Red Light, Green Light: The Playground Game Played in Every Country — Names, Rules and Variations
Grandmother's Footsteps in Britain, Un, deux, trois, soleil in France, Daruma-san ga koronda in Japan, Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida in Korea: the same game everywhere. The rules, the world names, and how to run it from a phone.
One player faces the wall and shouts "green light!"; behind them, twenty children creep forward. "Red light!" — the player spins round, and anyone caught moving slinks back to the start. Red Light, Green Light is the world's most widely played freezing game, and every country is convinced it invented it.
Where does Red Light, Green Light come from?
The game belongs to the ancient family of "statues" games, in which a player with their back turned tries to catch the others moving. Nobody knows where it started, but the spread of local names shows how universal it is. British children play Grandmother's Footsteps (or Sly Fox); French children count un, deux, trois, soleil; Italians un, due, tre, stella!; Spanish children shout un, dos, tres, pollito inglés ("little English chicken"); Dutch children Annemaria Koekoek. In Japan the catcher chants Daruma-san ga koronda ("the Daruma doll fell over"), and in Korea Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida ("the rose of Sharon has bloomed") — the phrase the whole world learned in 2021 from the first episode of Squid Game. The North American name simply borrows the traffic light.
What you need
- A start line, a finish line and space between them — a hallway, a garden, a hall.
- A traffic light. Our Red Light, Green Light page turns a phone or TV into one: it switches between green and red at random (with an amber "slow motion" light in Challenge mode) and times the freeze so the host can watch the players instead of the clock.
How to play
- One player is the light and stands at the finish line, facing away.
- The light calls "green light!" — everyone moves toward the finish.
- The light calls "red light!" and turns round. Anyone still moving goes back to the start.
- Repeat until a player reaches the light and tags them.
- The tagger becomes the next light.
Variations
- Amber light — move in slow motion only.
- Animal light — "green light, hop like a frog".
- Elimination — caught means out; last player standing wins.
- Team relay — teams take turns, fastest total time wins.
- Night version — torches instead of turning round.
Tips for hosts
- Make the freezes short and frequent for little ones; long and rare for teenagers.
- A screen as the light removes every "you turned round too fast!" argument.
- Mark the finish with something to touch — a tree, a wall, a cone.
Play Red Light, Green Light now — free, no sign-up
Red Light Green Light online game master: the screen shows GREEN LIGHT to move and RED LIGHT to freeze at random intervals, with a reaction timer, host controls and a Kids mode. First to the finish wins.
Frequently asked questions
What is Red Light, Green Light called in other countries?
Grandmother's Footsteps, Sly Fox or Fairy Footsteps in Britain; "Un, deux, trois, soleil" in France; "Un, due, tre, stella!" in Italy; "Daruma-san ga koronda" in Japan; "Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida" (the rose of Sharon has bloomed) in Korea; "Un, dos, tres, pollito inglés" in Spain; "Annemaria Koekoek" in the Netherlands.
What happens if you are caught moving?
In the gentle version you go back to the starting line. In the elimination version you are out for the round.
Why did the game become famous again in 2021?
The Netflix series Squid Game opened with a deadly version of the Korean game. The real thing is a playground favourite for four-year-olds and needs nothing but a wall and some space.