Official Qwirkle Rules
How To Play Qwirkle
2 - 4
Players
6+
Ages
45 MIN
Play Time
$18
Price
The game of Qwirkle combines logic, strategy, and creativity. Create columns and rows of matching and colors and shapes to score points. Try to place tiles that match multiple pieces by shape and color to earn more points.
There are 108 tiles in the game, each with a unique combination of shape and color. Each player starts with 6 tiles, and the remaining tiles are placed face down to form the draw pile. On a turn, a player places up to 6 tiles from their hand onto the table. The tiles must either match in color or shape, but not both. When a player completes a line of tiles, they score points equal to the number of tiles in the line. If a player completes multiple lines in a turn, they score points for each line.
The game ends when the draw pile is depleted and one player has placed all of their tiles. The player with the highest score wins. Bonus points are awarded when a Qwirkle (a line of 6 tiles) is placed and is worth an extra 6 points.
The player with the most points wins. Qwirkle is easy to learn and great for families of various ages. With a different game setup every time, you'll be faced with new challenges every game. Check out the game rules and instructions to get started. Play Qwirkle today!
There are 108 tiles in the game, each with a unique combination of shape and color. Each player starts with 6 tiles, and the remaining tiles are placed face down to form the draw pile. On a turn, a player places up to 6 tiles from their hand onto the table. The tiles must either match in color or shape, but not both. When a player completes a line of tiles, they score points equal to the number of tiles in the line. If a player completes multiple lines in a turn, they score points for each line.
The game ends when the draw pile is depleted and one player has placed all of their tiles. The player with the highest score wins. Bonus points are awarded when a Qwirkle (a line of 6 tiles) is placed and is worth an extra 6 points.
The player with the most points wins. Qwirkle is easy to learn and great for families of various ages. With a different game setup every time, you'll be faced with new challenges every game. Check out the game rules and instructions to get started. Play Qwirkle today!
- Mensa Select Award
- Parents' Choice Gold Award
- Major Fun Award
- Your Qwirkle Game Should Come With 108 Shape/color Blocks
- Official Qwirkle Game Rules And Instructions
Become the Qwirkle master by adding blocks to the grid to score the most points.
Please keep in mind that the official Qwirkle PDF rules listed below could be different depending on the version you have. They should be an exact copy of what came in your original packaging. Download them to view now or print them for later use.
Share with us your comments, funny stories, tips, advice, strategies, creative ways to play, questions about playing, problems with the directions, etc. All submissions will be reviewed within 24 hours.
Dave says:
If you use all 6 of your tiles on the first move, do you pick 6 more and continue playing
03-13-2022
If you use all 6 of your tiles on the first move, do you pick 6 more and continue playing
Mark says:
Question: given that in Quirkle we're trying to build this 6x6 grid, how do you add to it properly? I mean, we have incomplete rows & columns but how are we to properly expand that 6x6 block?
02-03-2021
Question: given that in Quirkle we're trying to build this 6x6 grid, how do you add to it properly? I mean, we have incomplete rows & columns but how are we to properly expand that 6x6 block?
David says:
Does anyone also play this variation of "Quirkle": A line of tiles with different colours AND different shapes ( a type of rule taken from "Set"?
07-18-2019
Does anyone also play this variation of "Quirkle": A line of tiles with different colours AND different shapes ( a type of rule taken from "Set"?
Anna says:
We changed the rules to play this way: The one who plays all tiles first does not get to add 6 pts; however a game is over and other players need to deduct their leftover tiles. We also play w 10-12-15 tiles to start. Makes game go faster.
02-21-2018
We changed the rules to play this way: The one who plays all tiles first does not get to add 6 pts; however a game is over and other players need to deduct their leftover tiles. We also play w 10-12-15 tiles to start. Makes game go faster.
Aggie says:
Bev, I ran into the same problem today. Did you ever get an "official" answer, other than Bernie's "I would assume . . . "? (My daughter and I have played 528 games in the past five years and this is the first time we have encountered this funny situation.)
06-15-2017
Bev, I ran into the same problem today. Did you ever get an "official" answer, other than Bernie's "I would assume . . . "? (My daughter and I have played 528 games in the past five years and this is the first time we have encountered this funny situation.)
Andrew says:
I wouldn't classify this as a children's game. The game rules are easy to learn how to play although the scoring can be a bit tricky adding up everything. There are so many possibilities. Qwirkle is one of my favorite games to play.
03-29-2017
I wouldn't classify this as a children's game. The game rules are easy to learn how to play although the scoring can be a bit tricky adding up everything. There are so many possibilities. Qwirkle is one of my favorite games to play.
Shawn says:
Just played this game for the first time last weekend. Very easy to learn how to play and was able to involve everyone. I'll have to pick this up at the store next time I'm there. Would recommend Qwirkle.
09-19-2016
Just played this game for the first time last weekend. Very easy to learn how to play and was able to involve everyone. I'll have to pick this up at the store next time I'm there. Would recommend Qwirkle.
Michael says:
@Miggie as long as your tiles are part of the same group (same shape/dif color vice versa) you can. @Bev if you can't play a tile you have to pass. Regardless of when it happens. Though some people have a mulligan rule at the start of the game (if all your tiles are different shapes AND different colors you redraw). Also, keep in mind that you can change the rules to make it more interesting, challenging or faster. Personally I prefer starting with 7 tiles versus 6 and it makes a huge difference.
06-07-2015
@Miggie as long as your tiles are part of the same group (same shape/dif color vice versa) you can. @Bev if you can't play a tile you have to pass. Regardless of when it happens. Though some people have a mulligan rule at the start of the game (if all your tiles are different shapes AND different colors you redraw). Also, keep in mind that you can change the rules to make it more interesting, challenging or faster. Personally I prefer starting with 7 tiles versus 6 and it makes a huge difference.
Miggie says:
if a title is on the board is open, can I add to doth ends ?
03-26-2014
if a title is on the board is open, can I add to doth ends ?
Bernie says:
I would assume that when all of the tiles are used up and someone can't play, that he/she passes and play goes on to the next person. This would continue untill all of the tiles are uded up.
02-27-2014
I would assume that when all of the tiles are used up and someone can't play, that he/she passes and play goes on to the next person. This would continue untill all of the tiles are uded up.
Bev says:
At the end of the game when the tiles are all used up, what happens when the one player has one tile left, but cannot play it anywhere on the board? The other player had one tile left and was able to play it. Does the game end with player 1 who could not exchange the tile (tiles all used up) or play it on the board or does player 2 get an opportunity to play his last tile and player 1's turn would just be skipped?
09-16-2013
At the end of the game when the tiles are all used up, what happens when the one player has one tile left, but cannot play it anywhere on the board? The other player had one tile left and was able to play it. Does the game end with player 1 who could not exchange the tile (tiles all used up) or play it on the board or does player 2 get an opportunity to play his last tile and player 1's turn would just be skipped?
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