Setup
- Place the card box and timer in the middle of the table where everyone can reach it.
- Choose how many rounds you will play. The game recommends two or three rounds for larger groups and four to five rounds for smaller groups.
- The person who owns the game starts as the player in the Hot Seat. Play moves clockwise during the game.
How to Play 5 Second Rule
In each round all of the players will get one turn as the first player in the Hot Seat. Each turn begins with the player currently in the Hot Seat. The player on their left takes one of the cards from the box and reads it aloud. Each card begins with “Name 3” and then a category.
After the player reads the card, they will flip over the timer. The player in the Hot Seat now has five seconds to name at least three answers that match the current category. You can give any answer as long as it matches the current category. If you give an answer that is questionable to the other players, a vote is held over whether the answer should count. Should a majority of players think it should count, it will count. If a majority of the players don’t think it should count, it won’t count.
The goal is to try and name three answers before the timer runs out. The timer runs out when the last ball reaches the bottom of the timer. If a player names at least three acceptable answers before the timer runs out, they score a point. They will take the current card to represent the point they scored.
Should the player fail to give three acceptable answers before the timer runs out, they do not score a point. The player on their right is then put on the Hot Seat. The timer is turned over again, and this new player has to try and give three answers before the timer runs out. They cannot give any answers given by a previous player for the current category. If they get enough answers in time, they score the point/card. If they fail to get enough answers, play passes to the player on their right.
The category keeps passing until either one player is able to get three answers in time, or the Hot Seat gets back to the player who first had it. Should the category return to the first player on the Hot Seat, the first Hot Seat player takes the card and scores the point.
After someone scores the point for the turn, the player to the right of the player that started on the Hot Seat starts the next turn on the Hot Seat. The player on their left takes a card and reads it off. This turn is then played in the same way as the previous round.
Winning the Game
The game ends after the agreed upon number of rounds have been played. For each round all of the players get to start one category on the Hot Seat.
All of the players count up how many points/cards they collected in the game. The player that collected the most cards wins the game.
If there is a tie for the most points, the tied players will play another category. The oldest player starts in the Hot Seat. Whichever player scores the point, wins the game.
5 Second Rule Components
- 288 Cards
- Card Box
- 5 Second Timer
- Instructions
Year: 2010 | Publisher: Patch Products, PlayMonster | Designer: Michael Sistrunk | Artist: Henrik Tistling
Genres: Family, Party, Trivia
Ages: 10+ | Number of Players: 3-6 | Length of Game: 20-30 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.