Twister is a staple at any party, giving you a chance to loosen your tie, pull off your loafers, and get yourself into all sorts of precarious positions.  Unlike many board games in which everyone sits around a table moving pieces around a board, Twister gives you a chance to move your body and enjoy a wacky intertwining of limbs and body parts with your friends and family.  This party game is sure to liven up even the most boring of parties and keep you going round after round.

That Hits the Spot

Twister is played with a large vinyl playing mat lined with colored dots.  Each dot is around 6 inches in diameter, arranged in an array of 6 x 4.  Dots come in the colors of blue, green, red, and yellow, which correspond to the various colors on the spinner.  Each turn, players will have to put one of their hands or feet on a certain color dot on the mat without falling over.

At the beginning of each round, one player is designated the moderator whose role is to spin the spinner, which will land on one of those four colors.  Each player will then have to put either their left hand, right hand, left foot, or right foot on a dot with that color.  While the first few rounds are pretty easy, the game gets progressively harder as players try to reach over one another to place certain body parts on spaces without falling over.

The only way you can take off one of your hands or feet from a certain space is if the spinner tells you to move it to a different color.  However, if the spinner tells you to put your left hand on green (for example) and your left hand is already on green, then you have to move it to a different spot of the same color.  This will force you to move around each turn and make it much more difficult to keep your balance.

Winning Twister

A player gets eliminated when they either lose their balance or touch an elbow or knee to the ground.  The game continues until only one player is left on the mat without having lost their balance.  You can then begin the game again for another round, giving a new person the role of moderator and allowing everyone a chance to join in on the fun.

One of the toughest parts of Twister is that no two players can share the same spot (if you’re playing it with only two players).  This will have you rushing to claim the closest space to you in order to more easily keep your balance.  If you move too slow, you run the risk of losing the space to one of your rivals and being forced to put your body part on a space much further away.

Different Versions of Twister

Twister has been an American classic ever since actress Eva Gabor played it with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show in 1966.  Since then, there have been many different versions of the game. One of the most intriguing variations of Twister is Blindfolded Twister, which uses four different tactile symbols on the mat.  In this version of the game, players are blindfolded and forced to find the right circle by using their sense of touch.

Don’t Get Spun Out with Twister

Twister is playable by 2-4 players, although one additional player can act as the moderator and switch out in between rounds.  This party game is suitable for ages 6 and up, as the rules are incredibly simple to learn.  Playing time lasts around 10 minutes, but you can keep the game going as long as you like by playing more rounds.

Twister is a classic party game that is great for breaking the ice and putting people in funny and precarious positions.  It’s definitely a game that doesn’t shy away from the physical, so make sure you’re nice and limber before you roll out the Twister mat—otherwise you just might end up losing your balance! Try your best to hold onto your balance and buy Twister today.