Yoshi
Yoshi
A Fun Youth Group Game
Watch the Tutorial Video
A fast-paced team game about risk, rescue, and not leaving anyone behind.
Overview
Ideal # of Participants: 8 to 20
Where to Play: Indoors / Outdoors
Age of Participants: Elementary School / Middle School / High School
Approximate Time to Play: 10 to 30 Minutes
Materials Needed: Painter’s Tape (optional), Bandanas (optional)
How to Play Yoshi
To play Yoshi, divide your group into two teams and have each team start on their own half of a large play area. If available, give one team bandanas or pinnies so it’s easy to tell teams apart.
At the back wall of each team’s side, mark off a designated zone using cones or painter’s tape. This zone is called Yoshi’s Island. The goal of the game is for your entire team to get to the opponent’s Yoshi’s Island. The instant that every player on your team is standing in this zone, your team wins.
To make it to Yoshi’s Island, players must run from their own safe half, past the opposing team, and place at least one foot onto the island without being tagged.
Tagging and Rescuing
If a player is tagged while attempting to cross into the opponent’s side, they must immediately sit down exactly where they were tagged. They remain there until they are rescued by a teammate.
To rescue a tagged teammate, a player must successfully reach them without being tagged themselves. Once this happens, both players must stand up and walk back together to their own half. During this walk back, they are safe from being tagged.
This walk back to your own side is not optional—it is a required part of the rescue. This rule exists because a player who has already made it safely to Yoshi’s Island is allowed to leave the island in order to rescue a teammate. Doing so gives up their own progress, but it may be necessary, since the game cannot be won until everyone is safely on the island.
This creates a key decision point in the game:
Do you stay safe on the island, or do you give up your progress to make sure a teammate isn’t left behind?
Keeping the Game Moving
If the game starts to slow down, or if a few players have been sitting for a long time, the leader may yell “Yoshi!” (bonus points for using the Mario voice).
When this happens, everyone immediately gets a free walk back to their own side, and all previously tagged players are back in the game.
Winning the Game
As more players reach Yoshi’s Island, the play area opens up and the final moments often turn into a close race. The game ends instantly when one team has all of their players standing on the opponent’s island.
Discussion Opportunity
Yoshi isn’t just a high-energy game—it naturally creates a conversation about relationships and responsibility. Players are repeatedly faced with the choice to prioritize their own safety or go back for someone else.
Many people come to youth group for the games, but it’s the relationships that keep them coming back. The mechanic of leaving the island to rescue a teammate reinforces the idea that progress doesn’t matter if someone gets left behind.
This value is exactly why we developed The Comfy Chair, a deck of over 300 group-building questions designed to help youth form meaningful connections. With three levels of depth, it works whether your group has known each other for 10 minutes or 10 years. You can find it, along with dozens of other youth ministry resources, in our shop!
Handout
Want to make this easy to share with your volunteers or students? Download the “Yoshi” Lesson Handout (PDF) below!
More Youth Group Games
Looking for more creative youth group ideas? Explore our free Youth Group Game Index — it includes 80+ short, easy-to-lead tutorials that you can filter by group size, location, and materials.
Next-Level Youth Ministry
The best way to teach a lesson is through active learning, that’s why we produce high-quality Game-Driven Lessons — youth group curriculum that has a fun game that ties into the lesson you want to teach. Check out our membership program ActuallyFun PRO to get these Game-Driven Lessons for a discounted rate, as well as tons of other benefits that help take your youth ministry to the next level!