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Duck Race is a zero-prep party game for your presentation. Everyone who joins becomes a duck, and when you press Start the flock races across a pond at random until one duck crosses the finish line. The winner is pure luck, with nothing scored and no one picked in advance. Players pick their duck’s design on their phone before the race. It is AhaSlides’ second gamified slide type, after the Spinner Wheel.

Duck Race at a glance

How to run Duck Race

AhaSlides Duck Race slide type highlighted under the Game filter of the slide type picker
  1. In the editor, click New slide and choose Duck Race: it sits in the Gamification section with the Spinner Wheel. A new slide is already a complete, playable race.
  2. Optionally set the race duration, race sound effects, or scene theme (see the settings below).
  3. Leave Racers on Audience join, then click Present. Everyone who scans the join code appears as a named duck and can change their duck’s design until you start.
  4. Once at least one duck has joined, a Start race button appears in the middle of the pond on your presenting screen. Click it, or press Space, Enter or the right arrow key. The winner is announced on the big screen and on every phone. Use Race again for another round, or the participants panel to add or remove a racer between races.
On the big screen, every racer lines up in the pond behind the start line, ready for you to start the race.
AhaSlides Duck Race slide in preview mode, showing the presenter pond race beside the participant phone view
On their phones, each participant gets their own duck and can restyle it with Change duck until the race begins.

Duck Race settings

AhaSlides Duck Race slide in the editor with the race settings panel highlighted

Ideas for using Duck Race

  • Random prize draws and giveaways: every attendee is already a duck, so the pond picks a winner with nothing rigged.
  • Pick a volunteer or the next presenter fairly, without singling anyone out.
  • Icebreakers and energisers: a quick, luck-based laugh for a room of any size.
  • Celebrate the group with a no-stakes shared moment.

Duck Race vs. other slide types

  • Not a scored quiz: for a graded competition, use a quiz slide.
  • Not a name spinner: to spin one pre-entered name or option, use the Spinner Wheel.
  • Not a poll or vote: to gather opinions, use a poll or rating scale.

Frequently asked questions

Does the duck design affect who wins?

No, it is purely cosmetic.

Do I have to add the racers myself?

No. With Racers on Audience join (the default), everyone who joins is added as a duck automatically. To choose the racers yourself, switch Racers to My list and type at least two names.

Is Duck Race free to use?

Yes, it is available on every plan, including the Free plan.

How many players can join, and how many ducks show at once?

Duck Race has no player limit of its own, so every participant in the presentation races. How many people can join the presentation at all depends on your plan; your My Plan page shows the limit that applies to you. Up to 40 ducks race on the pond at once. In a larger room everyone else still races with the same odds and is shown by name, and the slide stays smooth well past 1,000 participants.

Can I pick who wins or rig the result?

No. The winner is chosen at random the moment you press Start: there is no setting to preselect one. Have a question? Contact our support team: if you’re logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise contact us here or email hi@ahaslides.com. Want to connect with other users? Join the AhaSlides community to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.