Section 1 - Introduction

About the Game Manual

The VEX V5 Robotics Competition Game Manual is the most authoritative source of information for the VEX V5 Robotics Competition. Contained within this document are all of the rules, boundaries, constraints, and other relevant information you will need to properly understand and play this year’s game.

This manual is:

• A technical reference document for gameplay, Robot construction, and event operation
• A binding set of rules for Teams, coaches, referees, Event Partners, and all other volunteers and participants to adhere to
• The primary source of truth for all things related to the VEX V5 Robotics Competition

This manual is not:

• A strategy guide to score the most points
• An instruction set to build the best Robot
• A replacement for referee training, Event Partner training, or other event procedure

How to Read the Game Manual

The rules in this game manual are intended to work together to create a system of constraints. These rules are not intended to be understood independently of one another or in isolation from other information contained in this document. Many situations may require Teams, referees, or other volunteers to use logic from multiple places in the manual to properly form an interpretation. It is critical that the entire manual is read and understood, not just parts.

Information in the game manual is presented in the following ways:

Definitions in Appendix B establish the meaning of a term with regards to this document. Sometimes, these definitions may not perfectly match a more commonly accepted dictionary definition. In that case, the VEX definition takes precedence. If there is no VEX definition for a term, it can be reasonably assumed that a dictionary definition can be used.

General Rules establish the baseline rules for competition that Teams must adhere to at all times. These include, but are not limited to, conduct at an event, roster eligibility, competition integrity, and authority and enforcement.

General Game Rules begin to outline the rules that Teams must follow in every VEX game, not just the rules specific to this season’s game. Many of these rules do not change from year to year, and help prevent the game from devolving into immediate chaos.

Scoring Rules define how points are earned and evaluated.

Specific Game Rules describe what Robots and Drive Team Members may and may not do during a Match, specifically for this season’s game. These rules are subject to change from year to year, depending on how the game is designed and meant to be played.

Robot Rules define how Robots may be built and configured.

Tournament Rules describe how competitions are run, and how Teams are ranked at events.

Some rules also reference Violation Notes that are located in Appendix C. These notes provide additional guidance on enforcement, escalation, or special circumstances. If a rule doesn’t include a cross-reference to Violation Notes, standard Violation definitions apply. See Appendix C for information about rule Violations and penalties.

Caution

There are also red boxes of text placed in some areas of the game manual. These are intended to provide further clarification and guidance in places that the Game Design Committee has deemed may benefit from things being said a different way, or presented slightly differently. Red Boxes are meant to be supplements to, not replace, rules or definitions.

Game Manual Updates

This manual will have a series of “major” and “minor” updates over the course of the season. Each version is official and must be used in official VEX V5 events until the release of the next version, upon which the previous version becomes void.

The latest version of the Game Manual can always be found at https://link.vex.com/docs/26-27/v5rc/game-manual.

Known major release dates are as follows:

Release Date	Effective Date	Version #	Details
April 27, 2026	April 27, 2026	Version 0.1	Initial game release
May 14, 2026	May 14, 2026	N/A	Official Q&A system opens
June 4, 2026	June 11, 2026	Version 0.2	Minor typographical errors or formatting issues found in the initial release, with very few rule changes expected
July 2, 2026	July 9, 2026	Version 1.0	May include gameplay or rule changes inspired by input from the official Q&A system and the VEX community
August 6, 2026	August 13, 2026	Version 1.1	Clarification / minor update
September 3, 2026	September 10, 2026	Version 2.0	May include gameplay or rule changes inspired by early-season events
October 8, 2026	October 15, 2026	Version 2.1	Clarification / minor update
December 3, 2026	December 10, 2026	Version 2.2	Clarification / minor update
January 28, 2027	February 4, 2027	Version 3.0	May include gameplay or rule changes inspired by mid-season events
March 25, 2027	April 1, 2027	Version 4.0	May include gameplay or rule changes pertaining specifically to the VEX Robotics World Championship

In addition to these known major updates, there may also be unscheduled updates released throughout the season if deemed critical by the Game Design Committee.

Any scheduled or unscheduled updates will always be released on a Thursday, no later than 5:00 PM CST (11:00 PM GMT). These updates will be announced via the VEX Forum, automatically pushed to the VEX V5 Hub app, and shared via VEX Robotics social media & email marketing channels. Once announced, the new version of the Game Manual will be immediately available at the link above.

Generally, Game Manual updates, scheduled or unscheduled, will include a grace period before the updated rules go into effect for competitions. See the release table above for specific dates. This grace period does not apply to the Version 0.1 Release, which serves as the initial rule set for the season.

Any events that begin before the 7-day grace period has ended must continue using the rules from the previous Game Manual Release. This policy ensures fairness and consistency, allowing Teams to adapt their strategies and gameplay accordingly before the changes are enforced in official competitions.

The Game Design Committee reserves the right to enforce critical updates to the Game Manual as effective immediately upon release, if we feel that the changes are critical for competitive integrity, safety, and/or other extenuating circumstances.

Multi-week league events (or similar) that cross over a grace period should use the version of the Game Manual that is in effect at the beginning of each league session. Leagues should update to new versions of the Game Manual between sessions as appropriate.

The Q&A System

When first reviewing a new robotics game, it is natural to have questions about situations which may not be immediately clear. Navigating the Game Manual and seeking out answers to these questions is an important part of learning a new game. In many cases, the answer may just be in a different place than you first thought - or, if there is no rule explicitly prohibiting a gameplay strategy, then that usually means it is legal!

However, if a Team is still unable to find an answer to their question after closely reviewing the relevant rules, then every Team has the opportunity to ask for official rules interpretations and clarifications in the VEX Robotics Question & Answer System. These questions may be posted by a Team’s Adult representative via the events.vex.com account that is associated with that Team.

All responses in this Q&A system should be treated as official rulings from the VEX Robotics Game Design Committee, and they represent the correct and official interpretation of the VEX V5 Robotics Competition rules. The Q&A system is the only source besides the Game Manual for official rulings and clarifications, and is functionally an extension of the Game Manual. Unlike Game Manual updates, Q&A rulings are effective immediately upon release.

Before posting on the Q&A system, be sure to review the Q&A Usage Guidelines:

1. The Q&A system is for rules clarifications only.
2. Only registered Teams, certified Event Partners, and certified VEX V5 Head Referees can post questions.
3. Read and search this Game Manual before posting.
4. Read and search existing Q&As before posting.
5. Quote the applicable rule from the latest version of this Game Manual in your question.
6. Make a separate post for each question.
7. Use specific and appropriate question titles.
8. Questions will (mostly) be answered in the order they were received.
9. This system is the only source for official rules clarifications.
10. The Game Design Committee cannot and will not overrule a Head Referee’s decision.

If there are any conflicts between the English-language PDF of the Game Manual and other supplemental or translated materials (e.g., referee training materials, the VEX V5 Hub app, the game reveal video, a translated game manual, etc.), the most current version of the English-language PDF of the Game Manual takes precedence.

Similarly, it can never be assumed that definitions, rules, or other materials from previous seasons apply to the current game. Q&A responses from previous seasons are not considered official rulings for the current game. Any relevant clarifications that are needed should always be re-asked in the current season’s Q&A.

Hierarchy of Information

This Game Manual is the authoritative source for all gameplay, Robot, and event rules. For these matters, official information ranks as follows:

1. The current version of this Game Manual, including all published updates
2. The official Q&A system
3. Other VEX Robotics or Global Robotics and Science Foundation supplementary documents and training materials

Q&A answers are official rulings, effective when posted. An answer that conflicts with this Manual takes precedence until a Manual update addresses it. Answers not addressed by an update remain in effect.

The following companion documents are authoritative within their own scopes and take precedence over any summary or restatement of their content in this Manual:

• Code of Conduct
• Student-Centered Policy

No other source of information is official.