# Claw Machine: a classroom claw game with plush prizes

> A claw machine review game for the classroom: teams answer, pick a plush and try to grab it. Big prizes slip more often. Free, one screen, no student devices.

Source: https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/claw-machine/ · Updated 2026-10-29

Claw Machine is a classroom claw game: a right answer earns a go with the claw, the team picks one of five plush prizes, and the claw tries to carry it to the chute. Big prizes are worth more but slip more often. It suits primary classes and teenagers alike.

![A pink claw machine full of cute plushies, five numbered spots with their points (+2, +2, +1, +3, +1), and the banner "So close! It slipped."](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/claw.webp "The claw went for a prize and it slipped. The prize stays in its spot for the next team.")

## At a glance

| Players | Whole class in 2–4 teams free (up to 8 with Pro) |
| Time | About 15–20 minutes for 12 questions |
| Works with | English (picture, word, listen, spell, meaning, order, custom) and any subject (multiple choice, true/false, open questions) |
| Best for | Review before a test, vocabulary, classes that love a gamble, touch screens |
| You need | One screen (projector, TV or interactive display) and your phone; speakers for the sounds |

## How to play Claw Machine

1. **Make or pick a question set:** type a topic, paste a word list or your own questions, snap a textbook page, or open a set from the [library](https://olyclass.com/library/).
2. **Pick Claw Machine, set the teams and start.** Teams take turns. Scan the QR code on the screen (or type the 6-digit PIN) and your phone becomes the remote.
3. **Play.** The team whose turn it is answers. If it's right, the team picks a spot from 1 to 5 (tap it on the screen, on your phone, or press keys 1 to 5). The claw drops, grabs the plush and either carries it to the chute for its points or lets it slip for nothing. A wrong answer gets no go. After the last question, the highest score wins.

## Rules and scoring

Every spot shows its prize and its points before the team picks:

| Prize | Points | Claw holds on |
|---|---|---|
| Bunny or frog | +1 | 9 times in 10 |
| Dumpling or cat | +2 | 8 times in 10 |
| Whale | +3 | about 2 times in 3 |
| Star | +4 | about 6 times in 10 |
| Golden chick | +8 | a bit less than half the time |

- **A slip scores 0** and the prize stays in its spot, so the next team can try for it.
- **A win** sends the plush down the chute, and a new one tumbles into the empty spot. There is never more than one golden chick in the machine.
- **Every machine is a real choice:** it always has at least one prize worth 3 or more and one easy prize, and never three of the same kind.
- **Double and triple questions** multiply the prize, so a golden chick on a double question is 16.
- **You can also switch on** a timer (10 to 60 seconds; running out counts as a wrong answer), losing a point for a wrong answer, steal (another team can answer a missed question and take the turn's reward), hidden scores, seasonal themes and calm effects. A score never drops below zero.

![A question card over the claw machine: a dolphin picture, "What is it?" and four answers, with "Team 1, your turn!"](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/claw-ask.webp "The question covers the machine. A right answer brings the prizes back to pick from.")

## What you can teach with it

For English, every question format works. Some ideas:

- **Sea animals at A1:** picture questions like the dolphin above.
- **Comparatives at A2:** "big → ?" as an open question.
- **Listening:** the screen reads a word aloud and the team picks the right answer.

It works with any subject too: math facts, science true/false questions, or history and geography multiple choice.

## Tips from the classroom

- **Talk about the odds.** "Safe +1 or risky +8?" is a ready-made discussion, and older students can work out which prize is worth more on average. (The golden chick is: about 3.6 points a grab, against 0.9 for a bunny.)
- **Big classes:** four teams, a different student answering each turn. Add a class list and the screen shows whose turn it is.
- **Turn on steal** so a missed question isn't dead time for the other teams.
- **A team far behind** can go for the golden chick: one grab closes a big gap.
- **On a touch display,** the student who answered can tap the choice.

## Play it without a screen

- Draw five prizes on the board, each with points: two at +1, two at +2, and one big one at +4 or +8.
- After a right answer, the team picks a prize and rolls a die. +1 prizes are won on 2–6, +2 on 3–6, +4 on 4–6, +8 on 5–6.
- If the prize is won, rub it out and draw a new one; if it slips, it stays.

The screen version adds the claw, the exact odds and the scoring, and runs from your phone.

## Questions teachers ask

### Is Claw Machine free?

Yes. Every game is on the free plan with 2–4 teams, and library games and your own typed questions are free to play. The free plan also includes 10 AI question sets a month (3 from photos); Oly Pro adds more and up to 8 teams.

### Do students need devices?

No. The class plays on one screen, and you run the game from your phone or the keyboard (C correct, X not yet, R show the answer, Space next).

### How many students can play?

The whole class at once, in 2–4 teams on the free plan or up to 8 with Pro. Classes of 40 work fine.

### Why did the prize slip?

Bigger prizes are harder to hold: a +1 plush stays in the claw 9 times in 10, the golden chick a bit less than half the time. A slipped prize stays in the machine for the next team.

### Can a team lose points?

Not from the claw: a slip is just 0. A team loses a point only if you switch on "Wrong answers lose a point", and a score never goes below zero.

### Can I use my own questions?

Yes. Paste them as `question | answer | wrong, wrong`, or edit any set before you play.

For more prize games, try [Fishing Pond](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/fishing-pond/) or [Lucky Drop](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/lucky-drop/).