The floor is lava

Gameplay

Typically, any individual starts the game just by shouting "The floor is lava!" Any player remaining on the floor in the next few seconds would be "out".

There often are tasks, items or places that can "regenerate" lost body parts or health. Depending on the players, these could be embarrassing tasks, or simple things like finding a particular person. Players can also set up obstacles such as padded chairs to make the game more challenging; this is a variation of an obstacle course. Players may also add items to the area with the goal of adding more platforms to achieve safe passage. This may be something as simple as throwing a pillow on the ground or in more extreme cases could be full pieces of furniture.

In one version called "Hot Lava Monster", usually played on playgrounds, players must stay off the ground (sand, rubber, woodchips, etc.) and on the play equipment. The person who is playing the "monster" can be on the 'lava' with the objective of attempting to tag another player. The "monster" must try to tag or catch the other players. In some versions, the "monster" is not allowed to touch certain obstacles, such as wooden platforms or may only touch objects of a certain color. The "monster" must navigate across structures such as across playground slides, monkey bars, ropes courses, etc. instead of the main platform.