How to Play

Downforce

2-6 players 20-40 min 7.3 Board Game Geek Rating

Players bid to own race cars, then play cards to move vehicles around the track. Most cards also advance opponents' cars, creating tactical timing decisions. Throughout the race, participants place secret bets on potential winners. Victory goes to whoever accumulates the most money through prize winnings, successful wagers, and remaining funds.

Published 2017

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Choose the board

Select a side of the board and place it on the table

Distribute score sheets

Give each player a score sheet

Prepare Speed-8 cards

Shuffle the 6 Speed-8 cards and make a face-down pile

Prepare Power cards

Shuffle the 6 Power cards and make a separate face-down pile

Deal speed cards

Shuffle the 42 regular speed cards and deal out evenly to each player

Position the cars

Randomly place all 6 cars on the starting spaces of the board

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Reveal auction cards

Flip over the top Speed-8 card and top Power card to auction cars/powers one at a time

Place secret bids

Each player takes a card from hand and places it face-down

Resolve winning bid

Highest bid wins; mark the amount spent on score sheet

Collect winnings

Winner adds Speed-8 card to hand and takes Power card and driver plaque

Guarantee car ownership

Every player must have at least one car

Handle unclaimed cars

If no one bids, set car aside; players without cars bid again at auction end

Limit Power cards

Players can only have one Power card; if multiple cars won, select one and return rest to box

Play a card

Each player plays one card per turn, starting with the player who owns the car in pole position, then clockwise

Move the cars

The player who played the card moves cars in order from top to bottom on the card, then discards

Use wild symbols

White cars on cards are wild; pick any car not already a color on that card

Move forward only

Cars move straight or diagonally forward; must move forward if possible

Place secret bets

Each time the first car crosses a new betting line, all players secretly bet on a car

Winning

How to claim victory.

Finish the race

When a car crosses the finish line, place it in the corresponding winner's space by the track

Discard remaining cards

If all of a player's cars finish, they discard their hand

Record car earnings

Mark on score sheets how much money earned for each car owned based on finish position

Record betting winnings

Circle any money won by betting

Calculate final score

Sum car earnings and bet totals, then subtract initial bid amounts to determine winnings

Determine the winner

Player with the most money wins

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Downforce - Game Schooler Overview

Review

Downforce — Side-by-Slide Comparison

Other

Downforce

Get Ready

On Your Turn

Winning

watch & Learn

Downforce - Game Schooler Overview

Downforce — Side-by-Slide Comparison

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