Edition: Classic Trivial Pursuit with the round board, six categories and six wedges. Last checked October 25, 2026
Trivial Pursuit Rules: How to Play Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is the classic trivia game where you answer questions in six categories and collect colored wedges for your pie. Here are the rules in short, plus answers to the points that most often cause debate.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players or teams
- Age
- adult edition 16 and up, family edition 8 and up
- Playing time
- 1 to 2 hours
How to win: Collect a wedge in each of the six colors, get back to the center hub and answer one final question correctly.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Trivial Pursuit.
Does the answer have to be exact to count?
The other players decide.
The rulebook gives no fixed limit. The answer has to be essentially the same as the one on the card, and the players decide together whether to accept it.
Many accept a last name alone for people, and a year within a couple of years, if everyone agrees before starting.
Do you get another turn after winning a wedge?
Yes.
A correct answer always gives you another turn, including when you win a wedge. That means a strong player can go a long way in one turn.
A popular variant is that your turn ends when you win a wedge. It makes the game more even.
Who chooses the category for the final question?
The other players.
When you are on the center hub with all six wedges, your opponents choose the category you must answer.
Some let the die or a random category decide, so it feels less mean.
Do you have to reach the center hub by exact count?
Yes, at the end.
To try for the final question, you must land exactly on the hub. If you roll too high, use the roll to move elsewhere on the board.
Some let the player go in as soon as the roll is big enough.
What you need
- Round game board
- Pie shaped playing pieces with room for six wedges
- Wedges in six colors
- Question cards
- 1 die
- Card box
Setup
- 1Each player or team takes a playing piece.
- 2All pieces start on the center hub.
- 3Place the question cards within easy reach and decide who reads.
- 4Whoever rolls highest goes first.
How to play
- 1Roll the die and move that many spaces in any direction you like. You may not go back and forth in the same move.
- 2If you land on a colored space, another player reads you a question in that category.
- 3If you answer correctly, roll again. If you answer wrong, play passes on.
- 4If you land on one of the large headquarters spaces for a category and answer correctly, you earn a wedge in that color.
- 5If you land on a roll again space, simply roll again with no question.
- 6If you land on the center hub before you have all your wedges, you choose the category.
- 7Once you have all six wedges, you must reach the center hub by exact count.
- 8There, the other players choose the category. Answer correctly and you win. If not, you must leave the hub and try again.
Categories in the classic edition
Names and colors can vary a little from edition to edition.
- Blue: Geography
- Pink: Entertainment
- Yellow: History
- Brown or purple: Arts and Literature
- Green: Science and Nature
- Orange: Sports and Leisure
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Trivial Pursuit rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many wedges do you need in Trivial Pursuit?
Six, one in each category. Then you must reach the center hub and answer one final question correctly.
Can players help each other with answers?
Not when everyone plays individually. When playing in teams, the team may talk it over before one person gives the answer.
Are the rules the same in every edition?
No. The classic board edition follows the rules here, while family editions, small card editions and themed editions may have other rules and other categories.
Source: The publisher's rulebook for the classic edition and common family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.