How Do You Play Cranium Cadoo?

To play Cranium Cadoo, assemble the players, and take turns completing Cadoo challenges. To win, be the first to land four tokens in a row on the game board, which is achieved by completing the challenges. Cranium Cadoo can be played individually or in teams depending on the number of players. One game of Cranium Cadoo can be played in 30 minutes or less, ending when one player or team wins.

  1. Set up the game board

    To prepare for a session, put out the game board, tokens, timer, decoder goggles, Cranium clay, die, and solo and combo cards. Each player selects a token color and takes all of the tokens of that color.

  2. Determine the order of turns

    The youngest player gets the first turn. If players are the same age, have each player roll a numbered die before starting the game. The player who rolls the highest number goes first.

  3. Roll the die and draw a card

    Upon rolling the die, draw either a solo or combo card. Read the card to the other players, and follow the instructions on the card for how to use tokens.

  4. Complete the Cadoo challenge

    Start the timer before attempting to do the Cadoo challenge on the card. If you win the challenge before the timer ends, place tokens on the game board according to the card’s instructions.

  5. Place four tokens in a row

    To win a game of Cranium Cadoo, be the first player to get four tokens in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally across the game board. If no player can get four in a row, play continues until the board is full. The player with the most tokens on the board is the winner.