Make sure all of the players know what the boundaries are. All players must stay in-bounds while playing the game. Whether you are playing outside or inside, identify any unsafe area or areas (such a near the road) that players are not allowed to hide. Also clear away any valuable things that could break or that you might hit or trip over while playing. Safety is important!

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Determine who is "it" to start the game. That player starts with the flashlight.

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Pick a safe place to be "base." Base is where the player who is "it" will start and where players who are caught will wait until the round is over.

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The player who is "it" starts on base. They turn off their flashlight, close their eyes, and count to a number players decide gives everyone enough time to find a hiding place. It could be 20 or 50 or more depending on how big your space is. If you are playing indoors, base could be in a different room than where players hide.

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After counting, the "it" player opens their eyes and turns on their flashlight. They must now try to find the other players who are hiding in the dark. In regular tag you have to touch a player to get them out, but in flashlight tag you have to shine your light finding a player and call out their name. If they do (and they called the right name), that player is out and must return to base.

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Players who are out must wait until all players are found. If you are playing with lots of people or in a large space and do not want to wait around for a long time, you can also add this rule: When a player is out they return to base to get their own flashlight and then count to whatever number the "it" player had to count to before they turn on their light to help. That person is also "it" and helps to find the others until every player is found.

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Once all players are found, you can start a new round. The person who was found first is "it" for the next round.