Manhunt Join a game

Printable Manhunt rules

One page with everything a group needs to play Manhunt: setup, teams, touch tags, jail, jailbreak, winning and the safety rules. It prints on US Letter or A4 in black and white. Free to print and share for camps, youth groups, classrooms and sleepovers; if you post it online, please link back to manhuntgame.com.

Read the full rules

Tip: in the print dialog, turn off "Headers and footers" for the cleanest page.

The outdoor chase game

MANHUNT

4–30 players (best 6–20)
15–30 min rounds
Outdoors, day or night

Hunters find and tag runners inside the boundary. Tagged runners go to jail. Free runners can break them out. Hunters win if every runner is caught at the same time. Runners win if anyone is free when time runs out.

Setup

  1. Boundary. Walk the edges. Roads, water and private property are always out.
  2. Jail. One landmark near the middle. "In jail" = within about 20 big steps of it.
  3. Teams. About 1 hunter per 3–4 players: 4–5 → 1 · 6–9 → 2 · 10–13 → 3 · 14–17 → 4 · 18–21 → 5 · 22 → 6
  4. Time. Head start 2–4 min. Hunt 15–30 min.

Play

  1. Head start. Hunters wait at jail, eyes closed. Count the last 10 seconds out loud.
  2. Hunt. Hunters search. Runners hide, sneak and run. Stay inside the boundary.
  3. Tag = a light two-finger touch on the shoulder or back. Not sure? It didn't count.
  4. Caught? Walk straight to jail. You can't be tagged or free anyone on the way.

Jailbreak

  1. A free runner who reaches jail untagged tags a prisoner's hand and shouts "Jailbreak!" Everyone in jail is free.
  2. Freed runners get a 20-second head start (count it out loud) before they can be tagged again.
  3. Guarding jail: only standing in the open, where runners can see you.

End

  1. Time's up? Call "Olly olly oxen free!" Everyone returns to jail.
  2. Headcount before anything else.
  3. Next round: the first runners caught become the hunters.

Safety rules

  • No tackling, grabbing or pushing. Ever.
  • Public places only. No roofs, cars, sheds, water or climbing.
  • Never hide on or near a road.
  • Safety word: "FREEZE" stops the game for everyone.
  • At night: carry a light, stay in pairs if younger.
Our house rules: