Red light, green light: rules and the Squid Game version
Red light, green light is a playground game: one caller faces away and shouts "green light" so everyone runs, then spins around on "red light". Anyone caught moving goes back to the start. First to tag the caller wins.
How to play
- 1. Set up. The caller stands at one end. Everyone else lines up at the other end.
- 2. Green light. The caller turns away and says "green light". Players walk or run toward them.
- 3. Red light. The caller says "red light" and turns around. Everyone freezes.
- 4. Caught. Anyone the caller sees moving goes back to the start line.
- 5. Win. The first player to touch the caller wins and becomes the next caller.
The Squid Game version
In Korea the same game is called "the hibiscus flower has bloomed", after the words the caller sings. Netflix's Squid Game (2021) used it as its first challenge, with a giant doll as the caller. That scene made the game famous around the world.
The show is for adults. The playground game is not. Kids can play the doll version with a song and freezes, and nobody goes anywhere but back to the start.
Twists that keep it fun
- Yellow light. Players must move in slow motion.
- Animal moves. Each green light, the caller names an animal and you move like it.
- Carry something. Run with a cup of water. Spill it and you restart.
A red-light game on Roam
Mind Your Peas turns red light into a dinner-table stealth game. The line on the card: eat your peas, and do not let me see you eat them. Move only when the watcher looks away.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own red light game with Roam
Describe the place, the caller and the finish line. Roam builds it, and your friends can race you. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "red light green light in our school hallway, my friend is the giant doll, 8 players, freeze or restart"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
What are the rules of red light green light?
Move on green, freeze on red. If the caller sees you move, you go back to the start. Touch the caller to win.
What is red light green light called in Korea?
"The hibiscus flower has bloomed", from the line the caller sings.
Is red light green light from Squid Game?
No. It is an old playground game. Squid Game (2021) made a famous version of it.