How to Play Red Door Yellow Door

Starting the Trance

Designate 1 player to be the subject and 1 player to be the guide. It takes 2 people to play Red Door, Yellow Door so that one person can be the guide and the other person can be the one in the trance. It’s also okay for other people to watch, as long as they’re quiet while the game is being played.

Sit down on the floor with a pillow in your lap if you’re the guide. As the leader, it’s the guide’s job to make the subject feel comfortable and relaxed. Sit down cross-legged and place a pillow or blanket in your lap for the subject’s head to rest on.

Lie down with your head in the guide’s lap if you’re the subject. Once your head is in their lap and you’re on your back, close your eyes. Raise your hands up in the air and keep them there as you try to start relaxing. If you’re the subject, you’ll keep your eyes closed throughout the whole game.

Massage the subject’s temples and start the chant if you’re the guide. Use circular motions as you rub the person’s temples with your fingers. Start chanting, “Red door, yellow door, any other color door” over and over again so the subject starts to go into a trance. It will likely take several minutes for the subject to start visualizing the hallways and doors. If there are other people watching the game, they can chant too.

Tell the subject to lower their arms when they see doors in their mind. The subject may naturally feel that they're going into the trance and lower their arms a little before they fully see hallways or doors, and this is okay too. If you see their hands lower to the ground, it means the game has officially started. Set a timer for 10 minutes once the subject lowers their hands, if you’d like, to keep track of how long the game is going. It's best not to make the subject stay in a trance for too long.

Directing the Subject if You're the Guide

Lead the subject through the house in their mind by asking them what they see. As the guide, you're the one that will be leading the subject through the house with your questions and commands. You might start by saying, "Tell me what you see." It's important to focus and take your role seriously so you both get the most out of the game. Listen well to what the subject is telling you so you can come up with more questions and commands.

Ask the subject to describe what they see in each room or hallway. Try to get the subject to explain and describe what they’re seeing around them. You might ask questions like, “Can you describe the room?” or “How do you feel about the purple door?” Keep asking specific questions so you have an accurate idea of what they're experiencing. You could ask, "Do you see any doors that you want to go through?" or "Is there anyone in the room with you?" If the subject describes seeing a lot of clocks, tell them to get out of that room because clocks are said to trap the subject.

Tell the subject to go inside a room if they say they feel positively about it. If the subject sees a door that they think they want to go through, tell them they can. They can also go towards items that give them a good feeling. For instance, you might say, “Open the blue door and go inside the room.” Caution them not to open doors that they're unsure about or go towards things that make them feel nervous or scared.

Encourage the subject to answer all of the questions honestly. If the subject isn’t answering the guide’s questions or isn’t describing things in detail, you’re not going to know what they’re seeing. Make sure the subject answers each question so you can help them move through different hallways and doors. There's no definite ending to the game, so just keep asking questions until you decide you'd like it to end. The goal is just to have fun hearing about what the subject's mind is experiencing.

Spotting Signs of Danger as a Subject

Avoid interacting with people you see in rooms. If you open a door and come into a room that has a person or multiple people in it, try not to talk or interact with them in any way. Since you don’t know what their intentions are, it’s best to leave them alone for a more positive experience. It’s said that some people might be evil or trying to trick you.

Steer clear of rooms that are full of clocks. If you walk into a room that has clocks in it and describe what you're seeing, the guide should tell you to leave that room immediately. Clocks are said to trap players in that room so you can’t get out.

Go up instead of down throughout the house. While you can go wherever you’d like to in the house, it’s best to go up and not down. For example, if you see a staircase that leads up to another floor, this is okay. But going down to a basement might lead to negative experiences.

Move towards light colors instead of dark colors. Light and bright things are described as being safer to move towards than darker colors. For instance, if you’re choosing between a yellow door and a brown door, it’s best to go through the yellow door. Windows, lights, and brightly colored walls are said to provide positive experiences than dark rooms will.

Try to wake up if you find yourself trapped in a room. If you walk into a room and become trapped⁠—maybe the door disappears or you can’t find the way out⁠—try to wake yourself up. It’s said that if you don’t wake yourself up when you’re trapped, you might be stuck in the trance forever. Tell the guide that you're trapped in the room so they can try to wake you up too.

End the game if you spot a man in a suit because it's said he can be very dangerous and unsettling. Pay attention to what people are wearing in the rooms when you walk into them (if there is anyone in it). If you see a man wearing a suit and you feel a little anxious or worried by the sight of him, this is a sign you need to end the game.