The blind ranking game, one item at a time Blind Ranking

Blind Ranking at a glance

Players

1 to 8 (best with 1 to 6)

Game length

About 10 minutes a game

Phones

One phone

Where it works

In the same room, on a video call, in the car

Who it’s for

Families and kids, easy for young players

Price

Free. No app, no sign-up

Languages

English and Spanish

How to play Blind Ranking

Blind Ranking is a ranking game with one catch: you never see the whole list first. Items arrive one at a time, and each one has to go somewhere before the next shows up. That's where the trouble starts.

1. 1Pick a category, like Pizza toppings, Superpowers or Chores. Or pick Mixed, and every round brings a random category.
2. 2Choose who ranks. Together means the whole group agrees on every spot. Everyone is for 2 to 8 players: you pass the phone, and each person ranks alone.
3. 3The first item appears. Tap an empty spot from 1 to 5 to place it. 1 is your favorite and 5 is your least favorite. Once an item is placed, it stays.
4. 4Each new item takes one of the open spots. After the fifth, you see the full ranking. In Everyone mode, all the lists show up side by side.
5. 5Want another round? One tap draws five new items.

Here's a round of Breakfast foods. The first item is Waffles. Good, but is it a 1? You play it safe and put it at 2. Oatmeal goes to 5, Hash browns to 3 and Bagel to 4. The last item is Pancakes, and spot 1 is still open. Lucky. Next time, your favorite will show up last and only spot 5 will be left.

All blind ranking categories

Every category in the game, with all of its items. Each round draws five at random, so the same category plays out differently every time. Use the list to choose a category, or borrow blind ranking ideas for your next game night.

Blind ranking ideas for every group

With 30 categories, choosing one is the first debate of the night. These tend to land well:

• Parties: Party themes, Hotel perks, Movie genres and Snacks. Everyone has an opinion, and nobody needs any background.
• Teens: Superpowers, Music genres, Dream jobs and School subjects.
• Friends and couples: Vacations, Dream homes, Dinners and Gifts. You learn a lot about someone from where they put Camping.
• The whole family: Desserts, Pets, Mythical creatures and Childhood games.
• Coworkers: Weekend plans, Breakfast foods, Sports to watch and Chores. Safe, quick and surprisingly heated.
• A long night: Mixed. Every round brings a new category, so nobody knows what's coming at all.

Rank together or one by one

Both ways of playing use the same rules: five items, one at a time, no take-backs. The difference is who decides.

Together gives you one ranking for the whole group. Someone reads each item out loud, the room argues about where it goes, and one person taps the spot. It works with any number of people, so it suits a big room, a classroom or a video call.

Everyone is for 2 to 8 players. Add names if you like, then pass the phone. Each person ranks the same five items in the same order, alone, so nobody gets an easier draw. When the last person is done, the end screen lines up everyone's rankings spot by spot. In Pizza toppings, you can see at a glance who put Pineapple at 1 and who put it at 5.

The end screen also shows which two people ranked most alike. It settles old arguments about whose taste is closest, and it starts a few new ones.

Blind ranking strategy: what to do with the first item

There's no right answer in Blind Ranking, but some moves age better than others.

• Don't spend spot 1 on the first item. Unless it's your all-time favorite in the category, put it at 2 or 3. Something better is probably on its way.
• Think about the whole category, not just these five. Ask where the first item sits among everything that could show up. The full list for each category is on this page.
• Keep both ends open early. Fill 1 or 5 too soon, and the next item will be the one that truly belonged there.
• Use 3 as a parking spot. It's the safest place for an item you feel so-so about.
• In Everyone mode, look away while others rank. The game only works if the items are a surprise.
• In Chores, 1 means least awful. Think of it as the chore you'd pick first if you had to do one.

And if a round goes badly, no harm done. One tap draws five new items.

Ways to play

Same game, different crowd. A few setups that work well:

The blind ranking challenge

Blind ranking became popular as a video challenge: someone sees items one at a time and has to rank each on the spot, with no idea what comes next. The rule is simple, and the regret is real.

This version is made for a room full of people instead of a camera. Rank as a group, or have everyone rank the same five items and compare who agrees with whom.

If your group likes picking sides, try This or That for quick two-way picks or Would You Rather for harder choices. When you're ready to talk about each other instead of snacks, Most Likely To and Red Flag or Green Flag keep the debates going.

Questions