How do you stomp other players in Pecking Order?

Land on them from above. The squashed bird is stunned for about half a second and drops through the floors, then it's safe for about 1.6 seconds, so hop off and find a new head. Lag won't rob you: a stomp counts where the bird was on your own screen. You can't stomp your teammates or your Chain partner.

What's the best power-up in Pecking Order?

Whatever fits where you are. At the back, Jetpack, SWAP and Updraft move you furthest, and you'll roll them more often back there. In front, the Shell is king: it blocks one hit, stops freezes, bats, glitches and BOO!, and bounces a Zap straight back at whoever sent it.

Why does my chicken fart and stop flying?

You flapped too fast and ran out of stamina. It refills quickly on the ground and slowly in the air, and under about 2.7 flaps a second it never empties. Mash past that and your chicken gets a little lift, a green cloud and then no wings for 1.25 seconds. Anyone right beside you gets GASSED!, which is some comfort.

How do you catch up when you're last?

Keep grabbing eggs. Birds at the back roll the best catch-up powers, and in the race the eggs only come back once the leader is well past them, so the refills are yours. Save SWAP for when the bird above is way above you, and in Last One Standing stay close to the pack.

Is Pecking Order pay to win?

No. Everything in the store is cosmetic: no hat, paint or trail changes how a bird flies or how big it is to hit. A legendary golden crown looks fantastic and flaps exactly like a plain chicken. The only way to get better is to play more rounds.

Pecking Order Tips: How to Win Every Mode

You've stomped three birds, and then a Predator Missile turns the corner with your name on it. The best Pecking Order game tips: bounce from head to head, sit in second while a missile is out, flap at a steady beat so you never fart, and keep your crown reigns short. Here's how to win all seven modes.

Brand new? The complete Pecking Order guide explains every mode first. Want to practise while you read? Open a room in your browser and try each trick as you go.

The three habits that win every mode

Powers get the headlines, but these three habits win more rounds than any egg.

Stomp, then move on. Land on a bird and it's stunned for about half a second, dropping down through the floors. Then it's untouchable for about 1.6 seconds, so standing on it doing a victory dance achieves nothing. Bounce off and hunt the next head. Lag won't steal your glory: a stomp counts where the other bird was on your own screen.

Flap like a metronome. Every flap is the same kick, so rhythm beats speed. Stay under about 2.7 flaps a second and your stamina never runs dry. Mash and your chicken farts: a puff of lift, a green cloud, then 1.25 seconds with no wings while everyone flies past. The one silver lining is that birds right beside you get GASSED! and blown away.

Honk with empty hands. No egg? The power button honks and shoves the birds right next to you. It's back after a beat, and a well-timed honk knocks a rival off a ledge or out of the hole they were lining up for. Very rude. Very effective.

Which power-ups should you use, and when?

You hold one power at a time, and the "?" rolls the moment you grab it. Where you are changes what you get: birds at the back roll jetpacks, swaps and updrafts; the leader rolls shells, gum and fake eggs. Here's when each one shines:

SWAP: use it when the bird above is way above you. It swaps you with the closest bird above, not the leader, and you take its speed too, so fire it while that bird is flying up, not falling. SWITCHEROO!
Freeze Ray: aim for a bird standing on a floor. Freeze one over a hole and it drops a floor, smashes the ice and escapes early.
Predator Missile: fire it when someone else is in front. It chases the highest bird other than you for up to 9 seconds, so don't overtake the leader just before it launches.
Shell: your best friend when you lead. It waits up to 8 seconds for a hit to block.
Zap: best on a bird in the open. It skips birds that are already frozen, gummed or just knocked out.
Jetpack and Updraft: pure height, and both shake off a stun. Updraft punches you through a floor, so save it for when there's one between you and the bird you want.
Mimic Egg: drop a fake "?" behind you while leading. Whoever grabs it gets a prank: backwards controls, a disco dance, the hiccups, or worse.

A Bad Burrito power going off with a music staff and the Ode to Joy — Bad Burrito, the rarest prank: everyone else farts a tune one note each on the beat, here the Ode to Joy.

And if you ever roll a Bad Burrito, use it the moment there's a crowd. Everyone else farts a song on the beat, one note each, while you conduct. It doesn't help you win. It just makes the room cry laughing.

How do you dodge a Zap?

A Zap parks a storm cloud over its target, follows it for a moment, then drops one bolt. The cloud drifts after you slower than you can run, so run. Just before the strike it stops dead in the air: that's your cue to step out from under it. Ducking under a floor works too, because the floor takes the hit.

Got a Shell? Then stand still and smile. The Zap bounces back on whoever sent it. Get struck and you're CRISPY for over a second, with no flapping and whatever you were carrying dropped on the floor.

How do you win the race and outrun the laser?

Race to the Top. Falling behind isn't the end. A grabbed egg only comes back once the leader is well above it, so the eggs left in the tower belong to the stragglers. The world also springs surprise traps, and the leader gets the most of them, so watch for the red "!". In front? Hold a Shell, don't hover over holes, and keep one eye behind you for missiles.

Last One Standing. The doom laser starts rising a few seconds after GO and keeps getting faster. The real danger is distance: drop more than about two and a half floors below the leader and the laser rushes up to get you. Stay with the pack. And if you do sink into the pink, you still get 3 seconds to climb out, so keep flapping. Hosts can set it to CHILL for beginners or BRUTAL for the brave.

Team modes: Chicken Chain, the crown and the egg

Chicken Chain. Talk rhythm with your partner, or just count "one, two, flap". Flap at the same moment and you both get a SYNC! push; press the button together for a TEAM DASH, which needs a few seconds to recharge. Pass poles on the same side or you're TANGLED!. Cursed? Hang on: two splats lift any curse (MERCY!), and beating one earns a Seed. More on rope chaos in our list of games like Chained Together.

King of the Coop. Hold the crown for 45 seconds to win, or have the most crown time when the clock runs out. But the crown gets heavy: after 25 seconds in one go your flaps are 32% weaker. From 20 seconds there's a bounty on your head, and when you're 10 seconds from winning, everyone else gets a free egg (LAST TEN!). So bank time in short, safe bursts. Chasing? Stomp the king. One stomp in four sends the crown flying loose (FUMBLE!), and a SWAP takes the crown along with the spot.

King of the Coop with a chicken grabbing the crown and YOINK on screen — King of the Coop: stomp the king to steal the crown, and the YOINK means the crown just changed heads.

Egg Heist. You can't score while your own egg is away, so if it's lying loose, touch it to send it home first. Carrying is slow and one stomp knocks the egg loose, so throw it to a teammate instead of flying into a crowd. A long catch earns a WHAT A CATCH!. Drop it from high and it cracks, and three cracks send it back to its nest. The Frying Pan knocks an egg loose even through a Shell. Bubble Wrap makes your egg ignore its next crack.

Fox in the Henhouse and the Pecking Peak

As a chicken: a fox can only catch you in a bush with a POUNCE, but when one is close, your stress builds until you fart and blow your cover. Never honk in a bush: foxes hear it. The henhouse is safe for 3 seconds at a time. Two stomps on a fox in quick succession (GANG STOMP!) knock it silly.

As the fox: HOWL while standing still and nearby chickens drop their eggs. SNIFF whenever it's ready to see a trail to the nearest chickens. Every hiding trick is in our Fox in the Henhouse guide.

On the Peak: you have 3 flaps in the air. Free extra flaps come from bouncing on another bird's head (when HEAD BOUNCE is on), from dodging an ambush (DODGED!), from a long fall and from secrets. When the red "!" appears, you have about a second to move, and the leader gets ambushed most. The whole climb is in the Pecking Peak guide.

Host tricks for a better night

The host sets the mood. A few switches that change everything:

Rule sets: STANDARD, CHILL, CHAOS and PARTY are ready to go. CHAOS cranks up the traps, and the race's surprise traps come far more often.
Bird physics: MOON is floaty and kind to first-timers. TURBO is fast, heavy and hilarious.
Match length: first to 3 round wins by default. First to 1 or 2 keeps the modes moving at a party.
Ban a power: every power has its own switch. If your group has a vendetta against the Anvil, turn it off.
Fair scores: in small rooms of under 4 birds, beating the exact same friends over and over pays less and less, so go find more chickens.

When you host, the waiting room is your own Coop, and it grows a dunk tank, a pool and a disco dance-off as it levels up. Take the tour in Your Coop guide. Playing with a big crowd? Our list of online party games for 20 players has more ideas.