4 young adults playing Rock Paper Scissors Wizard Croc around an ottoman

How to Play

Rock Paper Scissors Wizard Croc™ offers multiple ways for 2-4 people to play:

  • One-on-one, multi-round battles
  • Tournament-style play
  • Group play

In each case, the battle hierarchy is: Scissors cut Paper, Paper covers Rock, Rock clobbers Wizard, Wizard charms Croc, Croc crushes Scissors, Scissors startle Wizard, Wizard crumples Paper, Paper clips Croc, Croc chomps Rock, Rock breaks Scissors, and Wild cards beat all.

2 college guys playing Rock Paper Scissors Wizard Croc on a  porch. 1 deep in thought, the other smiling at his next move.

2 Players Compete One-on-One

Players engage in head-to-head battle.

  • Each player starts with 5 cards.
  • One person plays a card from their hand and the next person tries to beat it. Wild cards can stand in for any other card.
  • Play continues back and forth until someone cannot beat their opponent's card. That person loses the battle.
  • The first person to win 5 battles is crowned the champion.

Close-up view of an RPSWC player's hands holding Rock, Croc, and Scissors cards.

4 Players Compete Tournament-Style

When 4 people play tournament-style, they're broken into pairs and the pairs form brackets. Individuals within each pairing play each other head-to-head, as above. Then, the winners from each bracket face off in a best-of-7 final showdown.

Adult friend group playing RPSWC in an apartment setting to emphasize that the game is for both adults and kids.

2-4 People Compete in the Same Round, Taking Turns

Group play works more like a game of Uno, where all players participate in the same round and the first person to get rid of all of their cards is crowned the champion.

One person starts and play continues to the left. A player who does not possess an appropriate card when their turn arrives picks a card from the draw pile (and uses it on the spot, if applicable). Then, play moves on to the next person.

Colorful reference cards showing which cards beat which other cards.

The Battle Hierarchy

Scissors cut Paper, Paper covers Rock, Rock clobbers Wizard, Wizard charms Croc... Wild cards beat all.