How to Play JinxO (Dito!): Rules for the 2026 Spiel des Jahres Winner

Here is how to play JinxO in one breath: someone reads a topic, everyone secretly writes three answers on a little three-by-three board, and then you take turns reading answers aloud, hoping other people wrote the same thing. Match with the table and you score. Match with exactly one other person and you both shout “Jinx!” and score extra. Miss everyone and the answer is crossed out. Three topics fill the board, three rounds make a game, and the whole thing takes about half an hour.

The quick answer: JinxO is a word-matching party game for 4 to 7 players (3 to 7 in the German edition, Dito!), ages 10 and up, about 30 minutes. You win by thinking like your friends, not by knowing the most. It won the 2026 Spiel des Jahres, the best-known award in board games.

What is JinxO, and why is it also called Dito!?

JinxO is a party game by Martin Ang, an Indonesian designer, first published in Indonesia by Tabletoys. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland it is sold as Dito! by Game Factory, the brand that brought it to the German-speaking market. Same game, two names.

On July 12, 2026, the Spiel des Jahres jury named Dito! (JinxO) its Game of the Year. It beat the two other nominees, Cozy Stickerville and Morty Sorty Magic Shop. It is the first game from Indonesia, and from any country in the global south, to win the main prize. Jury chair Harald Schrapers noted on stage that the award had never before had a nominated designer from the global south.

In the US the game keeps the JinxO name. In July 2026, ICv2 reported that US distribution through ACD and Alliance had been arranged by Dara Studios, with reprints underway to meet demand after the win. If your local store does not have it on the shelf, it can usually order it through one of those distributors.

What comes in the box?

• One JinxO board per player. A dry-erase board with nine answer boxes in a three-by-three grid. Each box has a small Jinx Star in its corner. Bonus values are printed along the bottom and right edges, one for each row and column, and there are score boxes for each round.
• One marker per player.
• A deck of topic cards. Each card offers a choice of topics, so you will not run out.

How do you set up JinxO?

1. Put the topic cards face down in the middle of the table.
2. Give everyone a board and a marker.
3. Pick a first player at random.

That is the whole setup. It takes less time than finding a pen that works.

How to play JinxO: one round, step by step

A game is three rounds. Each round has two phases: writing, then matching.

Step 1: Read a topic

The first player draws a topic card, picks one of its topics, and reads it aloud. Topics are broad prompts with many fair answers, such as places that are always cold, which is what makes matching hard.

Step 2: Everyone writes three answers

Each player secretly writes exactly three answers to that topic, each in any empty box on their own board. Where you put them matters, and we will come back to that.

Two limits apply to every answer:

• Two words at most. Proper names such as brands or cities are the exception.
• No repeats on your own board. You cannot write the same answer twice, even for a different topic.

Step 3: Repeat until the board is full

Read a second topic and write three more answers, then a third topic and three more. Now every player has nine answers on the board: three topics, three answers each.

Step 4: Take turns calling answers

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player reads one of their own answers aloud. An answer that someone already called this round cannot be called again. Then everyone checks their own board:

• Several players wrote it: every player with that answer circles it, including the caller.
• Exactly one other player wrote it: that is a Jinx. The two of you can shout “Jinx!”, circle the answer, and shade the Jinx Star in the corner of that box. A Jinx is worth extra points.
• Nobody else wrote it: the caller crosses the answer out. It scores nothing.

Step 5: Rule on close calls

The table decides whether two answers match. The rulebook gives a useful guide: true synonyms for the same specific idea count (small and tiny), but a general category and a specific example do not (cheese and cheddar are not a match). If the group cannot agree, the other players’ ruling stands.

Step 6: End the round

Keep calling answers in turn. The moment one player has every box on their board either circled or crossed out, they say “I’m done!” and the round ends for everyone, even if you still have answers you hoped to call.

Step 7: Score the round

Each player adds up:

Write the total in the round’s score box, wipe the answers, and start the next round. The player with the lowest score may go first in the next round, a small catch-up rule that keeps the table close.

Step 8: Win after three rounds

After the third round, add up all three round scores. Most points wins.

JinxO rules questions that come up at the table

Can I write an answer someone else might not think counts? Yes. Nothing stops you from writing a strange answer. It just will not match anyone, and it will cost you a box.

What if I wrote the same thing as someone, but they never call it? You can call it yourself on your turn. Matches only score when someone calls the answer, so the order you call answers in is a small decision of its own.

Do spelling and plurals matter? The rulebook leaves matching to the table. Most groups treat “cat” and “cats” as the same answer and save arguments for the cheese and cheddar cases.

What if a topic is too obscure for someone? Pick the other topic on the card. The game is better when everyone can answer.

JinxO strategy: how to score more

JinxO looks like pure guessing, but small choices add up over three rounds.

Think like the table, not like yourself

Your favorite answer is rarely the right one. Ask what the most obvious answer is for this group. With a table of cooks, “garlic” might be a safe spice; with a table of kids, “salt” might be. This is the game’s whole charm: you learn how your friends think.

Hunt for one Jinx per topic

The most common answers score a single point because half the table wrote them. A Jinx needs exactly one other person. A good pattern is two safe answers per topic plus one answer you think only one specific friend will share, such as an inside joke or something you know they love.

Place answers for the bonuses

Answers you are almost sure will match belong in the same row or column, so you can complete it and collect the bonus. Put your risky Jinx attempts together in a different line, so one miss does not ruin two bonuses.

Watch the “I’m done!” clock

A round ends as soon as one player has marked every box. If you are hoping to call a likely match, call it early. Holding your best answer for later can mean never calling it at all.

Listen before you call

Every answer called gives you information about how the others think. If a player keeps matching with the group, their next answer is probably a safe call for you to copy on the next topic.

Why did JinxO win the Spiel des Jahres?

The jury’s reasoning, in short: the game brings a group together, and you succeed by correctly guessing what you have in common, not by knowing more than everyone else. It rewards understanding other people’s perspectives. That is close to what the award has always looked for: a game anyone can learn in minutes that still feels fresh on the tenth play.

A few things make the win stand out:

• It ended a run of cooperative winners. The previous three Spiel des Jahres went to Dorfromantik, Sky Team, and Bomb Busters, all cooperative. JinxO is competitive, though gently.
• Word games rarely win. BoardGameWire counted JinxO as only the fourth word-focused winner, after Barbarossa, Codenames, and Just One.
• It came from outside the usual map. A game first published in Indonesia beat entries from long-established European publishers, which says a lot about how strong the core idea is.

For the full list of past winners and which still deserve a spot on your shelf, see our guide to every Spiel des Jahres winner. The connoisseur award went to Reiner Knizia that year; our guide to Rebirth covers it.

Who is JinxO for?

Great for:

• Mixed groups. Friends who don’t play games yet can learn it during the first topic. There is no trivia to be bad at.
• Family game night with older kids. The box says 10 and up, and kids are often better at guessing the obvious answer than adults are.
• Groups of 5 to 7. More players means more chances to match and more tension around landing a Jinx.
• New groups and work teams. You learn a surprising amount about people from what they think of first.

Less great for:

• Two or three players. The English edition starts at four. The German Dito! allows three, but matching works best with a crowd.
• Very large parties. Seven is the cap. For 10 or more, use a game built for a crowd from our party games for large groups list.
• Players who want deep strategy. The placement and bonus choices are real, but this is a party game first.

How do you teach JinxO in two minutes?

Say this: “I’ll read a topic. Everyone writes three answers anywhere on your board. We do three topics. Then we take turns reading answers. If others wrote yours, circle it. If exactly one other person wrote it, you both shout Jinx and shade the star. If nobody did, cross it out. Full rows and columns score bonuses.”

Then play the first round open, talking through placement as you go. Our guide on how to teach a board game has more on keeping teaches short.

What games are like JinxO?

If your group likes JinxO, these hit a similar spot:

Codenames has its own course: start with how to play Codenames. For how Codenames and Decrypto differ, read Codenames vs Decrypto. And if your group cannot decide what to play, Game Night Madness runs a quick bracket vote from everyone’s phones.

FAQ

How many players can play JinxO?

The English JinxO box says 4 to 7 players. The German edition, Dito!, says 3 to 7. Bigger tables give you more answers to match, so it shines with five or more.

How long does a game of JinxO take?

About 30 minutes for three rounds. Each round ends as soon as one player has marked every box and calls “I’m done!”

Is JinxO the same game as Dito!?

Yes. Dito! is the German-language edition from Game Factory, and JinxO is the original name from Indonesian publisher Tabletoys. Dito! is the title that won the 2026 Spiel des Jahres, listed by the jury as “Dito! (JinxO).”

What counts as a match in JinxO?

Answers that mean the same specific thing match, such as small and tiny. A broad category and a specific example of it do not, such as cheese and cheddar. When in doubt, the other players decide.

What age is JinxO good for?

The box says 10 and up. Kids who can write quickly and know common words will do well, and because there is no trivia, they compete on even footing with adults.

Play the next one together

JinxO is a reminder that the best games are about the people at the table, not the knowledge in their heads. If you want more games that start conversations, our list of party games for large groups and our picks for the best board games of 2026 are good next reads. Ludarium Letters sends new picks like this to your inbox; sign up below.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.

Sources

• “Dito! (JinxO)” is Spiel des Jahres 2026 (Spiel des Jahres, 2026)
• JinxO wins 2026 Spiel des Jahres, Rebirth secures historic triple for Reiner Knizia (BoardGameWire, 2026)
• Spiel des Jahres winner distributed in U.S. (ICv2, 2026)
• JinxO rulebook (RulesPal)
• JinxO review (Board’s Eye View)