Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

Five moves instead of three

Rock paper scissors lizard spock is the five move version of the classic hand game. You play against the computer, which picks one of the five moves at random. The page shows both hands, says who won, explains the rule in a short line and keeps score. Two extra moves mean ten rules instead of three, and far fewer ties.

The game was designed as an expansion of the original to cut down on ties, and it became widely known after a TV sitcom featured it.

How to play rock paper scissors lizard spock

1. Choose Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard or Spock.
2. The computer reveals its random pick next to yours.
3. Read the result and the reason, for example “Lizard poisons Spock”.
4. Keep an eye on the score row: your wins, the computer’s wins and ties.
5. Press Reset score to start a new match.

All ten rules

Each move beats two others and loses to the other two:

• Rock crushes scissors and crushes lizard.
• Paper covers rock and disproves Spock.
• Scissors cuts paper and decapitates lizard.
• Lizard poisons Spock and eats paper.
• Spock smashes scissors and vaporizes rock.

The full list also sits beside the game, so you can check it between rounds.

A memory trick

Learn the rules as two laps around a circle. First lap: scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors. Second lap: scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, rock crushes scissors. Ten rules, and each lap ends where it started.

Why it has fewer ties

In the three move game, two players match one time in three. With five moves, a tie happens only one time in five. Against this computer you can expect to win about 2 rounds in 5, lose about 2 in 5, and tie the remaining 1. Matches move faster, and a best of five rarely drags on.

Good uses

• Breaking ties that keep tying. If regular rock paper scissors keeps ending even, switch to five moves.
• Game night warm up. Teach the rules to the group, then have everyone play ten rounds against the computer and compare scores.
• Classroom logic. Ask students to draw the five moves in a circle with an arrow for each rule, then check that every move has two arrows out and two arrows in.
• A memory challenge. Try ten rounds without glancing at the rules list, and call out the reason before the page shows it.

Fair and balanced

The computer’s move comes from your browser’s cryptographic random generator (crypto.getRandomValues), with each of the five moves equally likely. The game itself is balanced too, since no move wins more matchups than any other.

For the classic three move version, play rock paper scissors. For a call with only two outcomes, use the coin flip.