Trouble Board Game Review | Is It Still Worth It

Trouble is still worth buying for families with kids ages 5 to 8 who want a fast loud race game, because the Pop O Matic bubble makes even pure luck feel exciting, but skip it if your table hates being sent back to start.

I am Spector, a dad to Alex, 7, and Emma, 10. Trouble is the game that taught Alex how to lose without flipping the board. The bubble does the heavy lifting. He presses it, it pops, the whole table leans in, and for about half an hour nobody touches a screen. Emma outgrew it around age 8, which tells you exactly what this game is: a brilliant on ramp, not a forever game.

Trouble is not a cooperative game at all, which is the opposite of what the old version of this page claimed with its category. It is a competitive roll and move race from 1965, and it has stayed on shelves for sixty years for one reason. A 5 year old can beat a grown up on any given night, because the bubble decides everything and the rules fit in a minute.

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How you win a game of Trouble

You win Trouble by being the first player to move all four of your pegs from Home, around the track, and into your Finish zone. Each player races four pegs in red, blue, yellow, or green, and the first player to land every peg in Finish wins immediately.

Because it is a race, every pop is about the gap between your pegs and the leader. A peg one space short of Finish is in real danger, while a peg fresh out of Home has nothing to lose, which is the small drama that keeps a luck only design interesting at a modern table.

How a turn works: pop the bubble and move

A turn is one pop of the Pop O Matic bubble and one move clockwise the number shown, counting every space you pass whether it is empty or held by an opponent. That is the entire loop, which is why Trouble teaches in about a minute. If you have no peg on the board and you do not pop a 6, your turn simply ends.

Two rules sit under that loop. First, you must move if you can, even when the only legal move helps an opponent. Second, if no legal move exists, you forfeit the turn and play passes on. If your table likes this kind of spite with cards instead of a bubble, our Sorry rules guide covers the meaner card driven cousin for ages 6 and up.

Getting out of Home needs a 6 and earns a bonus pop

A peg leaves Home only on a pop of 6, which moves it onto your Start space, and then you pop again right away for a bonus move. That bonus pop is the engine of the whole game, because it is the only moment luck compounds in your favor.

This is also where games stall. A dry run of small numbers keeps every peg in Home while an opponent pulls away, and there is nothing clever to do about it except keep popping. If your Start space holds an opponent peg when you bring a peg out, that opponent goes back to Home and yours takes the space, which is the first send back most new players ever deliver.

Bumping, Double Trouble XX spaces, and Warp spaces

Landing on an opponent by exact count sends that peg all the way back to Home, and your peg takes the space. Passing over a peg does nothing, and you can never land on your own peg, so you move a different peg or forfeit when your own peg blocks the count.

Modern boards add two bonus spaces that older printings lack, so check your box. The XX marks Double Trouble spaces, and landing on one by exact count earns an extra pop, though popping a 6 onto one earns a single extra pop only, not two. Warp spaces jump your peg forward along the path, which is the closest Trouble ever gets to a shortcut system. Our Aggravation rules page covers the marble race sibling that builds its whole identity around shortcuts, with star holes and a center hole Trouble never had.

Reaching Finish takes an exact count

Once a peg circles back to your section of the board, it turns into your Finish zone instead of continuing around. The standard rule needs an exact count to enter Finish, so overshooting with a big pop wastes the move, and a peg sitting one space out lives in fear of a 1. Pegs already in Finish are safe for the rest of the game and can never be bumped.

One honest edition note: some newer printings relax the exact count rule and let a peg slide into Finish on any roll that reaches it. The old version of this page never mentioned the split, so families argued about it mid game. Play exact count unless your box says otherwise, because the tension at the door is half the fun.

What is in the Trouble box

The box is small, plastic, and nearly indestructible, which is one of its quiet strengths for a house with young kids. Here is the real list from Hasbro.

• 1 gameboard with the Pop O Matic bubble unit in the center
• 16 plastic pegs, 4 each in red, blue, yellow, and green
• 4 rubber feet for the board
• 1 instructions booklet

That is everything, and setup is placing pegs in Home and choosing who pops first. There are no cards, no tokens, and nothing to shuffle. The bubble keeps the single die captive, so nothing rolls under the couch, which parents of 5 year olds will appreciate more than any strategy tip on this page.

Trouble vs Sorry vs Aggravation for family game night

Trouble is one of three classic American race games on most family shelves, and they share a heartbeat: bring pieces out, race them around, and knock rivals back to start. The differences decide which one suits your table.

Game	Players	How you move	Feel
Trouble	2 to 4, ages 5 and up	Pop the bubble for 1 number	The fastest and loudest, with the bubble doing half the fun
Sorry	2 to 4, ages 6 and up	Draw 1 card from a 45 card deck	Meaner, with slides and the Sorry card for targeted spite
Aggravation	2 to 6, ages 6 and up	Roll 1 die, enter on 1 or 6	The longest, with star shortcuts and no safe holes at all

• Similarities: All three are competitive take that races where landing on a rival sends them back to start, all three teach in minutes, and all three let a young child beat a grown up on a lucky night.
• Differences: Trouble moves on a bubble pop with almost no choices, while Sorry moves on cards with splits, swaps, and slides that let you aim your cruelty.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: If your family loves the bumping but outgrows the bubble, Sorry keeps the spite and adds just enough choice to feel like a step up.

Is Trouble good for family game night

Yes, for the right ages, and it is one of the few classics that works the very first night with a 5 year old. The rules fit in a minute, a turn is one pop and one move so downtime barely exists, and the randomness is a kindness, because a small child has exactly the same chance as a parent. It also teaches the three lessons every young gamer needs: take turns, count spaces, and lose with grace when the bubble betrays you.

It shines brightest at 3 or 4 players, where the track stays crowded and every pop can change the order. At 2 players it still works as a direct duel, and each side can run two colors for a fuller board. If your youngest is still in the preschool window, our Candy Land review covers the gentler first race with no send backs at all.

Who Trouble is not for

Trouble is not for every table, and it is better to say so plainly. It is pure luck, so anyone craving decisions will be bored by the third game. It is a send back game, so a child who melts down when bumped will melt down often. And it caps at 4 players, so a big group night needs something else entirely.

If the luck is the deal breaker but you still want dice, our Yahtzee review covers a dice classic with real scoring choices in the same half hour. If the bumping is the deal breaker, our guide to calmer Sorry alternatives rounds up race games that cause far less fighting.

Frequently asked questions

How many players can play Trouble?

Trouble plays 2 to 4 players, and each player races four pegs in red, blue, yellow, or green. Two players can each run two colors for a fuller board.

What age is Trouble for?

Trouble is rated for ages 5 and up, and the real gate is counting spaces and coping with being sent back to Home. Most 5 year olds can play with a calm adult beside them, while ages 7 and up play alone.

How long does a game of Trouble take?

A game of Trouble takes about 30 minutes with 3 or 4 players, including the instant setup. Two player games can finish faster, while heavy bumping can stretch any game longer.

How do you get a peg out of Home in Trouble?

You move a peg out of Home only by popping a 6, and you place it on your Start space and pop again. If your Start space holds an opponent peg, that peg goes back to Home and yours takes the space.

What happens when you land on an opponent in Trouble?

Landing on an opponent by exact count sends that peg all the way back to Home, and your peg takes the space. Passing over a peg does nothing, and you can never land on your own peg.

What are the Double Trouble XX spaces?

The XX marks Double Trouble spaces, and landing on one by exact count earns an extra pop. Warp spaces on modern boards jump your peg forward, so check your box since older boards lack both.

Should I buy Trouble or Sorry for family game night?

Buy Trouble if your table wants the fastest and loudest race of the classics, with the popping bubble doing half the fun. Buy Sorry for card driven spite or Aggravation for a longer marble race with shortcuts.