FIRST LEGO League Challenge Robot Game

Each season, FIRST chooses a theme and designs a Robot Game based on the theme. Each season, teams develop strategies to achieve the Game's missions and use LEGO sets to design, build and program robots to achieve the missions that choose as part of their strategy.

Each season there is a new mat that fits on a 4-foot by 8-foot table and a Challenge Set that includes a mat and many bags of LEGO parts to build the mission elements.

See also Season Specifics

Game Rules

• See the official rules for the UNEARTHED season on page 12 of the Robot Game Rule Book
• Unofficial FAQ from the FLL Challenge Share & Learn Facebook page regarding the 2025-26 UNEARTHED Season Rules. These are NOT official rulings. To obtain official advice, send an email to fllrobotgame@usfirst.org
  • FAQ 1: Can a very small part of the robot or a mission model we plan to deliver (including cables and attachments) be beyond the black line into Home/Mat or be above the walls in the Launch areas prior to a launch?
  • FAQ 2: Can the robot go off the mat after a valid launch to complete missions, and later also return back on to the mat to continue the run (assuming the team does not touch the robot when it is in Home Area)?
  • FAQ 3: Is there a 12" height limit during Launch?
  • FAQ 4: Can my team ask for the loops or other movable parts of a model to be set up in a particular direction/angle/position prior to the match?
  • FAQ 5: Can my team bring notes to the robot game match?
  • FAQ 6: Can we use rubber bands, pneumatics, and string on our robot and attachments?
  • FAQ 7: Do we have to use the “red lever” to complete missions? Can we complete them in a different way?
  • FAQ 8: Can students rotate in as technicians during a single match?
  • FAQ 9: Can used or to-be-used attachments be stored under the table, in a box, or in the hands of the additional (non-technician) students?
  • FAQ 10. Does the robot need to return to Home/Launch at the end of a match?
  • FAQ 11. Can my team’s jig jut out past Launch area during a launch?

Game Strategy

• Community Webinar: How to Develop a Robot Strategy
• Robot Game Lessons from FLL Tutorials (See second half of page.)

Tutorials Specific to SPIKE Prime Sets

• SPIKE Prime Lessons

Tutorials Specific to Mindstorms Sets

• EV3 Lessons

• STEMcentric video tutorials by Dale Yocum (Catlin Gabel) of EV3, NXT, and RCX

• FIRST Robotics Canada EV3 Tutorials