Game modes · Training · 1 to 6 players · teams

Blackout

Blackout darts starts with all 20 numbers lit. Every hit switches one off, and a treble takes both neighbours with it. The first player to get the board dark wins. You need a plan as much as a good arm, and on your own it is a fine way to practise the whole board.

All 20 numbers lit, each hit switches one off
A treble takes both neighbours too, so one dart can clear three fields
The board shows what is still lit and the panel marks your best treble
A callout when you take three at once, black out the board or set a record
Classic rules by default, plus variants for neighbours, rings, relighting, a dart limit and equal visits

Play Blackout

How it works

Blackout · Numbers Blackout: Ben

Anna1
Ben0

Still on0Ben

T123 off
18already dark
11 off

BlackoutNew best · 21 darts

Ben · Fields per dart 0.95New best1 ahead

21 darts

The end of a leg as the app shows it. Anna has five numbers lit. Her treble 11 takes the 8, the 11 and the 14 at once, the 16 goes out and the 19 was already dark. That leaves her one field, the 3. Ben has four lit, and the panel marks his best shot, treble 12 for the 9, the 12 and the 5. The 18 is already dark and the 1 goes out: blackout in 21 darts, three fewer than his record.

The rules

How Blackout darts works

The fewer darts you need, the better. On your own, Blackout is a practice game: how few darts do you need for a dark board?

All lights onEvery player starts with all 20 numbers lit. Each player has a board of their own, so what you switch off stays off only for you.
Hit to switch offAny hit on a lit number turns it dark, whether single, double or treble. Hitting a number that is already dark does nothing.
Trebles take threeA treble switches off its own number and the two beside it. Treble 20 takes out the 5, the 20 and the 1 with one dart.
First dark winsYou throw three darts a visit. The first player to switch off their last field wins the leg on the spot.

In the game

See what is still lit at a glance

The game is about picking the target that takes the most fields. The screen gives you what you need to choose:

Your lamps on the board: every field still in play is lit, the rest is dark. A field you hit flashes briefly as it goes out.
What each dart did: “3 off”, “1 off”, “already dark” for a number you switched off earlier, or “off target”.
Your numbers in the panel: all 20 in board order, lit or dark, with the ones you just switched off outlined.
Your best shot: the panel marks the treble that takes the most, for example “T12 takes 3 at once”.
Where you stand: the hint shows how far you are ahead of or behind the best of the others. It names your last fields and turns amber on the very last one.
Your record: the panel shows the fewest darts you have ever needed for a dark board, for each setting, next to the pace of your current leg.
The big moments: a treble that takes three at once, a dark board and a new record each get a callout.

Setting · Neighbours

Which hits take the neighbours too

When you play the numbers, you choose which hits also switch off the two numbers beside them. Trebles is the classic setting, and the other two make the game easier or harder:

TreblesDefault
1. T203 off
2. D181 off
3. –Dart 3
1. 12
2. 5
3. 20
4. 1
5. 18
6. 4
7. 13
A treble switches off its own number and both neighbours. Any other hit takes only its own number, so treble 20 takes the 5, the 20 and the 1.
Doubles and treblesEasier
1. T203 off
2. D182 off
3. –Dart 3
1. 12
2. 5
3. 20
4. 1
5. 18
6. 4
7. 13
Doubles take the neighbours too. Double 18 switches off the 18 and the 4, since the 1 was already dark. More fields per dart make for shorter legs.
No neighboursHarder
1. T201 off
2. D181 off
3. –Dart 3
1. 12
2. 5
3. 20
4. 1
5. 18
6. 4
7. 13
Every number needs a hit of its own, in any ring. Twenty numbers take twenty hits, so it is a pure accuracy test and the big singles are the best target.

Setting · Fields

Numbers, every ring or every field

This decides what has to go out. The numbers are the classic. The other two options give every ring a lamp of its own, which makes the game longer and harder:

NumbersDefault
20 fields
One lamp per number. Any hit switches the whole number off, and a treble takes both neighbours with it.
S · D · THarder
60 fields
Every single, double and treble is a lamp of its own. Treble 20 switches off only the treble 20, and the doubles and trebles drag out the end of the leg.
Every fieldHardest
80 fields
The inner and outer singles also count separately, so there are 80 fields to hit once each. A marathon for a long practice session.

Setting · Bull

The bull as the last lamp

Turn the bull on and the board is not dark until the bull is out as well:

Off by default: the classic board has only the 20 numbers.
With the numbers: the bull is one extra lamp. Either the 25 or the bullseye switches it off.
With every ring or every field: the 25 and the bullseye are two separate lamps, and you have to hit both.

Setting · Blank visit relights

When a blank visit costs you a field

This is off by default. Turn it on and a visit that switches nothing off lights one field up again:

OffDefault
1. 0off target
2. 20already dark
3. 5already dark
1. 12
2. 5
3. 20
4. 1
5. 18
6. 4
7. 13
A visit that switches nothing off only costs you the darts. Last visit your treble 20 took the 5, the 20 and the 1, and they stay dark.
Blank visit relightsHarder
1. 0off target
2. 20already dark
3. 5already dark
1. 12
2. 5
3. 20
4. 1
5. 18
6. 4
7. 13
Three darts without switching anything off, and the last field you switched off lights up again, here the 1. The panel warns you after the first blank dart and turns amber on the last one.

Setting · Who wins

First dark, equal visits or a dart limit

First dark is the classic. With two or more players you can finish the round so everyone gets the same number of visits. A dart limit turns the game into a race against the count, and it works on your own too:

First darkDefault
1. AnnaVisit 7 · 20 dartsWinner
2. BenVisit 6 · 1 field onNo 7th visit
Whoever switches off their last field first wins on the spot. Anna throws first, so Ben never gets his seventh visit.
Equal visitsFair
1. AnnaVisit 7 · 20 dartsDark
2. BenVisit 7 · 19 dartsWinner
The round is played out, so everybody gets the same number of visits. Then the fewest darts win. Ben finishes with the first dart of his visit. Level on darts is a draw.
Dart limit30 · 45 · 60
1. Anna30 darts · 2 fields onWinner
2. Ben30 darts · 4 fields on
If nobody is dark after 30 darts, the fewest fields still lit win, and level is a draw. Going dark before the limit still wins. Alone, the limit is your target: how many fields can you switch off in 30 darts?

Setup

Start a game

You find Blackout among the training games on the play screen. Pick it, adjust the settings below if you like and start the game.

PlayersOn your own or up to 6 players, with friends or bots. Teams are possible too.
FieldsNumbers (the default, 20 lamps), single, double and treble (60) or every field (80). See fields.
BullOff by default. See the bull.
NeighboursTrebles (the default), doubles and trebles, or none. Only when you play the numbers. See neighbours.
Blank visit relightsOff by default. See relight.
Dart limitNone (the default), 30, 45, 60 or any number you choose. See who wins.
Who winsFirst dark (the default), or equal visits when two or more are playing.
HandicapsPer player, one to five numbers start dark, spread round the board. If you play every ring or every field, all lamps of those numbers start dark.
Legs and setsA single game, or first to 2, 3 or more legs, with sets if you want them.
Who throws firstTop of the list, a bull-off or random order.

Tips

Get the board dark faster

Go for three. A treble on a number whose neighbours are both still lit is worth three singles. The panel marks the best one for you.
Make the misses count. A treble that drops into the single still switches its number off. Pick targets where a dart that strays next door still hits something lit.
Clear in blocks. Take out neighbouring numbers together. Lone lamps scattered round the board cost you a dart each at the end.
Plan the end. The last two or three fields decide the leg. Save your favourite numbers for the end and get the awkward ones out of the way early.
Practise the whole board. On your own, Blackout makes you aim at every number. Try to beat your record for the fewest darts.
Make it fair. With friends, turn on equal visits. Everyone gets the same number of visits, so throwing first is no advantage.

Ready to throw?

Open the app in your browser and play Blackout darts against friends, bots or your own record. You need no account and nothing to install.

Play now

Host it yourself