Manhunt rules

By Aryan, the Manhunt IRL team · Updated September 26, 2026

Manhunt is an outdoor chase game that mixes hide-and-seek and tag. Hunters try to find and tag runners inside agreed boundaries. Tagged runners go to jail, and a free teammate can release them with a jailbreak. Hunters win if every runner is caught at the same time; runners win if anyone is still free when time runs out.

Manhunt is a folk game with no official rulebook (see its history), so groups play it in slightly different ways. This page is the complete, standard version: two teams, a jail, a head start, touch tags and jailbreaks. It takes about two minutes to read aloud before the first round. The numbered rules need nothing but a timer; where the Manhunt app does something differently, a short “In the app” note says so. First time hosting? Start with the step-by-step guide.

The rules at a glance

Two ways people play Manhunt

Depending on where you grew up, “Manhunt” means one of two games.

• Jailbreak Manhunt (the version on this page): a few hunters chase many runners, and caught runners go to jail until a teammate frees them.
• Build-up Manhunt is the reverse: one or two people hide and everyone else hunts, or every tagged runner joins the hunters until one survivor is left. It’s sometimes called “reverse hide-and-seek”, and it’s the same idea as Infection.

Some neighborhoods also tag differently: the hunter has to hold the runner with both hands and chant “Manhunt, manhunt, 1-2-3!” before the tag counts. All of these are Manhunt. Pick one before the first round and nobody argues later.

1. How many hunters should there be?

Split into hunters (sometimes called seekers, “it” or cops) and runners (hiders or robbers). About a quarter of the group should hunt, rounded to the nearest whole player:

Hunters have to physically catch people, so they need more of a share than the “it” in tag. If one side wins twice in a row, move one player across.

2. How big should the boundary be?

Agree on the edges of the playing area before anyone runs, and walk or point them out so nobody can claim they didn’t know. Good boundaries are things you can see in the dark: a fence line, the edge of a field, the end of the block.

A good starting size is a circle about 90 meters plus 12 meters per runner from the middle to the edge:

• Too big and the game drags; too small and it’s over in five minutes.
• Leave out anything dangerous. Roads, water, railways, rooftops, construction sites and anyone’s private yard are out of bounds, even if they’re physically inside the area.
• Going out of bounds. A runner who leaves the area is caught. A hunter who leaves the area can’t tag anyone until they come back.

3. Where is jail?

Pick one spot as jail (also called base, home or the prison). Most groups use the place the game starts: a tree, a bench, a porch light, a lamppost. It should be roughly in the middle of the area, easy to find in the dark, and away from traffic.

Anyone within about 20 meters (roughly 25 big steps) of the jail landmark is “in jail.”

4. How does the head start work?

Everyone gathers at jail. The hunters close their eyes or face the jail and count while the runners scatter and hide. A typical head start is 2 to 4 minutes: shorter for a small yard, longer for a big park. Hunters say the final ten seconds out loud, then call “Ready or not, here we come!”

Hunters must stay at jail during the head start. A hunter who peeks or leaves early gives the runners a free restart.

5. The hunt

Hunters spread out to find runners. Runners stay hidden, move when it’s safe, and try to avoid being tagged until time runs out. Many groups add a house rule that runners can’t camp in one spot for the whole game.

6. What counts as a tag?

A tag is a light two-finger touch on the shoulder or back. That’s it.

• If the hunter isn’t sure they made contact, it wasn’t a tag.
• The tagged runner says “got me” and walks to jail.
• Runners who were just freed from jail are immune for 20 seconds (count it out loud), so hunters can’t tag them the moment they step out.

7. Going to jail

A tagged runner walks straight to jail, without hiding or detouring, and waits inside it. They can’t be tagged on the way and they can’t free anyone. Walking prisoners should be visible: hold your phone light up.

8. How does a jailbreak work?

A jailbreak is the heart of Manhunt. Any free runner who reaches jail without being tagged frees the prisoners: they tag a prisoner’s outstretched hand and shout “Jailbreak!” Everyone in jail is free and scatters.

• Freed runners are immune for 20 seconds.
• If the same jail keeps getting broken instantly, add a house rule that jail is “locked” for a couple of minutes after a break.

9. Can hunters guard the jail?

Standing next to jail all game kills the fun, which is why so many groups ban it. A fairer rule keeps guarding legal but honest: a hunter guarding jail must stand in the open, with a light on. You can guard, but everyone knows.

10. Hiding rules

• Public places only. No private yards, buildings, sheds, garages or cars.
• No roofs, water, railways, or climbing higher than your own head.
• Never hide on or right next to a road.
• Phones stay on your body. Leaving your phone behind as a decoy is cheating, and it means nobody can reach you.

11. How do you win Manhunt?

• Hunters win the instant every runner is caught at the same time (in jail or walking there).
• Runners win if at least one runner is free when the timer ends.

Because of jailbreaks, hunters can come within one runner of winning and still lose. That’s the point.

12. Ending and the next round

When time is up, someone calls “Olly olly oxen free!” and everyone returns to jail. The round isn’t over until everyone is accounted for. Do a headcount before you celebrate.

For the next round, the first runners caught become the new hunters. That rotates everyone through both roles and keeps the best hiders from sitting out a whole evening.

House rules to agree on first

Groups vary. Settle these before round one and nobody argues later:

1. Jailbreak Manhunt or Build-up Manhunt? (See two ways to play.)
2. Touch tag, or two hands and “Manhunt, manhunt, 1-2-3”?
3. Flashlights or no flashlights? (See flashlight Manhunt.)
4. Does a jailbreak free everyone, or one prisoner per rescuer?
5. Can hunters guard jail, and how?
6. Are there out-of-bounds zones inside the area (a busy parking lot, a neighbor’s yard)?
7. What’s the signal to stop immediately? Pick a word like “Freeze” or “Safety” that pauses the game for anyone, any time.

How the app plays these rules

Want these rules on one sheet of paper? Use the printable Manhunt rules. Questions about player numbers, ages or night games are answered in the Manhunt FAQ.