have to make their way towards a blue tile without touching the floor.

When moving to a tile that matches the spun color, you will have to jump between the tiles. The object of the game is to avoid having your feet touch the floor.

Sometimes the tile of the corresponding color is right next to your current location. If there are no tiles close enough to your location though, you may have to jump to a tile of another color. You may have to jump to a couple different tiles before you reach one that matches the color that was spun.

A blue tile
Since blue was spun on the spinner, all of the players have to move to a blue tile like the one pictured.

After everyone has successfully reached a tile that matches the spun color, determine which player reached their tile last. Figure out what tile the last player was on at the start of the current turn. That tile is removed from the floor.

Removing a tile
The last player to reach a blue tile was previously on this grey tile. One of the players will remove the tile from the floor.

Once everyone has reached a safe tile and one of the tiles have been removed, the current turn ends.

Challenge Cards

Whenever you land on a tile that has a ? symbol on it, you have to perform a special action. One of the players reveal the top challenge card. The player that landed on the ? has to perform the corresponding action. While you try to complete the challenge, you have to avoid touching the floor.

Challenge card
This yellow tile has the ? symbol on it. When a player lands on this tile, they have to draw a challenge card and complete it. For this challenge card the player has to hop like a bunny in place.

Falling Into the Lava

As you are moving between tiles, you may accidentally touch the floor. If any part of your body touches the floor, you have fallen into the lava. You are eliminated from the game.

Once you have been eliminated from the game, you can help with spinning the spinner, removing tiles from the floor, and drawing challenge cards.

Winning the Game

The players will keep playing the game moving to new tiles and removing tiles from the floor. The game ends when there is only one player remaining. The last remaining player wins the game.

Cooperative Game

Instead of playing against one another, the players can choose to play the cooperative variant game.

You will lay out all of the tiles randomly on the floor stretching from one side of the room to the other. All of the players start on one of the tiles on one side of the room.

The players take turns spinning the spinner. After you spin a color you will try to jump to a tile that matches the color you spun. Unlike the main game, you can only jump on tiles that match the color you spun. You will try to move towards the other side of the room. You will keep spinning until you either reach the other side of the room, or you fall into the lava (touch the floor). Should you touch the floor or jump on a tile that doesn’t match what you spun, you will go back to the last tile you safely reached. Play then passes to the next player.

Each player gets two turns to try to safely get to the other side of the room.

If all of the players safely make it to the other side of the room, all of the players win the game.

Should one or more players fail to reach the other side of the room within two turns, the players lose the game. You can rearrange the tiles and try again.

The Floor is Lava Board Game FAQ

If you have any questions about how to play the game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.

Components for The Floor is Lava

Components

  • Spinner
  • 25 Foam Stone Tiles
  • 27 Challenge Cards
  • Instructions

Year: 2018 | Publisher: Endless Games

Genres: Action, Children’s, Dexterity

Ages: 5+ | Number of Players: 2-6 | Length of Game: 10-20 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate


For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.