TL;DR: Throw Throw Burrito is the chaotic, high-energy lovechild of a card game and dodgeball. It’s the perfect "circuit breaker" for kids stuck in a Roblox or YouTube loop because it forces physical movement, eye contact, and genuine laughter. It’s fast, slightly dangerous for your lamps, and 100% worth the $25.
Quick Links for Active Families:
- The Original: Throw Throw Burrito
- The Sequel: Throw Throw Avocado
- For Outdoor Play: Throw Throw Burrito: Extreme Outdoor Edition
- If you like the chaos but hate the throwing: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
If you’ve spent any time in the board game aisle lately, you’ve seen the bright orange box with two squishy foam burritos staring at you. Created by the team behind Exploding Kittens, this isn't a "sit quietly and wait for your turn" kind of game. In fact, there are no turns.
Everyone plays at once, frantically passing cards to their left to find matching sets of three. Most matches get you points. But when you match the "Burrito" cards (Brawl, War, or Duel), the card game stops, and a physical battle begins. You grab the foam burritos and try to pelt your family members before they hit you.
It’s essentially a way to gamify the sibling rivalry that’s already happening in your living room, but with rules and a scoring system.
We talk a lot about "flow state" in video games like Minecraft or Fortnite. That’s the feeling of being so immersed in a task that time disappears. Throw Throw Burrito creates a physical version of that flow state.
It’s high-intensity. It’s loud. It’s "Ohio" in the best way possible—meaning it’s weird, chaotic, and unpredictable. In a world where so much of a kid's "action" happens through a glass screen, the tactile sensation of actually ducking behind a couch to avoid a foam tortilla is a massive dopamine hit.
It also levels the playing field. Your 8-year-old might not be able to beat you at Catan yet, but they can almost certainly nail you in the chest with a foam burrito while you’re trying to remember where you put your glasses.
Ask our chatbot for more high-energy board game recommendations
At Screenwise, we’re always looking for "bridge activities." These are physical world experiences that mimic the mechanics of digital ones.
If your kid is obsessed with the fast-paced, reflex-based gameplay of Stumble Guys or the competitive rush of [Brawl Stars](https://screenwiseapp.com/media/brawl-stars-app, they’re going to find most traditional board games "boring" (aka slow). Throw Throw Burrito bridges that gap. It offers:
- Instant Feedback: You hit someone, you get a point. They hit you, you lose a point.
- High Engagement: You can’t look away for a second or you’ll get a burrito to the face.
- Social Regulation: Kids have to learn how to handle the "sting" of losing a duel without throwing a literal tantrum (or a non-foam object).
The box says Ages 7+, and that’s a pretty solid benchmark.
- Ages 5-6: They can play, but the "everyone plays at once" speed can be overwhelming. They might just want to play with the foam burritos, which is fine, but maybe don't keep score.
- Ages 7-12: This is the sweet spot. They have the motor skills to throw accurately and the cognitive ability to track their card matches simultaneously.
- Teens: Surprisingly, this is a hit with teens too. It’s a great "icebreaker" game for when they have friends over and everyone is awkwardly sitting on their phones. It’s hard to stay "cool" and detached when someone just beaned you with a burrito.
Safety Considerations (The "Broken Lamp" Factor)
Let’s be real: things might get broken. The burritos themselves are very soft foam—they won't hurt a person—but a kid lunging for a burrito can easily knock over a drink, a vase, or a laptop.
The Screenwise Rule: Establish a "Burrito Zone." Clear the coffee table, move the fragile stuff, and for the love of all things holy, make sure no one is holding a glass of red wine nearby.
Check out our guide on setting physical boundaries for active play
The "Burrito Duel" is the highlight of the game. Two players stand back-to-back, take three steps, turn, and fire. It’s pure theater.
However, for some kids, the direct "confrontation" of a duel can be stressful. If you have a child who is particularly sensitive to conflict or "losing face," you might want to play a few rounds as a team first or emphasize that the goal is the hilarity of the miss, not just the accuracy of the hit.
If your family catches the Throw Throw Burrito fever, there are a few other ways to keep that momentum going without heading back to the iPad.
This is the standalone sequel. It features new cards and "Avocado" foam projectiles. The best part? You can actually combine the two games for a "Combo Game" that uses both the burritos and the avocados. It’s pure, unadulterated madness.
Also from the Exploding Kittens crew. You have to explain a word using only single-syllable words. If you mess up, the other team gets to hit you with a 2-foot-long inflatable "No!" stick. It’s the same "physical penalty" vibe but focused on language and communication.
If you want the "no turns, everyone play at once" speed but want to ditch the projectiles, this is a classic. It’s high-speed card sorting that feels like a mental workout.
If you are going to do screen time, Super Mario Party is the digital equivalent of a chaotic board game. It’s interactive, competitive, and keeps everyone in the room engaged together.
When you introduce this game, don't frame it as "an alternative to your tablet." Kids can smell a "parental agenda" a mile away.
Instead, frame it as a challenge. "I bet I can hit you with this burrito before you even see it coming." Use the language of gaming—talk about "stats," "reloads," and "boss battles."
If they get frustrated, use it as a teaching moment for digital citizenship and sportsmanship. The way we act when we get hit by a foam burrito is a great precursor to how we should act when we get "pwned" in Fortnite.
Throw Throw Burrito isn't going to win any awards for deep strategy or complex world-building. It’s not Wingspan. But it is an incredible tool for intentional parents who want to inject some physical energy and "real life" interaction into their family's routine.
It’s silly, it’s sweaty, and it’s one of the few games that can actually compete with the "brain rot" allure of a skibidi toilet marathon.
Next Steps:
- Buy the game (or the Extreme Outdoor Edition if you have a yard and want to avoid breaking that lamp).
- Clear a 10x10 space in your living room.
- Put the phones in a basket in the other room.
- Prepare to get hit.
Ask our chatbot about other ways to reduce screen-time friction