Have you heard the news? 

Last week developers Roy and Charcle released the highly anticipated Rainbow Friends Chapter 2! And if your kids play on Roblox (or watch many Roblox YouTube gamers), you’ve likely heard all about it. 

But just because they’re talking non-stop about the cool, new monsters and maps, you may still feel in the dark. And that’s where we come in!
 

In this article, you’ll learn all about Rainbow Friends (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2), which age range it’s best for, and even some gameplay tips so you can join in the conversation (or even play yourself). Let’s go!

Rainbow Friends Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Basics

Rainbow Friends is a highly popular game on Roblox, with over 1.8 billion visits since its creation in November 2021. It has remained popular during that time thanks to its simple but fun gameplay and kid-friendly horror themes.

And now that Chapter 2 is out, it’s more popular than ever. At the time of this writing, it’s showing over 119,000 active players. Those are people playing right now, on a Monday, in the early afternoon.

And with Chapter 2’s upgrades, it’s likely to remain popular for a long time.

Is Rainbow Friends safe for kids?

Even though it’s a horror game, Roblox rates Rainbow Friends as appropriate for all ages. And we find this to hold true.

Like any good horror game, there are jump scares involved. And the characters can look a little scary. But all of this is animated in a very cartoony, colorful, and kid-friendly way. And while some children may find this game too scary, most will enjoy the thrills as they play.

Green’s jump scare – Chapter 1

But of course, it’s up to you, the parent, to decide what is appropriate for your child. So we highly encourage you to give this game a go and experience it for yourself. And the info below will help you do just that. 

An Overview of Rainbow Friends Chapter 1

Before we dive into all the awesomeness of Chapter 2, let’s make sure we’re all up to speed on the first installment. 

When the game begins, you’re in the “lobby”. In this case, that’s outside of a school building with a bus waiting for you. This lobby can be a fun place to run around and explore, but most people use it as an area to meet up with their friends before entering a game. 

Once you’re ready to play, run into the circle in front of the school bus. Up to 15 people can join in a game, but you may have fewer when you start. No worries — it’s more about quality, not quantity.  😉

When the time runs down to join the circle, the game begins.

Rainbow Friends Chapter 1 Gameplay

You’ll start on the bus, on your way to Odd World (an interestingly named amusement park) for a field trip. But a suspicious wrong turn leads to a crash — leaving you and your classmates knocked out. 

Before your field trip takes a wrong turn.

When you come to, you’re in a strange room, receiving instructions from a shadowy figure. He has tasks for you to complete (over a series of several nights). And this is the backbone of the game (which also carries over into Chapter 2).

These tasks are:

• Night 1 — Collect 24 blocks
• Night 2 — Collect 15 food packs
• Night 3 — Collect 14 fuses
• Night 4 — Collect 9 batteries (in the dark)
• Night 5 — Enjoy some cake (and escape!)

Collecting blocks during night 1.

These items are scattered throughout a pretty detailed map. There are different areas, like the castle playroom or the caves, to explore. And these tasks would be pretty simple — except for the monsters.  

Rainbow Friends Chapter 1 Monsters

As you progress through each night, you’re introduced to new monsters as you search for items. On night 1, you only have to deal with Blue.

Get in Blue’s line of sight, and he’ll chase you down, pick you up, and end your game. But luckily, you’ve been equipped with a cardboard box. And once you can get out of his sight and hide (either in your box, a locker, or under a table), Blue simply gives up his chase. 

But there’s more:

• Green is added on night 2. He’s blind but can hear and sense you when you’re near. Unlike Blue, you can’t hide in the box to sneak by him. Instead, you need to find a new route or risk quickly running by him without his long arms touching you.

   

• Night 3 brings Orange — a fast, dinosaur-looking creature that’s hungry for humans. Stay out of his path or hide to survive.

   

• Purple is also added on night 3 — and he’s a sneaky one. As you run around collecting items, keep your eyes on the vents. If you see a pair of eyes and hands, either turn the other way or walk carefully over the footprints in the puddle of water. If you misstep, you will be snatched.

   

Watch out for Purple hiding in the vents!

Blue, Green, and Orange all have unique sounds associated with them, so be sure to keep your volume up to increase your chances of survival. And, in the case of Purple, keep your eyes on those vents. He is most definitely sus.  😉

Beating Rainbow Friends Chapter 1

If you manage to survive to night 5, congrats! There’s only Blue and one final chase scene between you and victory. 

You begin night 5 in the Party Room. Blue is asleep on the stage, and there are balloons all over the floor. Your task — avoid popping the balloons and reach the chocolate cake on the other side of the room.

For regular gamers, avoiding the balloons is a fairly easy task (though you’ll find plenty of players popping them on purpose). But if you’re new to navigating the game, you may find this a bit trickier. But no worries — even if you pop a balloon, you can make a run for the cake and avoid Blue. 

Once everyone in the group reaches the cake, a cut scene starts. A balloon pops, Blue wakes up, and a set of doors opens. And from here things move fast.

You run through the now-open doors and move some large blocks to drop a wooden ramp. This leads you into the vents. Then, after navigating a series of turns and a few crouching spots, you escape to the outside — with Blue not far behind. 

You’ve escaped! But Blue’s not so lucky.

You made it!!! 

But that’s not all — in the final cut scene you discover that the shadowy figure giving you all the tasks is also a Rainbow Friend — Red. Dun dun duuuuuun!

You’ve got that right Red.

Rainbow Friends Chapter 2

Rainbow Friends Chapter 2 begins exactly where Chapter 1 ends.  The Chapter 2 lobby has you outside, gathering with other players to start the game. When you’re ready, jump into the circle to start the game.

This time the game begins with a cutscene that has you and your friends running through the woods. You stumble upon an old man trying to cut a chain link fence (hmm…that’s odd). One member of your party tells him about what you just survived (those crazy colorful monsters), but he doesn’t seem overly concerned. 

Yes, monsters!

Instead, this suspicious man sends you on a mission to find bulbs for an SOS light. And so the game begins.

The New Map — Odd World

One of the first things you’ll notice about Rainbow Friends Chapter 2 is the new, HUGE map. You’re now running around Odd World, an amusement park themed after the Rainbow Friends. There are several different sections, including Orange’s Cave and Blue’s Castle. 

A player zooming down the zipline!

But one of the best parts about this new map — you can ride all the amusement park rides! Your avatar can jump in and drive the go-carts, hop on the drop ride, and run onto the ferris wheel. There’s also a zip line to take you across the map. 

And there are, of course, many places to crouch and hide. And there are still lockers and your trusty box for hiding in as well.

Rainbow Friends Chapter 2 Gameplay

Even though the map is way different, the gameplay is almost exactly the same as Chapter 1 (except for a fun change-up in the finale).

Instead of surviving different nights, your tasks are now broken down by hours. And your job is to run and collect items while also not getting caught by the monsters.

Green blocking the way during hour 2.

• Hour 1 — Collect 25 blue and yellow light bulbs for the SOS light

   

• Hour 2 — Collect 15 gas canisters to power a drill (supposedly to help you escape the theme park)

   

• Hour 3 — Collect 10 rolling Lookies (little round heads that resemble Red), this time within a 10-minute time frame! [Pro tip — you don’t have to actually complete this task to move on. Once the time is up, you will move on to the next hour, whether or not your group has collected all the Lookies.]

   

• Hour 4 — Collect 9 sugar packs (you’re baking a cake for a giant Lookie!)

   

• Hour 5 — Time to escape! Ride the mine cart ride and race to the end ahead of Cyan — one of the new monsters.

Rainbow Friends Chapter 2 Monsters

The whole gang’s back, with a couple of new additions. 

As before, you’re introduced to different monsters at different times. For hour 1, you see Red release Blue and Green into the park. They operate the same as before, though Blue does seem a little bit faster. 

And even though nothing is said about Purple, you can find him (well, his arms anyway) in the mist in Purple’s Lair. Don’t want to get snatched by Purple? Stand on one of the rocks in this area to avoid his grasp. 

Meet Yellow!

Hour 2 brings the first new monster, Yellow. Like Blue, you can hide in your box from Yellow. But something else is different here — Yellow catching you is not an automatic fail. As this pterodactyl-looking creature flies away with you, you can perform a well-timed jump and land in the bouncy house to escape.

Then you meet the final new Rainbow Friend in Hour 4 — Cyan. Cyan is a bit different from the others. You can hide in your box from Cyan, but she’s a curious monster. If your box moves, she will catch you. So it’s best to box up and sit tight until she passes by.

Watch out for Cyan!

And don’t worry, we didn’t forget Orange. You get a quick glimpse of this quick little monster in the finale.

Beating Rainbow Friends Chapter 2

If you’ve made it this far — congrats! You’re now in for a wild ride, literally. Once you entice the giant Lookie head to move with your delicious cake, you’ll head into Orange’s Caverns and hop in a mine cart. 

Next up is one of the best parts of the game. You ride your cart through the roller coaster ride, choosing the correct path to avoid the monsters. Even though the gameplay here is super simple, this section is a blast. Especially the first time you play it.

From the top of the cart ride. Wheeeee!

The cart ride ends with you falling down the garbage chute. But Cyan falls right behind you. And this is when the final chase begins.

Similar to Chapter 1, you run towards the exit, crouching when needed to escape. Cyan is a lot faster than Blue though, so you really have to keep moving to make it. You finally slip under a gate through a spot too small for Cyan to fit, and you win! Woohoo!

What your child can learn from Rainbow Friends

Though this gameplay is pretty simple, it still carries a good bit of learning. 

In Rainbow Friends, you’re most often playing as part of a team, so working together is key. This encourages teamwork and strong social skills.

While your child plays, they’re also improving their psychomotor and spatial reasoning/navigational skills. These maps are fairly large. And if you don’t know where you’re going, every night or hour takes longer. But the more they play, the better they learn how to navigate the map. And the more they practice managing the controls quickly to survive the monsters. 

If you sit down to play these games, you’ll experience the perseverance needed to master them. No matter how skilled you are, there will be times when the monsters catch you. But if your child is motivated to beat the game or reach a certain win streak, they’ll be building their resilience and practicing perseverance — skills often missing in today’s workforce.

And finally, if you’re looking for more academic skills, don’t overlook the math and reading involved in Rainbow Friends. Basic math — like addition, subtraction, and fractions — is reinforced as your child runs around, gathering items. And the repetition in the game is great for building a young reader’s confidence.

Ready to give Rainbow Friends a try?

Even though horror games catch a lot of flack, Rainbow Friends is a nice intro to the genre for kids of all ages. The jump scares are mild but fun. And the game itself is a blast to play. 

If you’re looking for more games that are both kid-friendly and skill-building, check out Kinjo! With the Kinjo app, we help your child make better gaming choices, rewarding them for choosing games with more educational challenge and learning value. 

And when you pair the Kinjo app with the Parent Weekly Insights email, you can stay on top of the latest trends in your child’s gaming — opening the door for more conversations about their interests and passions. It’s a win-win for the whole family.