Every new robotics season brings that familiar mix of excitement and mild panic when the game manual drops. For those of us running robotics programs, digesting a dense, multi-page technical document while trying to keep elementary and middle school students engaged is a challenge. That is exactly where having a concise, one-page rule summary becomes an invaluable asset for your curriculum.

This year's game, VEX IQ Competition Level Up, introduces a fascinating dynamic centered around bean bags, multi-level pyramid goals, and strict possession limits. Whether you are reading through the comprehensive official game manual or relying on a quick-reference overview, understanding the nuances of these rules is the difference between a robot that simply drives around and one that consistently tops the tournament rankings.

Let's dive into the core rules of Level Up, translating the technical jargon into practical, actionable insights for your upcoming season.

VEX IQ Level Up takes place on the standard 6-foot by 8-foot rectangular field. If your students are used to previous seasons, the physical footprint remains the same, but the terrain is completely different.

The core of the competition revolves around 60-second teamwork matches. Two robots, built by two different teams, join forces to form a single alliance for that specific match. This is a collaborative effort; both teams on the alliance receive the exact same score at the end of the match based on their combined performance. This format inherently rewards teams that not only build capable robots but also communicate effectively with their alliance partners before the buzzer sounds.

The primary scoring objects this year are bean bags, which come in three colors: red, blue, and yellow. The objective is to navigate these bags into specific scoring zones, primarily the multi-tiered pyramid goals situated on the field.

Scoring in Level Up requires strategic sorting and precise placement. It is not just about hoarding objects; it is about putting the right colors in the right places.

​Here is how the bean bag scoring breaks down:

Additionally here are some special rules that you should keep in mind as you are scoring.

Before your students start snapping beams and gears together, they need to understand the rigid physical constraints of this year's game. Level Up introduces specific sizing and capacity limits that will heavily dictate intake and lift designs.
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​Starting Size: Robots must begin the match fitting within an 11-inch by 20-inch footprint, with a maximum height of 15 inches. Additionally, the robot must start the match physically touching the field wall in the designated starting zones.

Expansion Limits: Once the timer starts, the robot can expand. The horizontal footprint can stretch to 11 inches by 24 inches, and the height limit is completely removed—meaning teams can design massive multi-stage lifts to reach L4 without violating the rules.

Pre-loads: Every robot begins the match carrying or touching exactly one yellow bean bag. This guarantees every team starts with high-value scoring potential right out of the gate.

Possession Limits (The Game Changer): This is perhaps the most critical rule of the season: a robot may only hold or push one bean bag at a time. The rules explicitly state that "plowing" counts toward this limit. This completely eliminates the strategy of bulldozing massive piles of objects across the field. Students must design single-object manipulators.

Material Constraints: Robots must be constructed exclusively from official VEX IQ components, utilizing a maximum of one brain, one battery, and up to six motors. Note that the six-motor limit includes motors that are mounted but not plugged in. The only exceptions to the official parts rule are non-VEX rubber bands and non-functional decorations. However, 3D printed parts are strictly prohibited on the robot.

Driving a VEX IQ robot is a team sport, and Level Up requires excellent coordination among three distinct roles during a match: two drivers and one loader.

Matches are strictly 60 seconds long. The first driver takes the controls at the buzzer and must pilot the robot for a window lasting between 25 and 35 seconds. Within that window, they must hand the controller over to the second driver, who finishes the match.

The loader has a highly specific job. They are responsible for taking bean bags from outside the field and introducing them into play by placing them in the designated "Load zone". The rule here is strict: the bag must be placed so it is touching the floor within the load zone, and the loader can only place a bag there if the zone does not already contain one.

Because elementary and middle school robots can sometimes tip over, drop connections, or get stuck, the "in trouble" rule is a vital safety net. If a robot is malfunctioning or immobilized, the drivers can set down their controller, physically pick up the robot, remove any bean bags it was holding, and return the robot to the starting position. Any bean bags removed during this rescue process are permanently taken out of the game. If a bean bag happens to bounce or fall out of the field perimeter during normal play, it is also removed and cannot be reintroduced.

When your team arrives at a weekend tournament, they will be stepping into a busy environment, typically featuring 20 to 40 teams, and sometimes up to 60 at larger regional events.

Throughout the day, teams can expect to play roughly 6 to 8 qualification matches. Because alliances are randomly generated, students will need to quickly scout and strategize with teams they have never met before. The scores from all these matches are aggregated to determine a team's overall ranking. The highest-ranking teams at the end of the day advance to the finals, where the alliance that scores the most points in their final run takes home the tournament championship.

Accountability is heavily enforced. If a team fails to show up for a scheduled match, or if they break a rule in a way that artificially inflates their score, they will be disqualified (DQ) and receive a zero for that match. This zero applies even if their alliance partner scored points. However, in a scenario where a team shows up to the field without a functioning robot but remains present, they are still eligible to receive the points their alliance partner scores.

While the teamwork matches are the required core of any tournament, teams looking to truly master the curriculum should focus heavily on the optional Skills matches. These runs use the exact same 60-second timer and field rules, but strip away the alliance partner, allowing a team to prove exactly what their machine can do on its own.

There are two types of Skills matches:

A unique and highly strategic element of Programming Skills is the restart rule. Teams are legally allowed to pick up their robot, remove any held items, and place it back in a starting position as many times as they want during the 60 seconds. This isn't just a penalty recovery mechanic; it is a viable strategy. Students can write discrete, reliable chunks of code (e.g., "Drive forward, score preload, stop"), run it, pick the robot up, place it in a new starting spot, and trigger the next chunk of code.

VEX IQ Level Up is shaping up to be a highly technical season that forces students to think critically about spatial limitations, precise manipulation, and strategic resource management. Stripping away the complexity of the full manual and focusing on these core mechanics allows your teams to dive straight into the engineering design process with clarity and confidence. By mastering these fundamental rules early, you set your robotics program up for a year of massive growth and success on the field.