Infection Tag, also known as Virus Tag and Zombie Tag, is a fun game to play with a large group of people! There is no special equipment. All that is needed are players and space! [1] While tag is best played outdoors, you can also play an indoors Hide-and-Go-Seek variation of this fun game. Watch out for the Infected. Try to win and be the Last Survivor!

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Playing Infection Tag

  1. 1
    Gather your players. The more, the better. You'll usually need a group of at least four, but ten or more is preferred. The more the merrier!
  2. 2
    Set up your boundaries. You don't want your game spilling across the street and through the neighborhood. Set clear boundaries about how far players can run and hide. You'll want to give players room to run, but not too much space that the game gets boring.
    • Be careful to avoid trespassing on other people's property.
    • You may want to make certain potentially dangerous areas off-limits.
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  3. 3
    Choose who is "It". This person will be your first Infected. You can either randomly select a person to be "It", or a fast and skilled player can volunteer or be nominated. Don't force a slow or unskilled player to be "It". This can be mean and wouldn't be fun for anyone.
  4. 4
    Start the countdown to 30. While closing their eyes, the person who is "It" will count to 30 and give the rest of the players time to run and hide.[2]
  5. 5
    Tag and infect others. The person who is it will tag and infect other players. When another player is tagged, they are also infected. Once this occurs, they switch sides and begin to try to tag others. Uninfected players can ask if any other player is infected. If a player is infected, they must declare that they are.
  6. 6
    Infect everyone. Keep playing until everyone is infected. The last person tagged is declared the winner. Then the game starts over, usually with the last person being the new Infected.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Trying Variations

  1. 1
    Play Infection Hide-and-go-Seek. This variation works especially well if you need to play inside and can't run or risk damaging anything. Rather than chasing people, the person who is "It" merely needs to find them. Once found, a player assists the Infected person in finding other players. Last player found wins!
  2. 2
    Try full zombie-mode infection tag. In this variation, the original Infected is allowed to run as they normally would, but tagged players can only walk like a zombie, and must make zombie noises and moans when chasing other players.
    • This variation removes the need to ask other players if they are also infected - they'll be moaning and shuffling like a zombie!
    • This can also add an interesting element of strategy. Since zombie players can't move quickly, they need to work together to trap other players.
  3. 3
    Try walking indoor Infection Tag. This works well in really big houses and buildings as well, where running would be frowned upon. Since you shouldn't be running indoors, players are limited to walking when chasing and attempting to escape each other.
    • When walking, at least one foot must always be on the ground.
  4. 4
    Play timed Infection Tag. This variation is more complicated in that it requires everyone to have a stopwatch or phone with a stopwatch app, but it can be a lot of fun. When tagged, players are infected for a set amount of time (usually 3 or 5 minutes). If this time elapses without everyone being caught, players are "cured" once their timer is up, and need to be tagged once more!
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Who is the infected after the first game is over?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The person who gets infected first is usually the person who starts as infected in the next game.
  • Question
    Can the infected individuals split up?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, they can go anywhere in the boundaries. They do not have to stay together unless you want to make up your own version and play it like that.
  • Question
    When was this game invented?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    I am pretty sure infection tag was invented when the Diary of a Wimpy Kid idea Cheese Touch came out.
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About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 56,173 times.
63 votes - 71%
Co-authors: 19
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 56,173
Categories: Tag and Chasing Games
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