How to Play Wavelength (Scoring, 2-Player and Co-op Rules)

Wavelength is a party game for 2 to 12 players, ages 14 and up, and a game takes 30 to 45 minutes. These rules follow the official rulebook. If you’re still deciding whether to buy it, start with our Wavelength review.

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Setup

1. Split into two teams of roughly equal size.
2. Put the device in the middle with the screen closed, and shuffle the spectrum cards.
3. Pick a team to go first. In the official rules, the team going second starts with 1 point to balance it out.

A Round, Step by Step

1. The Psychic spins the target. With the screen closed and only the Psychic looking, they spin the wheel so the target lands at a random spot.
2. The Psychic draws a card. Each card shows two opposites, one on each end of the dial.
3. The Psychic gives one clue. It should sit on the spectrum exactly where the target is, then the Psychic goes silent and keeps a straight face.
4. The team turns the dial. They debate and move the dial to where they think the target is.
5. The other team guesses left or right. They bet whether the center of the target is to the left or the right of the dial.
6. Reveal and score. Open the screen and score.

Scoring

The first team to 10 points wins, and a tie goes to sudden-death rounds.

What the Psychic Can and Can’t Say

The official rules ask the Psychic to keep the clue short and stick to the spectrum. A single word, a name, a place or a short phrase all work. Don’t add modifiers like “very” or “kind of,” don’t use wordplay or hints outside the spectrum, and once the clue is out, say nothing and give nothing away with your face.

How to Play Wavelength With 2 Players

Two players use the cooperative mode, which also works well for three to five. You play as one team. Set aside seven cards, take turns being the Psychic, and skip the left-or-right guess. The game ends when you run out of cards, and you compare your total to the chart in the rulebook to see how well you did.

It’s quieter than the team game, but it’s a good way to play as a couple or warm up before friends arrive. For more two-player picks, see our best 2-player games list.

Rules People Get Wrong

Can the Psychic give more than one clue? No. One clue, then silence.

Does the other team score on a bullseye? No. If the guessing team hits the 4-point center, the left-or-right guess scores nothing.

What about odd numbers of players? Split as evenly as you can. One team being a player larger doesn’t matter much.

Ready to buy? Wavelength comes with the dial, the cards and the scoring tokens.

Check Wavelength price on Amazon →

Once you know the rules, our Wavelength strategy guide covers clue-giving, and our spectrum ideas let you play without the cards. Wikipedia’s Wavelength page covers the game’s history, and the official Wavelength site has more from the designers.

More Party Games Like This

If your group loves Wavelength, Codenames is the other great team clue game, and Dixit rewards the same kind of mind-reading. For bigger groups, our best games for groups list has more, and the Dice Tower’s Wavelength review explains why it became a modern party classic. Asmodee’s distribution announcement covers its Kickstarter beginnings.