How To Play 5 Second Rule

Just Spit it Out! 3+ players, ages 10+

Here at Family Game Shelf, we love fasted paced, easy to learn word games. 5 Second Rule game fits that description to a tee. We love this game so much that we’ve created several 5 Second games for various games. You can see them here.

Some other faced paced words games that we like include: Outburst, Codenames and Scattergories; all of which you can find our versions in our FGS shop.

5 Second Rule Game Parts

The game comes with a unique timer. It is a long spiral that little balls roll down. It also makes a funky zoop sound when you first turn it over. (This made it interesting when it was all wrapped up in shiny gift paper.) The timer is a little distracting but overall adds to the fun of the game.

Object of the Game

The object of 5 Second Rule is to be the person with the most cards at the end of the game.

Setting Up 5 Second Rule

Before starting a game, players need to decide on how many rounds they will play. For shorter games, or games with a lot of players, choosing two or three rounds is a suggestion. On the other hand, for a longer game, or a game with fewer players, playing five or six rounds makes a good sized game.

How to Play 5 Second Rule

The idea of 5 Second Rule is simple; you have five seconds to name three of whatever the card is asking for. Sounds easy, however, the pressure and short time frame makes the answers harder to come up with.

The person on the left of the first player draws a card, reads the question and then flips over the timer. The player whose turn it is then has 5 seconds to answer. If he is successful, then he keeps the card and play moves to the left. However, if he isn’t successful, the player on his left then has five seconds to list three of that item—without repeating any answer from the first person. If that player is successful, she keeps the card. However, if she is not the next player gets a chance to answer, again without repeating any answer that was given already. If all layers have had a chance to answer but none have been successful, the original player gets to keep the cad by default.

Next, play the moves onto the player on the left of the first player and continues in this manner until all players have had a chance to answer a question card.

The second round then begins in the same way as the first and continues. The game is over when the last player has a chance to answer a question in the last round.

Winning 5 Second Rule

At the end of the set amount of rounds, players add up all of their won cards. The player with the most cards wins.

Tie-breaker

In the event of a tie, there should be a tie-breaker round where only the tied players play. Rounds are played until one winner ends with more cards than any other.

Acceptable Answers

When a player answers with a questionable answer, the group must decide if the answer is acceptable. Looking up an answer on line may be a quick way of deciding.

What we Like

We like fast games that have flexible game play time. 5 Second Rule fits this perfectly. The quality of the game is also really good. We also like that just about anyone can play. And we like that we can play with our friends online with no prep or needed parts on their end.

Another thing that we like is the funny timer that comes with the game. It’s funcky sound makes us laugh and the gentle swish on the balls winding down the spiral is not distracting or overpowering. And no loud click at the end!

What We Don’t Like

It might be us, but we find that the questions are hard. For example, “name 3 methods of shipping.” This is a thinker for sure. Or “name 3 celebrity couple break-ups.” We don’t follow the celebrity news very much, plus the kids don’t know very many celebrities to begin with. One more example would be “name 3 classic tale heroines.” We’re not really sure what qualifies for this one.

Also, the fact that if no one can answer the card correctly, the original player gets to keep the card seems strange to us.

Variations

We enjoyed this game so much that we created our own variations of this game. We have spring, summer and Christmas versions with over 100 questions for each edition. You can get these games in our Family Game Shelf Shop here. Not only are the questions themed to the season, but they are easier for kids to answer so younger kids can be included in the game. In our variations, we have cards discarded if no one answers them.
Check back often as we’re always adding new games.

Is 5 Second Rule Worth Adding to your Family Game Shelf?

5 Second Rule is a fun game for older kids and family members. It has a fast game play and requires little set up to play on line with friends. However, the questions in the original game can be challenging. I recommend this game for your Family Game Shelf, especially with the add on seasonal games that we created.

To get your copy of 5 Second Rule, shop here. Canadians can get their copy here. And don’t forget to check out our 5 Second Games here.

Rating:

Pros: easy, can play online, quality, no break away winners, fun timer
Cons: some hard questions,
Mom: speed, creativity,

If you’re looking for more game reviews, see our reviews here.
To find some fun dice games, see our dice game section here.
Card games are also fun, find your next family favorite in our card game section here.