Vex IQ Competition 2025/2026

Game Manual 

Teams 

Team will be made of 6 students. 

Team roles: 

• Drivers

• Coder(s)

• Designer(s)

• Builder(s)

• And possibly notebooker(s)

Students can have more than one role on their team - but cannot be on more than one team.

During the tournament, teams will need: 

• One(1) to Two (2) loaders (to be confirmed)

• During Teamwork Matches and Driving Skills Matches, two (2) Drivers per Robot.

• Only one (1) Driver is required for an Autonomous Coding Skills Match (though Teams may still have two (2) if desired). 

Bots

Teams can build their own custom bots, that follow the competition specifications: 

• Starting Size: At the very start of a match, your robot must fit inside a box that is 279.4 mm wide, 508 mm long, and 381 mm high.

• Staying Horizontal: During the Match, your robot is not allowed to get wider or longer than that starting size limit of 279.4 mm x 508 mm at any time.

• Going Taller: Once the match starts, your robot can get taller than the 381 mm starting size limit.

• Use VEX IQ Parts: Your robot must be built ONLY using official VEX IQ parts. There's a list of legal parts you can check. Some very specific non-VEX IQ items are allowed, like certain rubber bands and metal shafts, but generally, stick to VEX IQ.

• One Brain: Your robot can only have one VEX IQ Robot Brain.

• Power On/Off: Make sure the power button on your robot's Brain is easy to get to without having to move or lift the robot. This is important for safety.

• One Controller: You can only use one VEX IQ Controller to drive your robot.

• Motors: Your robot can use up to six (6) VEX IQ Smart Motors.

• Batteries: You can only use one official VEX IQ Robot Battery (either generation) or six AA batteries in a special holder to power your robot.

• License Plates: Your robot needs to have two VEX IQ License Plates with your team number on them, on opposite sides of the robot. They must be easy to see.

• Keep it Together: Your robot should not intentionally leave parts or mechanisms on the field. If a part accidentally falls off, it's no longer part of the robot.

• Release Game Pieces: Your robot should be designed so that you can easily take game pieces (Pins and Beams) off of it after the match is over without needing to turn the robot back on
  
  

For more information and updates, visit the RECF website. 

For resources and build instructions, you can visit: 

The RECF website 

The VEX website 

Engineering notebook 

Student Certification

To learn more, student can complete a Drive Team Training Course. 

This course takes approximately 4 hours to complete and can help you to better understand the competition. 

Coding