Labyrinth Game Rules: How to Play, Setup, and Winning Strategy Guide

Last Updated on June 25, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

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How to Play Labyrinth

Introduction

Labyrinth is a clever and ever-changing maze board game where players race to collect hidden treasures by shifting the paths of the maze itself. Designed for 2 to 4 players (ages 7+), the game mixes planning, adaptability, and a bit of chaos as the board literally changes every turn.

The goal is simple: find all your treasures and return to your starting position before anyone else does.

What makes Labyrinth fun is that nothing stays the same for long—the maze moves every turn, which means your perfect path can disappear instantly.

What’s Included

Inside the box, you’ll find everything needed to build the shifting maze:

1 game board (with fixed tiles in each corner)
34 square path tiles
24 treasure cards
4 playing pieces

Each game creates a new maze thanks to the way tiles are shuffled and placed.

Game Setup

When playing for the first time, carefully punch out the path tiles and treasure cards.

1. Build the Maze

Shuffle all 34 path tiles face down
Place them onto the board spaces to create a random maze
One tile will remain unused and is placed beside the board

This spare tile will be used to push pieces out of the maze during gameplay.

2. Deal Treasure Cards

Shuffle all 24 treasure cards
Deal them evenly among players
Players place their cards face down in a stack without looking

Each player now has a secret list of treasures to find.

3. Place Playing Pieces

Each player chooses a token and places it in their matching starting corner on the board.

You’re now ready to enter the maze.

Objective

The goal is to:

Collect all your treasure cards
Then return to your starting corner

The first player to complete both steps wins the game.

Gameplay

Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn has two required steps:

Move the maze
Move your playing piece

Even if you already have a perfect path, you must always shift the maze first.

1. Move the Maze

This is what makes Labyrinth unique.

Around the board are arrows marking where you can insert the extra tile.

How it works:

Choose one arrow on the edge of the board
Insert the spare tile into that row or column
This pushes one tile out on the opposite side

That pushed-out tile becomes your new spare tile for the next turn.

figure from the labyrinth board game rules book showing how to move the maze

Hint: To better remember where you are not allowed to slide the path tile, leave the tile where it is until it is used again.

Important Maze Rules

You cannot insert a tile back into the same spot it was pushed out of
If a playing piece is pushed out, it reappears on the opposite side of the board. That movement does not count as a turn

example of moving the maze from the rulebook of labyrinth board game

2. Move Your Playing Piece

After shifting the maze, you move your token.

Movement rules:

You may move as far as you want
You can only move through open connected paths
You may stop anywhere or not move at all

Your goal is to reach the treasure shown on your current card.

example of how to move your playing piece from the rulebook of the Labyrinth maze board game

Hint: If you are unable to get to the treasure you are searching for, you can move your playing piece into a position that gives you a good starting point for your next turn.

Collecting Treasures

When you land on the correct treasure square:

Reveal your treasure card
Place it face-up beside your pile
Draw your next treasure card on your next turn

Then continue navigating the maze toward your next objective.

Strategy Tips

Labyrinth is simple to learn but tricky to master. A few smart habits can help a lot:

Think one turn ahead before sliding tiles
Try to position yourself in open intersections whenever possible
Don’t always chase the treasure directly—prepare future routes
Block opponents by disrupting their paths when you can
Stay flexible since the maze changes every turn

Sometimes the best move is not reaching a treasure immediately, but setting up an easier path for the next round.

Ending the Game

The game ends when a player:

Collects all of their treasure cards
Returns to their starting corner

That player is declared the winner.

Junior Variant (Simplified Play)

For younger players, the game can be simplified:

Lay all treasure cards face up
Players choose any visible treasure to reach
Once collected, the card is marked as complete

After collecting all treasures, return to your starting position to win.

This version removes memory pressure and makes navigation easier.

Conclusion

Labyrinth is a fast-moving puzzle-style board game where the maze is constantly shifting under your feet. Every turn brings new opportunities—and new obstacles—as players race to outmaneuver each other and collect their treasures.

If you enjoy Labyrinth, you might also like Maus Maze-style puzzle games or Karuba, which offer similar path-building and route-planning gameplay but with different twists on movement and strategy.

Either way, Labyrinth proves that in a moving maze, the smartest path is rarely a straight line.