What Are the Regulations & Rules of an Airsoft Game?

Written by Gabinator in Uncategorized

The Rules of Airsoft

What Are the Regulations & Rules of Airsoft?

So, you’ve studied up on safety recommendations (on this super-important information, see HERE), picked out your gun (for some help on which, see HERE), and you got some protective body armor (click HERE for an overview), and, overall, you’re ready to play your first game of Airsoft. But there’s at least one additional thing: you need to have some idea what the rules are!

Basically, Airsoft is a mock battle. The object is to shoot opponents (with Airsoft BBs) until only one team or player remains. There are rules surrounding what counts as a valid “hit” as well as where on the play area shooting can take place. Some important rules include the following: Only use regulation Airsoft guns; No real firearms are allowed; Safety protection must be worn at all times on the field; Follow the code of etiquette regarding giving – and receiving! – “hits.” (For much more, continue reading.)

Caveats:

First, the rules presented here are what many Airsoft play areas say is permissible and impermissible during play. But I have to note that the exact rules may sometimes vary from field to field. The general gist of the rules that follow will most likely be the same, but you never know until you check. Don’t rely on this overview! Read posted rules and warnings at whatever facility you’re going to be playing at.

Second, I would also like to say that I am most certainly not an expert at Airsoft. You’re getting the results of my findings as I investigate various questions that are of interest to me. If any of the information that I give you is in any way outdated, incomplete, or otherwise incorrect, I wholeheartedly apologize. Feel free to drop me corrections and suggestions in the comments!

Just another thing before we dive in. Although it may seem needless to say: All these rules are to be followed. There are two reasons for this, one less serious and the other much more serious. Number one, failure to comply with any of these rules will most likely result in you being kicked off of the field for the day, or possibly even being banned from the field for a time. The ban lengths vary, as do the exact rules, but you never want to be banned. Airsoft is supposed to be fun!

Number two, disregarding a rule can result in injury. Airsoft injuries are, thankfully, usually slight, and are generally in line with those you might sustain engaging in other sports. (A twisted ankle from running; a superficial cut; etc.) If it weren’t this way, my parents probably wouldn’t allow me to play! But it is reasonable to suspect that the non-serious nature of these injuries is proportional to the emphasis placed on safety. Serious injuries could easily result if good practices are ignored or neglected. A badly aimed Airsoft BB could end up in your eye, blinding you temporarily or even permanently. (For more on safety, see some of my other articles, for instance: “Airsoft Safety Tips From Lawmakers and Police Officers,” “Does an Airsoft Gun Have to have an Orange Tip?” and “Is It Safe to Be Shot With an Airsoft Gun?”)

And, darn it: Just follow the rules!

The Rules of Airsoft:

Weapons

  1. Only regulation Airsoft weaponry is to be used. (See, also, rules #11 and #19.) It should hopefully go without saying, but… Real firearms are NEVER to be brought onto the field! Someone could literally be killed.
  2. All Airsoft weapons are to be checked by a referee before every match to make sure that the weapon complies with all FPS restrictions. (See, again, rule #1; see, also, rule #19.)
  3. When a gun is being transported to or from the field, it is to be secured (preferably in some sort of bag, box, or carrier) with all safeties engaged. If the original box is available, then this may be used for transportation purposes.
  4. All players carrying semi automatic weapons that have an FPS of over 400 must also carry a sidearm for engagements at less than 50 feet. If you have no sidearm, and are not within the safety kill range, simply wait for the player to move out of the 50-foot range, or simply move yourself. (See, also, rule #7 concerning “Safety Kills.”)
  5. No weapons are to exceed the FPS limit, which will be set by the playing field.

Protective Gear

  1. Always wear eye protection. Never remove your eye protection until the game is over. (For more on the importance of this, see HERE.) It is recommended that you wear protective gear that protects your whole body, but you at least need to wear eye protection. Ordinary prescription glasses, and sunglasses, do not count as eye protection.
  2. Other protective items are recommended as well. (To see my list of items to think about for protective gear, see HERE.)

General Laws

General rule of thumb: Everything that is otherwise illegal is also illegal on an Airsoft field.

  1. Illegal drugs and alcohol are never going to be permissible on the premises of the playing field.
  2. Smoking is not going to be permissible except in already designated smoking areas.

Engagement/“Hits”

  1. If a BB hits you anywhere on the body, or on the clothing that you are wearing, then you must raise your hand, shout “Hit,” and walk back to your team’s respawn area. (Typically, you’ll retreat with your hand still raised in order to avoid being shot again.)
  2. You are not to aim for the head of an enemy player. If, however, you, or the enemy player, are hit in the head, or even the face, it may – in fact – count as a hit.[1] You are generally not expelled from the game unless you are repeatedly and intentionally observed to be aiming for the heads of your opponents.
  3. If you and an enemy are within a range of 10 feet from each other, you are not to fire high FPS weapons at one another. If the enemy is facing the other way, you may point your gun at them, and shout “Safety Kill.” This will have the same effect as shooting them; they must call their “hit,” and walk back to spawn. You may not, however, kill more than one person with a safety kill. You are also only allowed to shout “Safety kill” once. If there are multiple enemies, you must wait till they have left, out of the 10-foot radius.[2]
  4. In some game modes, you are able, after being shot, to sit down after calling the hit, and wait five minutes before you must walk back to spawn. If, within this five-minute window, a player fulfilling the “Medic” role comes to you to ‘heal’ you, you are back in the game.[3]
  5. You are not permitted to fire your weapon with your eyes closed.
  6. “Rebounds” – which occur when an Airsoft BB hits an object and ricochets into a target – generally don’t count as direct hits. Though, admittedly, this is sometimes hard to detect and enforce.

Play Regulation

  1. The referee, also sometimes referred to as the “GM” (“Game Marshall” or “Game Moderator,” for short), is in charge of resolving all conflicts. You are always to call the referee immediately. It’s best to do this before conflicts arise, but certainly needs to be done as soon as a dispute begins to prevent it from escalating into something more serious. However, if the conflict can be resolved peacefully and quickly, then, theoretically, a referee does not need to be called. In practice, however, call the ref!
  2. If an injury is sustained, the game is to cease immediately. Of course, if you scrape your knee, you don’t have to call the game. Use your judgment. But, when in doubt about the severity of an injury, call for a cease fire. As the old adage has it: It’s far better to be safe than sorry.
  3. There is to be absolutely no aggressive physical contact, such as punching or kicking, in the playing field.

Field of Play

  1. Observe all boundaries for the field of play.
  2. You are not to fire into the opponents’ spawn area. This area is designated a safe haven or “home base.” (Note that there may be other designated safe areas as well.)
  3. If, for any reason, you cross the boundaries of the playing field, then you are “dead,” and must return to your team’s spawn area.

Law-Enforcement Provision

  1. If local police enter the field, play is to cease immediately, and all players are to proceed to spawn in plain sight, with their guns held in an unthreatening manner, e.g. above your head, or simply left on the ground. All players are then to take off all protective gear, and then to gather away from all guns until the referees and moderators explain what is going on, and the police leave.

There you have it! Those are the rules of most Airsoft play areas. Once again, however, read the specific, posted regulations for any location where you are about to play.

Be safe, and be sure to check out my other articles!

Happy Airsofting 😊

Notes:

[1] Fields and groups might vary, here. Sometimes, a head shot is disregarded. Occasionally, a head shot might even count as a sort of penalty “hit” against the shooter. Check with the posted regulations for your particular field or league for details on this.

[2] Frankly, if you’re within 10 feet of multiple enemies, most likely you will be “safety killed” and have to respawn yourself, anyway.

[3] Again, check with your field or group to see if this rule variation is in force.

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