From the source rules

Who goes first in Coup?

Indie Game Studios English base rules, official Dized reference

Official product image showing the Coup game box

The previous game's winner goes first, or choose the starting player randomly.

Rule details

Turns proceed clockwise. On each turn, take one action; passing is not an option.

With two players, the starter receives one coin and the other player receives two. This applies to both regular setup and the optional two-player card-selection setup.

Source & edition

  • Coup: Turn orderIndie Game Studios, official Dized rules · Turn order section of the official English online reference · Checked 2026-09-23
  • Coup: Regular setupIndie Game Studios, official Dized rules · Regular setup section of the official English online reference · Checked 2026-09-23
  • Coup: Two-player variant setupIndie Game Studios, official Dized rules · Two-player variant setup section of the official English online reference · Checked 2026-09-23
  • Coup: ActionsIndie Game Studios, official Dized rules · Actions section of the official English online reference · Checked 2026-09-23

Image: © Indie Boards and Cards and credited cover artists · Indie Boards and Cards

If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.

If there’s a tie

The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.

More starting rules

Browse available game rules

Games with a similar starting rule

More starting rules about choosing at random

Free game-night tools: score keeper · turn timer · dice roller · all tools

Embed this answer on your site

Copy this HTML into a blog post, forum or game café page. It’s plain text with a link back to this rule, so it works almost anywhere. More embed options

Found a different instruction in your edition? Send a correction with the game, edition, and source.