How to play the domino run
- Add your names. Type or paste them into the list, one per line, up to 24. Each name gets a tile in its own colour at the end of a branch of the track.
- Choose a level. Press 🗺️ on the game to move through the five levels, or pick one under Level in Settings.
- Tip the first domino. Press Tip the first domino, tap the game or press the Space bar. A ball rolls into the first domino and the chain reaction begins.
- Follow the wave. The dominoes fall one after another along the track. At every fork a little switch flips just before the wave arrives and sends it down one branch, until the winner's tile topples with a burst.
Why a domino run?
A chain reaction is easy to follow from the back of a room: everyone can watch the wave travel, see each switch flip and guess where it is heading next. It is slower and more suspenseful than a quick spin, but it still ends in a few seconds.
The switches look as if they are making the choice, but they are not. The winner is chosen first with your browser's secure random generator, and the route is traced back from that winner's tile, so the run only acts out a result that already exists. Every name has the same chance, whichever level you play.
Ideas for the domino run
- Who answers next: put the class list on the staircase and let the wave tumble down the steps to the next speaker.
- Meeting order: tick Rank everyone and the names show the order for a round of updates.
- Party games: giant dominoes for who goes first, with big slow tips and a thud as each one lands.
- Prizes and chores: use the branching tree for a longer list, so everyone can follow the forks to their own name.
- Ready-made lists: start from one of our lists of names, teams or activities and change it to suit you.
Like every game on the site, the domino run uses the same list as the marble race, the claw machine and names in a hat, so you can switch games without typing the names again. Back to all the games.
Questions people ask
How does the domino run pick a name?
Every name sits on its own big tile at the end of a branch of the track. When you press Tip the first domino, your browser's secure random generator chooses the winner first. The game then traces the route back from that tile to the first domino, and the switches on the way simply act it out: each one flips as the wave arrives, but none of them decides anything. How the picking works explains the details.
What are the five levels?
Straight run: a long, straight line of dominoes, then a fan of switches with one ray per name. Spiral: the track winds inwards, past a switch and a tile for each name. Staircase: the wave zig-zags down the steps and tumbles over the edge of each one, with the names on the steps. Branching tree: a trunk that splits again and again, with the names hanging at both sides. Giant dominoes: a few big, spotted dominoes that tip slowly and heavily into a turntable. Press the 🗺️ Level button on the game to move to the next level, or choose one under Level in Settings.
How many names can I use?
Up to 24. Giant dominoes holds fewer: up to ten on a laptop or whiteboard and about eight on a phone. If a level cannot fit your list on the screen you are using, the game shows the branching tree instead and says so under the hint. Bigger lists switch to Quick pick, or try names in a hat.
Can I pick several winners or rank everyone?
Yes. Set Winners in Settings, or tick Rank everyone. After each run the dominoes stand back up in a quick rewind and the next run starts, in winning order. Each winner's tile stays down and its name gets a place number. With more than five winners, the first five runs are played and the remaining places appear on their tiles straight after.
Is it a good domino effect game for kids?
Yes. There is nothing to sign up for or download, the names are large and clear, and it works well on a classroom whiteboard. Children can tap the game to tip the first domino themselves. If a device is set to reduce motion, the toppled path to the winner appears with a short fade instead of the run.
Can we use it for team building?
It works well as a light warm-up. Put the team's names in and tick Rank everyone to set the order for a round of updates, or use it on a shared screen to pick who chooses the next activity. Everyone can follow the wave, so nobody wonders whether the pick was fair.