€19,90
Carpet Racers
The Frogames review
A remote-control car race where nobody knows which car they're driving
You push the red car towards the finish line, sure it's yours, but the player on your left already knows which one you're really controlling.
You're in a living room, where five remote-control cars are racing across the carpet, from the red monster-wheeled car to the yellow school bus. You've got the remote in your hand but no idea which car it controls, and you want to see it cross the finish line first.
On your turn you play a card and move the two cars shown, splitting the steps however you like; anyone can move any car. Meanwhile you peek at other players' remotes and collect boosts in the colour you think is yours. After three laps the cars are revealed: once boosts and stops are counted, the car furthest ahead wins.
It's a 2026 game designed by Tomáš Holek and published by Pink Troubadour, with artwork by Jiří Kůs and Filip Orlt.
Game mechanics tap one to see other games that use it
Only here: Race without knowing which car is yours
Category:Party game · Deduction game · Competitive game · Bluff · Deduzione
At a glance
Why we like it. Every car belongs to everyone and no one: pushing it might help you, or it might help a rival. The boosts you collect are public, so every choice gives something away and everyone reads each other mid-race.
Good to know. With three players the race lasts just two laps and two cars have no driver, so the game shines with five.
What kind of gameFrogScore + LuckDrawn cards, face-down traps StrategySplitting steps, backing a colour InteractionEveryone moves every car PaceOne card per turn Replayability5 cars assigned at random Rated by Frogames · from the rules · what the levels mean
We set the levels by reading the rules, always with the same yardstick: a 3 means the same on every game.
Luckhalf and half
- you decide
- mostly you
- half and half
- often chance
- chance decides
Strategyplan half the game
- one choice per turn
- plan a few turns
- plan half the game
- build for later
- the whole game is a plan
Interactionyou compete for things
- each to their own
- you compete for things
- you get in the way
- you hit each other
- you attack each other
Paceshort turns
- lots of waiting
- long turns
- medium turns
- short turns
- you play together
Replayabilitya lot changes
- always the same
- card order changes
- part of it changes
- a lot changes
- every game is different
When to bring it outWith friends, to kick off the evening
Players3–5
Language dependenceNessuno
How to play
Watch a gameCarpet Racers Thoughts From Gen Con 2026 Review. Blind Deduction Racing!? · Bower's Game Corner
Official rulebook (PDF) →- 1Play a cardMove the two cars shown, splitting the card's steps between them.
- 2Peek at the remotesLook at the chip of the player on your right, plus two more via the progress track.
- 3Set trapsLeave them where the moved cars stop: they hit whoever lands on them.
- 4Back your colourAt the end of the race, every boost in the right colour pushes your car forward.
What’s in the box
5 model carsBlue single-seater, red monster-wheeled car, pink convertible, green runabout and yellow school bus.
5 remotes with standsThey open up to hide the chip showing the car they control; the stand holds traps and clues.
1 double-sided boardThe living-room track on one side, the playground with the catapult on the other.
45 cardsEach shows the steps, the two cars to move and a symbol-based effect.
Cards in the box · 49
- 45 movement cards
- 4 player aid cards
Questions about Carpet Racers
Can you play Carpet Racers with two?+
No, Carpet Racers is for 3 to 5 players. All five remotes are always in use: those without a player become autopilots, whose cars are moved by everyone else.
How much English do you need to play Carpet Racers?+
None at the table: cards, traps and bonuses all use symbols. It's an English edition, so the rulebook is in English, but you only need to read it once to learn the game.
Does Carpet Racers hold up over lots of plays?+
Yes, because which car each remote controls is randomised every game. The face-down traps and your hand of cards change too, and the back of the board offers a second track with the catapult.
Is Carpet Racers hard to learn?+
No, a turn is simply playing a card and resolving its steps in order. It has a BGG weight of 2.0 out of 5; the steps are summarised on the 4 player aid cards, and the bit that takes practice is the deduction, not the rules.
How do you win Carpet Racers?+
Whoever's car is furthest ahead after the final reveal wins. When a car completes its third lap, everyone opens their remote, moves forward one space for each boost in the right colour and back one for each stop.
How much table space do you need for Carpet Racers?+
You need room for the board in the middle and a spot for each remote. Each player keeps their remote and stand, cards and collected boosts in front of them; remotes without a player sit next to the board.
How long does a game of Carpet Racers take?+
A game of Carpet Racers takes 25 to 45 minutes. With three players the race ends after two laps instead of three.
How much luck is there in Carpet Racers?+
Luck accounts for about half of it. Cards come from a shuffled deck and traps are face down, but you choose which card to play and how to split the steps, and you can peek at traps with the magnifying glass bonus.
Is Carpet Racers suitable for children?+
Carpet Racers is recommended for ages 10 and up. The toy car theme is instantly appealing, but you need to keep track of the clues gathered from other players' remotes.
What is the playground mode in Carpet Racers?+
It's the variant on the back of the Carpet Racers board. A car that stops on the catapult is launched with a die roll towards five sandcastles, each with a reward or a penalty, and stretch tokens let you jump further.
Does Carpet Racers have a solo mode?+
No, Carpet Racers has no solo mode. The autopilots only fill the five remotes when there are fewer than five players.
Can you target a specific opponent in Carpet Racers?+
No, in Carpet Racers you can't pick on a chosen player. Traps hit whoever's turn it is when a car stops on them, and nobody knows for sure who's driving which car.
“A race where you only push the right car once you've worked out who you are.”
Who is behind Carpet Racers
Who designed it, who drew it, who publishes it, and what else they made.
Publisher
Pink TroubadourAll 7 games in our range →
Designer
Tomáš HolekAlso: SETI, Galileo GalileiAll 14 of his games →
Artist
Jiří KůsAlso: Lost Ruins of Arnak, SETIAll 6 games illustrated →
All the BoardGameGeek data released 2026 · #16561 overall · Powered by BoardGameGeek +
- Rating
- 6,55/10 · 95 ratings
- Rank
- #16561 overall
- Complexity
- 2,0/5
- Year
- 2026
- Designers
- Tomáš Holek
- Artists
- Jiří Kůs
- Categories
- Bluff, Deduzione, Corsa
- Mechanics
- Movement Points, Moving Multiple Units, Race, Track Movement, Variable Set-up
- Language dependence
- Nessuno
Powered by BoardGameGeek
Carpet Racers in short. A game for 3 to 5 players designed by Tomáš Holek and published by Pink Troubadour in 2026. A game lasts 25–45 minutes, for ages 10 and up. It blends racing and deduction: everyone moves every car, but each player only finds out which one is theirs at the very end. English edition with symbol-based cards, available at Frogames.it
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