Looking for a specific Zingo! rule?: | Setup | Playing the Game | Winning the Game | Variant Games | FAQ | Components |
Objective of Zingo!
The objective of Zingo! is to be the first player to cover all of the spots on your board with matching tiles.
Setup
- Remove the top from the Zingo! Zinger.
- Take out all of the tiles and mix them up. Then return them to the Zinger in two equal stacks. Place the top back on the Zinger.
- The Zinger should be placed where all of the players can see it.
- The players need to decide whether they are going to use the green or red side of the cards. The green side are easier as they share less pictures with the other cards. The red side is more competitive as the cards share more pictures.
- Each player takes a card and places it with the chosen side face up.
- Choose whether one player will be the dealer or if the role will rotate throughout the game.
Playing Zingo!
Each turn begins with the dealer sliding the Zinger forward and then backwards. This will reveal two tiles.
All of the players will look at the two tiles that are now visible. You are looking to see if either of these tiles match one of the uncovered spots on your gameboard.
If you see a match you should call out the image name as quickly as possible. The first player to call out a tile gets to take it and places it on the corresponding image on their card.
Should two or more players call for a tile at the same time, whoever called for it first gets to take it. If it is not clear who called out first, neither player gets the tile. It is slid through the slot in the top of the Zinger.
The other tile that is not taken by a player is returned to the Zinger. You will slide the tile through the slot at the top.
Should you call for a tile that you don’t need, if another player needs it they get to take it.
Winning Zingo!
The first player to cover all of the spots on their gameboard says “Zingo!”. This player wins the game.
Variant Games
There are a number of different variant games in the rules that change up the gameplay. Instead of playing by the normal rules, you can choose to use one of these variants.
Mini-Zingo!
The game is played the same as the main game. Instead of having to cover all of the spots on your board though, you only need to cover three spaces in a row in order to win the game.
Zany Zingo!
There are a number of patterns you can choose to play. To win the game you have to create one of the patterns on your board.
Multi-Card Zingo!
You can play the game where each player has two or more cards. The first player to complete one of their cards wins the game.
Zingo! FAQ
If you have any questions about how to play Zingo!, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.
Components
- 72 tiles
- 6 cards
- Zinger
- Instructions
Year: 2002 | Publisher: ThinkFun | Designer: Theora Design
Genres: Children’s, Educational
Ages: 4+ | Number of Players: 2-8 | Length of Game: 5-10 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate-High
For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.
