How to Play Forty Forty
Forty Forty is a chasing and hiding game played outdoors, combining elements of hide-and-seek with a safe-base run. One player counts at a fixed base while everyone else hides, but unlike pure hide-and-seek, hiders must eventually make a dash for home and call the phrase to be safe. It is fast, loud, and genuinely exciting for a wide age range.
The game works best on a playground, in a park, or in a large garden where there are trees, walls, or other natural cover. It needs enough space for a proper sprint to base, and enough obstacles to make hiding worthwhile. Four players is a workable minimum; eight to fifteen is the sweet spot where the game really sings.
A little history
Forty Forty is a traditional British playground game whose precise origins are unclear. It is widely documented as a long-standing fixture of UK school playtimes, recorded in oral-tradition surveys of British children's games throughout the twentieth century. It belongs to a broad family of base-tag games found across Europe under various local names, but the specific name and calling phrase are closely associated with England and Scotland.
Setting up
- Choose a base: a wall, tree, post, or chalked circle that all players can physically touch. It must be clearly agreed before play starts.
- Agree the boundaries of the playing area so that hiders cannot stray into genuinely unsafe or out-of-bounds territory.
- Select the first player to be It. A counting-out rhyme or simple volunteer works fine.
- It stands at the base, faces it, and closes or covers their eyes. All other players scatter to find hiding spots.
- It counts aloud to forty at a steady pace, loudly enough for all players to hear. No counting in silence.
How to play
- It calls out 'Forty Forty, coming to find you!' (or simply 'Coming!') at the end of the count and begins searching.
- It must keep at least a reasonable proximity to the base when it first sets out; they cannot sprint instantly to a known hiding spot before others have had any chance to settle.
- When It spots a hider, It must race back to base, touch it, and call 'Forty Forty, I see [player's name]!' before that player can reach base themselves.
- If It touches the base and calls the name first, that hider is caught and sits out (or is assigned a penalty depending on the variation agreed before play).
- If the hider reaches base and touches it before It completes the call, the hider shouts 'Forty Forty, I'm home free!' and is safe. They may then re-hide or wait at base depending on house rules.
- It may also tag a hider physically if they are close enough in the field, before either player returns to base. A clear tag counts as a catch without requiring the base-touch-and-call sequence, provided this rule is agreed beforehand.
- While It is away from base chasing one player, other hiders may seize the opportunity to sprint for home. It must judge whether to pursue or return.
- Play continues until all hiders are either caught or declared home free.
- The first player caught becomes It in the next round. If no one is caught, the same player remains It.
- If the group prefers a cooperative scoring version, count the number of players It catches in a single round; the player who accumulates the most catches across several rounds wins overall.
Winning and scoring
The round ends when every hider is either caught or home free. If It catches all hiders before any reach base safely, It wins the round outright. In standard playground play the first player caught simply becomes the next It, so there is no single winner across the game as a whole. For a scored version, award It one point per catch and play a set number of rounds; the highest total wins. Hiders can be said to 'win' a round collectively if at least one of them reaches base safely without being caught.
The fine points
The most common dispute is whether It called the name before or after the hider touched base. The fairest standard ruling is that both the base-touch and the name-call must be completed; if the two events happen so close together that no one can clearly judge, the hider gets the benefit of the doubt and is ruled home free. Bystanders who are already out can act as neutral judges for close calls, and this should be agreed before play starts.
A second frequent argument concerns It leaving base before reaching forty. If other players witness a short count, the standard ruling is that It must return to base and recount from where they were accused of stopping, or from the beginning if the group cannot agree. On the question of tagging in the field versus the base-touch-and-call rule, the group must settle this before the first round; mixing the two systems mid-game causes arguments. Whichever method is chosen should apply for the whole session.
How to win more often
- As It, do not chase the first hider you see. Scan the whole area first; a hider who thinks they are unspotted is far less likely to bolt for home than one who knows you are watching them.
- As a hider, choose cover that is close enough to base for you to have a realistic sprint. A brilliant hiding spot fifty metres away usually ends in a catch.
- Watch It carefully. The moment It commits to chasing another player away from base, that is your window to run for home.
- As It, fake a move toward base without actually touching it. A nervous hider nearby may bolt early and give you a much shorter chase.
- Groups of hiders can coordinate loosely: if two or three run for home at the same moment, It can only race back and call one name, giving the others a free run.
Variations
Release Version
Caught players do not sit out permanently. Instead they stand at the base as prisoners. Any uncaught hider who manages to touch base and call 'Forty Forty, free them all!' releases all prisoners at once, forcing It to start the hunt again. This keeps everyone active throughout and suits larger groups well.
No-Man's Land
A second zone is marked partway between the base and the playing area boundary. Hiders may shelter there as a temporary resting point but cannot be declared home free until they complete the full run to base. This adds a tactical staging element and suits larger playing areas where a single sprint to base is too daunting for younger players.
Team Forty Forty
Players split into two even teams. One team hides while the other nominates a single It from their number. If It catches more than half the hiding team, the hiding team becomes the seeking team. If the hiding team gets enough players home free, they hide again next round. This version rewards group coordination and communication on both sides.
Timed Round
A time limit of three to five minutes is set per round using any watch or phone. At the buzzer, any hider not yet caught or home free is automatically counted as caught. This keeps rounds brisk, prevents It from becoming exhausted searching a large area indefinitely, and works well when you have a limited play session.
Forty Forty: frequently asked questions
Does It have to see you clearly to call you out, or does a guess count?
It must be able to identify the specific player by name or by a clear description everyone accepts. A wild guess that happens to be right is not a valid call in standard play; if the group cannot confirm It genuinely saw the named player, the call does not stand.
What happens if It and a hider reach base at exactly the same moment?
The hider is ruled safe. The burden is on It to be clearly first; any genuine tie goes to the hider. Having a neutral judge watch close finishes before play begins avoids most arguments.
Can hiders move between hiding spots while It is searching?
Yes, hiders may move freely as long as they are not on base. Creeping between spots is a legitimate tactic, though it carries the risk of being spotted in open ground.
Is there a minimum number of players needed for the game to work?
Four is the accepted minimum: one It and three hiders. With fewer than three hiders the game lacks the chaos and decision-making that makes it enjoyable. The game scales well up to around fifteen players.
Can It stand by the base and simply wait for hiders to make a run?
This is sometimes called 'camping' and many groups ban it with a house rule requiring It to actively search. If your group allows it, set a time limit after which It must leave base and search, or the round is declared a draw.
At what age is Forty Forty appropriate?
Six is a practical lower limit: children need to understand the counting rule, know the calling phrase, and be able to run and judge distances safely. Older children and adults play it just as readily, and mixed-age groups work well provided the boundaries and rules are clearly explained to younger players first.
Does the hider have to say the exact phrase 'Forty Forty, I'm home free'?
The exact wording varies by region and group. The important thing is that the hider clearly and audibly declares themselves safe while touching base. Agree your preferred phrase before the first round and stick to it so there are no disputes about mumbled or partial calls.
What stops It from just watching from the base without going to search?
Social pressure and boredom mostly, but if your group finds this is a problem, introduce a simple house rule: It must move at least ten paces from base within thirty seconds of finishing the count, and must continue actively searching. A player who witnesses It loitering can call it out and demand It moves.