How turns work with more than one player
With more than one player, each Shut the Box turn is the same as a solo game. The player opens all nine tiles, rolls, shuts tiles and keeps rolling until no open tiles match the roll. They add up the open tiles, write the score down and pass the box on. If a player shuts the box, they usually win the round straight away.
Who goes first?
One common way to decide who goes first in Shut the Box is for each player to roll the dice; the highest roll starts. Play then moves clockwise round the table.
How to play Shut the Box with 2 players
Two-player Shut the Box uses the normal rules: take turns, and the lower score wins. Many pairs play several rounds and keep a running total, because one round is decided mostly by the dice.
There is also a two-player variation sometimes called the long game. The first player tries to shut the box as normal. When their turn ends, the second player takes the box exactly as it is and tries to open every shut tile again, using the same rules for the totals. Rolling a double gives an extra turn, and the first player to shut the box, or to open it completely, wins.
How to play 4 player Shut the Box
Four people can play Shut the Box with an ordinary box by taking turns, one after another. Four-player boxes, sometimes called 4-way boxes, have four sets of tiles, one for each player. With one pair of dice, or dice all the same colour, players still take turns and flip only their own tiles. If each player has dice of a different colour and the box is big enough, everyone can roll at the same time.
Playing with 6 or more players
Six or more players can play Shut the Box with one box by taking turns, as long as everyone is happy to wait. Some larger boxes are made for six players. A quicker choice for a big group is to play rounds to a points limit, so players drop out as the game goes on.
Scoring a game between players
In a game between players, each Shut the Box score is the sum of that player's open tiles, and the lowest score wins the round. For a longer game, add each round to a running total. In one popular version a player drops out when their total reaches 45, and the last player left wins. The Shut the Box scoring page has other scoring rules and a free score sheet.
Playing against friends at a distance
Our daily Shut the Box game gives everyone in the world the same dice each day. You and your friends can each play the same game on your own phones and compare scores afterwards, which works like a two- or four-player game with no box and no waiting.
After any game, Challenge a friend sends a link with your score and the exact same dice, so they play your game and see who won. To play together in the same room, choose Friends above the game: two to six players take turns on one phone, and the lowest score wins.