Molkky is twelve numbered wooden pins and one throwing pin. You knock pins down from about 3.5 meters; knock over one pin and you score its number, knock over several and you score the count of pins felled. First to exactly 50 wins.
That word exactly is the whole game. At 46 points you no longer want a big score — you want a specific one, and the pins have scattered into a formation that may not offer it. Meanwhile the player on 31 is free to swing. We do not know a better scoring rule in yard games.
Governing body
The published rules
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Throwing distance | 3 to 4 m; 3.5 m in official competition |
| Footprint | About 20 x 13 ft (about 260 sq ft) |
| Pins | 12 numbered skittles plus the throwing pin |
| Score, one pin felled | The number on that pin |
| Score, multiple pins felled | The number of pins felled |
| Winning score | Exactly 50 |
| Overshoot penalty | Score resets to 25 |
| Players | 2 or more, individually or in teams |
| Material | Birch |
The two scoring modes are what give the game its shape. Early on you want to fell several pins at once for a steady three or four. Late on you want one specific high pin and nothing else, which is a completely different throw.
Space
Why it fits where kubb does not
Kubb needs 430 square feet; Molkky needs about 260. Both take a crowd. If your lawn is the constraint rather than the guest list, Molkky is the version of that experience that fits — see Molkky vs kubb for the full comparison.
It is also the best camping game we cover. Twelve small birch pins and a throwing pin pack into a bag, the pitch is short enough to set up almost anywhere, and there is no net, board or frame to blow over. See yard games for camping.
Skip this if
The one real weakness
Untreated birch does not survive being left outside. Molkky pins will gray, swell and eventually split if they live on the lawn. This is not a flaw in the product — it is what the game is made of, and it is the same material the rights-holder has used since 1996. But it means Molkky is a bring-it-in game, and if nobody in your household reliably does that, buy resin bocce instead.
The other honest note: the maker publishes the rules thoroughly and the physical set barely at all. There is no published set weight or case specification, so we have left those fields blank.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best overall
Tactic Mölkky Original Set
Tactic Games
Our spec score
8.1/10
- Spec completeness
- 8/10
- Footprint clarity
- 9/10
- Durability
- 6/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
The original — Tactic Games has held the Mölkky rights and trademark since 2016 and the games are still made in Pori, Finland.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want a game that survives being left on the lawn. Molkky is untreated birch and it will gray and swell.
What works
- The exact-50 scoring rule makes it the only game here where being ahead is genuinely dangerous
- About 260 sq ft — it fits a small yard where kubb does not
- Rights-holder set, so the pin numbering and sizes match the official rules
What does not
- Untreated wood needs to come indoors
- No published set weight or case
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 20 ft x 13 ft (about 260 sq ft)
- Throwing distance
- 3.5 m in official competition (3 to 4 m generally)
- Winning score
- Exactly 50; going over resets you to 25
- Pins
- 12 numbered skittles plus the throwing pin
- Origin
- Manufactured in Pori, Finland
- Material
- Birch
- Players
- 2 or more, individually or in teams
- Set weight
- —
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules — pins start 3.5 m from the throwing line and scatter forward
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: Tactic Games / published Molkky history
Source: Published Molkky specification
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: International Molkky Organisation rules
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
How do you win at Molkky?
How far do you throw in Molkky?
How much space does Molkky need?
Who makes the original Molkky?
Why you can check our work
We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.
Read next
Related pages
Picks
Roll & precision games
Bocce, kubb, croquet and Molkky — precision over power, and the widest age range on the site.
Comparison
Molkky vs kubb
430 square feet and 12 players versus 260 square feet and the best endgame in yard games.
Picks
Best yard games for small yards
Five games that fit under 30 feet of clear run, with published footprints for each.
Picks
Best yard games for mixed ages
Five games where the youngest and the oldest player are both genuinely competitive.
Picks
Best camping games
Games that pack small and work on unprepared ground — plus the weights nobody publishes.
Sources
Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.