The goal of the game is to capture all the opponent's pieces. Pieces move horizontally, vertically forwards, or diagonally forwards, by bouncing on an adjacent counter, while following the alignment direction. In other words, other counters (of any colour) must be used as springboards. Hence a counter that "hangs in the air" cannot move. However, a counter can also bounce on the rim of the board. If it is positioned on the side of the board, it can bounce in a direction diagonally forwards. On the first rank, it can bounce in the three forward directions. A bouncing counter may continue to bounce until there are no more possible moves or the player decides to stop. To stop bouncing prematurely, select "Pass Move".

'Bouncers' employs approach-capture, but only in the alignment direction. A piece moves to an empty square. If an enemy piece occupies the adjacent square in the same direction as the movement-direction, then the enemy piece is captured. Capture is not mandatory.

Note: in 'Bouncers' it is not allowable to move backwards. The exception to this is the "king", which can move in all directions. Unlike the counters, the king can move all by itself, but only one square in all directions. However, he will get a bonus move as long as he captures enemy pieces. Kings capture in the same way as the counters, by approach in the movement-direction. Capture is not mandatory. Counters promote to kings at the last rank. During multiple moves a counter may not go back to the square it just came from. For the king this is allowable, however (kings have privileges). Stalemate is a loss.

There is also a faster variant of Bouncers. It is played with terminal rule: to win you must simply reach the last rank and place a piece there. So promotion does not take place in this faster variant.