From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Coup?

Indie Game Studios English base rules, official Dized reference

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

Read the publisher’s rulebook

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.

If there’s a tie

The cited starting-player instruction does not specify a tie-break. We don’t infer one.

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

More starting rules

Browse available game rules

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