Killer: Darts' Most Ruthless Party Game
Dana's down to one life, and Marcus is standing at the oche with three darts and her number 14 in his sights. One clean hit and she's out of the game — and everyone crowded around the board knows it.
That's Killer Darts at its best: part aim, part nerve, all rivalry. It's an elimination game where you earn the right to knock lives off your friends, and it's dead simple to learn.
What You Need to Play
All it takes is a dartboard, one dart per player, and at least three people. The game works with big groups too, though 3–6 players keeps turns moving fast.
- 15 darts in one jar means plenty of spares for group play
- Anodized aluminum shafts with locking holes stay tighter than plastic rods
- Comes with extra flights, rubber O-rings, and a sharpener to keep points game-ready
Any board works, steel tip or soft tip. If you're still picking out equipment, our guide to how to play darts covers the basics of boards, darts, and throw distance.
Setting Up: Numbers and Lives
Every player needs their own number on the board, and here's the twist: you claim it by throwing one dart with your non-dominant hand. Whatever number you hit becomes yours for the whole game.
If your dart misses the board or lands on a number that's already taken, you throw again. No two players can share a number.
Once everyone has a number, each player starts with 5 lives. Write each name on a scoreboard with five tally marks next to it, and you're ready.
Becoming a Killer
On your turn, you throw three darts at your own number. Hit it three times total — across as many turns as it takes — and you become a Killer.
Here's the detail that trips people up: a double counts as two hits, and a triple counts as three. Nail your triple on the first dart and you're a Killer instantly.
Until you reach Killer status, your darts can't hurt anyone. Hitting an opponent's number early does nothing — you're just wasting throws.
Hunting: Taking Lives
Once you're a Killer, you flip from defense to offense. Now you aim at other players' numbers, and every hit erases one of their lives.
Doubles and triples stay dangerous here too: land a triple on someone's number and they lose three lives at once. When a player's tally hits zero, they're out.
One big warning — hit your own number after becoming a Killer and you lose a life. Aim carefully, because friendly fire counts.
Winning the Game
The last player with at least one life wins. Simple as that.
Games swing fast, though. A Killer with a hot hand can clear half the board in two turns, so nobody's safe until the final dart lands.
Strategy That Actually Works
Go after the strongest thrower first, even if they haven't wronged you yet. Letting a sharp shooter become a Killer unchallenged is how you end up watching from the sidelines.
Gang up when someone gets close to Killer status — it's legal, expected, and half the fun. Killer rewards the same accuracy work as any game, so a few sessions practicing how to accurately throw darts pays off fast here.
Know your number's neighbors too. If your 14 sits between 9 and 11, an opponent's wild throw at you might gift a hit to someone else entirely.
Popular Variations
House rules keep Killer fresh. A few favorites:
- Double-in Killer – You only become a Killer by hitting the double of your number, and only doubles score kills. Much harder, much more tense.
- Fewer lives – Play with 3 lives instead of 5 for quicker games with big groups.
- Blind Killer – Numbers are drawn from a cup and kept secret, so nobody knows whose lives they're taking until the end.
If your crew likes tactical dart games, cricket darts scratches a similar itch with more scoring depth.
Related Questions
Can two players share the same Killer number? No — every number must be unique. If you hit a taken number during setup, you throw again.
Do hits on other players count before you're a Killer? They don't. You can only take lives after hitting your own number three times.
Can you win lives back? Not in the traditional rules, though some house versions let an eliminated player rejoin if the person who killed them gets knocked out.
Why throw with your non-dominant hand at the start? It randomizes the numbers so nobody claims an easy favorite. It also guarantees at least one laughably bad throw to start the night.
Chalk up five lives each and let the first wrong-handed dart fly.