Gold Rush

Not all food is equal: collect gems worth 1 to 5 points and score the most points in 45 seconds.

Goal

Score the most points: each item is worth its own value

Run length

45 seconds

Speed

4.5 → 7 moves a second

Ranked by

points

Gold Rush plays at Classic's length and speed, but the food is gems, and each gem has a value. You score points, not food.

Every gem's value comes from the day's seed, so the same gem sits in the same spot with the same value for every player. The mode card before your warm-up shows the four gems and their points, and higher-value gems ring out with a higher coin clink.

Value against distance

The whole mode is one question asked over and over: is the bigger gem worth the trip? A diamond is worth five bronzes, so a diamond across the arena usually beats a bronze next to your head. A silver two moves further away than a bronze nearly always wins. But a long detour for a gold that walks you past two silvers is a loss.

A simple habit: before each bite, look at the two or three nearest gems and take the one that gives the most points for the moves it costs, then check that it doesn't leave you stuck.

Learn the order

Because the values are fixed for the day, the warm-up tells you where the big gems will appear. Remember the diamonds and plan your route so you are near them when they show up.

Scoring

Points are the score. Level players are split by time alive, then by who took their last gem first.

Faster and fewer food rounds

A faster round moves everything 12% quicker, so you fit fewer gems into the run and each detour costs more. With fewer food, one gem less is on the board at a time; your choices shrink, and sometimes the only sensible pick is the bronze.

A mistake to avoid

Ignoring bronze entirely. Half of all gems are bronze. Players who chase only the shiny ones spend too long travelling and finish behind players who simply keep eating.

All eight modes