Turtle Race Name Picker: Pick a Winner or a Whole Order with a Race

You type names straight into the lanes and add lanes as you need them. The title line above the track says "Turtle Race" until you tap it and write what the race is for, like "Buys the pizza". It stays on screen through the race and the result, so nobody can say afterward that it was about something else.

Press Start and the turtles go after a short countdown. They don't run at a steady pace. One stops for a snack, another spins in circles or flips onto its back, and now and then one shoots ahead with a "Boost ON!" bubble. Leading at the halfway point doesn't mean much, so people keep watching until the end.

The animation doesn't decide anything. The ranking is picked at random the moment you press Start, and the race plays it back. Lane and name make no difference, and nobody can steer a turtle.

If you need one person (who gets the spare ticket, who takes the first shift), first place wins. For something nobody wants, like doing the dishes, you can make it last place instead. Either is fine. Just say which one before the start, because switching afterward is how arguments begin.

Once in a while two turtles finish at the same moment and the board shows "Tied #1". Run a second race with only those two.

One race ranks everyone, so you don't have to spin again and again or cross names off one at a time. The result screen puts the top three on a podium and lists the rest below.

• Presentation order in a class or meeting.
• Turn order for a board game.
• Who picks seats or rooms first on a trip.
• A chore rotation: first place this week, second place next week.
• Turn order for a White Elephant gift swap.
• Draft order for a fantasy league or pickup game, covered in Random Draft Order with a Race.

The lanes take any short text. Four friends who can't agree on dinner can type Pizza, Tacos, Ramen and Burgers and eat whatever wins. Note second place too, in case the winner turns out to be closed. It works the same for weekend plans or the next book club pick.

A race holds up to 15 turtles. For a class of 30, split the group in two, race each half, and send the top three from each heat to a final. If you don't want to choose who goes in which heat, paste the names into Team Split and split them into two teams at random. Heats take a few more minutes, and people usually like them more than a single race.

Someone always asks whether you saw the turtle that flipped over. Watch again replays the same race from the start. It's a replay, not a new draw.

For people who weren't there, press Share on the result screen. Share replay sends a link that plays the same race, and the message doesn't give away the winner. Share result sends just the final ranking.

In a classroom or on a TV, the Full screen button next to the title hides the ads and the text around the track.

• Does first place win, or does last place take it?
• Do you need the winner, the top three, or the whole order?
• The first race counts. No "best of three" because someone didn't like it.

Keep names short. A first name or nickname fits the lane and is easier to cheer for. If two people share a name, add an initial.

If the race decides a chore or a small penalty, keep it to something the loser can laugh about.

Is it free? Do I need an account? It's free, with no sign-up and no app. Names you type stay on your device.

Can I use it like a horse race picker? Yes. It works the same way, with turtles instead of horses.

When should I use [Spin the Wheel](/en/games/roulette) instead? When you only need one name and want it fast. For an order, the race saves time.

Can it run our Secret Santa? No. Everyone sees a race result, and Secret Santa needs each person to see only their own match. There's a separate tool for that: Secret Santa Without Emails or Sign-ups.