How to Play the Countdown Dice Game

The Countdown dice game is a fast and easy game that is good for a group of any size—it could be a great New Year’s Eve game.

We love a good fast and easy dice game around here. Games like Twenty-One, Come on Six and Thunderstorm are all favorites to join this new game.

In this post we will cover how to play, the rules and how to win. Let’s get to it.

This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

What You Need For Countdown Dice

You will need just one dice and a pen a paper to keep score. If you need new dice, and who doesn’t need more dice?, you can shop here; Canadians here.

Playing Countdown Dice

The object of Countdown is to stay in the game.

To start, you will need  to pick a number to countdown from. This number is usually 5 times the number of players. So if you have four players then the Countdown number would be 20.  Next, you will need to roll the dice to see who will roll first. You can do this by rolling for the highest number.

On your turn, you will roll the dice and either subtract the number you rolled from the countdown number or add to it. See the chart below to see what your roll will have you do.

One = minus one from the number.
Two = minus two from the number.
Three = minus three from the number.
Four = minus four from the number.
Five = PLUS five to the number.
Six = minus six from the number but you will then have to roll again.

After rolling 1 to 5, your turn will be over and the next player will roll. If you roll a six, you will take away 6 from the number and then take another roll.

The number keeps getting lower (or added to if you roll a 5). When you roll a number that will have the Countdown number be 0 or less, you are out of the round. You will now get to choose a new Countdown number for the others to play from.

Winning Countdown Dice

The last player in the game is the winner.

Sample Game

The Countdown number is 30.
The first player rolls a 1 so the number is now 29.
Player two rolls a 3 and the number is now 26.
Player three rolls a 6 and the number is now 20 and player three rolls again and gets a 3 and the number is now 17.
When player four rolls, she rolls a 5 and adds 5 to make the number 22.

It is now the first player’s turn and he rolls a 4 to make it 18.
Player two also rolls a 4 to make 14.
Player three rolls a 3 to make 11.
When player four rolls, she rolls a 6 to make the number 5. She rolls again and gets 2 to make 3.

Player one rolls and get a 5 to add to the number so it is now 8.
Player two rolls a 3 to go back to 5.
Player three rolls a 6 and is now out of the game as her number would be -1.

Play as a New Year’s Eve Game

We think this would make a great game for New Year’s Eve. To play, you would have the Countdown number be the last two digits of the New Year. For example, in 2026 the Countdown number would be 27 for the New Year 2027. You could pair this with the Midnight dice game for a great combo.

Count on Fun

The Countdown dice game is a fast and easy game that players of all ages will love playing. Get the printable rules here.

To make a nice dice game night pair this game with Up Down Safe, Help Your Neighbour dice game, and the Shark Bite dice game. Be sure to visit the Family Game Shelf shop to find more games to complete the game night with favorites like our Whacky Putt mini golf dice game, Dice Sticks and so much more.