Flip cards one at a time. Stop whenever you like and keep them. But if you flip a machine that's already in your line, you CRASH and lose the lot. At the end, your best card on each machine scores its number, and every extra card is worth 1 point.
WHAT'S IN THE DECK
45 Machine cards: five arcade machines, each numbered 1–9:
Star BlasterTurbo FistsDungeon DashNeon RacerHalfpipe Hero
9 Special cards: 4 × 1-UP, 3 × GLITCH!, 2 × I GOT NEXT!
SETUP
Shuffle all 54 cards into a face-down deck. Leave room for a discard pile.
Whoever played a video game most recently goes first. Play passes to the left.
Last-in-line head start: the player on the first player's right (last to go) flips cards from the deck until a Machine card shows up and puts it in their score pile. Shuffle any specials flipped along the way back into the deck.
YOUR TURN
Flip the top card face up into your Play Line. After each flip, choose:
FLIP AGAIN: a new machine is safe. A machine that's already in your line means CRASH!
CASH IN: move every Machine card in your line to your score pile. Group them by machine and fan them so everyone can see. Discard any 1-UPs. Your turn ends.
CRASH: your turn ends and your line is discarded, but first comes the Hand-Me-Down. The player with the fewest cards in their score pile takes 1 Machine card of their choice from your crashed line, if they have fewer cards than you. If players tie, the one closest to your left takes it.
PERFECT RUN
Get all 5 machines in one line and everyone shouts "HIGH SCORE!" You automatically cash in, then take another turn.
SPECIAL CARDS
1-UP (Extra Life): stays in your line. If you would crash, discard the 1-UP and the matching card instead and keep going. More than one 1-UP stacks. Discard them when you cash in or crash.
GLITCH!: everyone shouts "BLOW THE CARTRIDGE!" while you blow on the deck. Discard it. You must then flip 2 more cards before you can cash in.
I GOT NEXT!: your quarter's on the ledge. Discard it, then steal 1 Machine card from any other player's score pile and put it in your score pile. It never enters your line, so it's safe.
WHEN THE DECK RUNS OUT
First time: everyone shouts "CONTINUE?" and counts down "10… 9… 8…" while someone shuffles the discard pile into a new deck. The current turn keeps going.
Second time: GAME OVER. The current player cashes in their line automatically. Time to score!
SCORING
For each machine in your score pile, your highest card scores its number.
Every other card of that machine scores 1 point (a "ticket").
Highest total wins. If players tie, the most cards wins. Still tied? Share the win and play a rematch.
EXAMPLE TURN
Maya flips Neon Racer 6 (safe) and then Star Blaster 2 (safe). Next comes a GLITCH! Everyone yells "BLOW THE CARTRIDGE!", so she must flip 2 more. First is a 1-UP, and she keeps it in her line. Second is Neon Racer 3, a repeat! Her 1-UP saves her, so she discards the 1-UP and the Racer 3. Now she's free to choose. She has 2 machines in her line, so about 1 flip in 3 would crash her. She flips Halfpipe Hero 8. She decides not to push it and cashes in the Racer 6, Blaster 2 and Halfpipe 8. Had she crashed, Dad would have the fewest cards, so he'd grab the Halfpipe 8 as a Hand-Me-Down.
Young or brand-new players get one free save every turn, as if they started each turn with a 1-UP. In our computer-simulated games (not human playtests), a kid who cashes in at 3 cards won about 28% of games against three careful grown-ups. A fair share would be 25%.
PRO TIPS FOR GROWN-UPS
With 1 machine in your line, about 1 flip in 6 crashes you. With 2 it's 1 in 3, and with 3 it's about 1 in 2.
Keep an eye on the discard pile. If a machine is mostly gone, it's safer to push.
A 1-UP is your license to push. A Glitch can ruin a fat line.
Steal the card that helps you and hurts the leader.
QUICK REFERENCE: Flip → new machine = safe · repeat machine = CRASH (unless 1-UP) · stop any time = CASH IN · 5 different = HIGH SCORE! + extra turn · Glitch = shout + flip 2 · I Got Next = steal 1 · deck out once = CONTINUE? · twice = GAME OVER · Score = best card per machine + 1 per extra card.