How to play Tag
- Orange starts at the bottom of the playground (the left on a wide screen) and Purple at the top (the right).
- One player is it and wears the yellow cap. The other player runs. The players take turns to start a round as it.
- Tag! When it touches the other player, the cap jumps across: now the other player is it.
- Count to two. The new it has to stand still for two seconds before chasing, while a yellow ring round them runs down. That's your moment to get away. It also means you can't be tagged straight back.
- It is a little faster. Whoever is it runs a tenth faster than the player running away, so a good chaser can always catch up in the end.
- Run round things. Trees, bushes, benches, slides, hedges, the climbing frame and the pond are in the way of both players. You can run straight across sand, flowers and painted lines.
- Time! A round lasts one minute. Whoever is it when the time runs out loses the round. A tick sounds for each of the last five seconds.
- First to 3 rounds wins. Each round moves on to the next playground: the park, the school yard, the garden and the adventure playground.
Each player has a sign at their own end of the playground, facing them: it says "You're it!" or "Run!", shows the time left, and fills in a dot for every round they've won.
Controls
| Device | Orange | Purple |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Put a finger down anywhere in the bottom half and drag the way you want to run | The same in the top half |
| Mouse (vs computer) | Hold the button down and point where you want to run | — |
| Keyboard | W A S D | ↑ ↓ ← → |
On a touchscreen, a little joystick appears where you put your finger down, drawn in your colour. Drag a short way to walk and a little further to run at full speed; if your finger goes past the edge of the joystick, the joystick follows it, so you can turn round quickly. Against the computer you can drag anywhere on the screen and use either set of keys.
With 2 Players, hold the phone upright between you or lay it flat on a table: Orange steers with the bottom half and Purple with the top half, and you both run at the same time. On a tablet or laptop the playground turns sideways, and you take the left and right halves instead.
Computer levels
The computer plays by the same rules as you: when it's it, it gets the same extra tenth of speed you get, and it has to wait its two seconds after a tag. It looks round the playground every so often, plans a way round the obstacles, and then runs. It's never faster than you, and the lower levels are slower.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Runs at about seven tenths of your speed and looks round only about twice a second. It runs straight away from you, stops to watch when you're far off, and now and then stops or runs the wrong way for a moment. |
| Medium | Runs at nine tenths of your speed and looks round about three times a second. It runs where you'd have furthest to go round the obstacles to reach it, keeps out of corners, and when it's it, aims a little ahead of where you're running. |
| Hard | Runs at 95% of your speed and reacts in about a quarter of a second. It runs round trees, benches and the climbing frame to keep them between you, never runs where you'd get to first, and heads you off towards the fence. |
| Expert | Runs as fast as you and reacts in about a tenth of a second. It plays like Hard but more precisely, and when you get close behind it round a tree, it breaks away to the next one. |
Tips to win
- Keep something between you. A tree or a bench between you and it means it has to run round too. Go round the same way it does, staying on the far side.
- Stay out of corners. A corner is where runners get caught. Keep to the open middle with something nearby to run round.
- Run as soon as you tag. The new it can't move for two seconds. Use them to put a tree between you.
- As it, take the inside line. Run close round a tree or bench: you're a little faster, so you catch up. Turning back suddenly can catch a runner coming the other way.
- Watch the clock. A tag in the last two seconds can't be answered, because the new it is still waiting when the time runs out.
About Tag
Tag is played in playgrounds all over the world, under many names. In Scotland and parts of northern England it's called tig, and in Australia it's sometimes called chasey. Chasing games like it go back a long way: in a poem, the Greek poet Erinna, who probably lived in the fourth century BC, remembers playing one called "tortoise" with her childhood friend, in which the tortoise chased the others and whoever was caught became the next tortoise.
There are many ways to play. In freeze tag, tagged players stand still until another player frees them with a touch, and in some games safe places called bases protect you from being caught. Players often choose who is it first with a counting-out rhyme or a round of Rock Paper Scissors. Some groups also add a rule against tagging straight back the player who has just tagged you, or make the new it wait before chasing. Our two-player version keeps that waiting rule and adds a clock, so that every round has a winner, and a fair computer opponent for when nobody else is around.
Questions
How do you play tag?
One player is it and chases the other. When it touches the other player, that player becomes it and has to chase in turn. In this game the round lasts a minute, and whoever is it when the time runs out loses the round. The first to win 3 rounds wins.
Why does the new it have to wait?
So you can't be tagged straight back by the player you just tagged. Many playground groups have a rule like this, often called "no tag-backs". Here the new it stands still for two seconds while a ring round them runs down.
Why does it run faster?
With exactly the same speed, a runner could circle a tree forever and never be caught. A tenth more speed means a chaser who keeps going will catch up in the end. It works the same way for everyone: you get it when you're it, and so does the computer.
Can two people play tag on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players. Each of you steers with your own half of the screen, and you both run at the same time. A tablet gives you more room, and on a computer one player can use W A S D and the other the arrow keys.
Is the computer faster than me?
Never. On Expert it runs exactly as fast as you, and on the other levels it's slower. When the computer is it, it gets the same extra tenth of speed you get when you're it.
How long is a game of tag?
Each round lasts one minute, and a game ends when someone has won 3 rounds, so it takes 3 to 5 rounds: about three to six minutes with the short breaks between rounds.
What other names does tag have?
It's called tig in parts of northern England and in Scotland, and sometimes chasey in Australia. In the United States it's usually tag.
Is Tag free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 11 November 2026