The Formula 550 is a strategic card game.  You "race" by playing Acceleration cards to accelerate and Attack cards to stop other players.  Once stopped you need to play Service cards before you can move again.  Super cards protect you from the attacks. Your objective is to be the first player to travel a distance of 550. You are the blue player. Your dashboard and cards are at the bottom. The green number on the dashbard is your speed. The white number is your distance. You play Acceleration cards to increase or decrease your speed. The distance you travel depends on your average speed for your turn. You can stop players using one of four Attack cards: (1) Out-of-Gas, (2) Flat Tire, (3) Sharp Turn, and (4) Deer Crossing. If you are attacked, you may need to play one or two Service cards. The deck also contains four Super cards: (1) Super Gas Tank, (2) Super Tires, (3) Super Steering, and (4) Super Radar. These Super cards provide special features to protect you from Attack cards. There is only one of each Super card in the deck. A Double Time card doubles the time of your turn to two or four.

You start with five cards. Your initial speed is zero and you do not need service. On your turn you pick a card. Your options depend on whether or not you have been attacked or need service. If you have been attacked, your status indicator will be yellow. If you need service, your status indicator will be red. Otherwise, your status indicator will be green.

No attack card on you: If you do not need service and no Attack card has just been played on you, then you may play or discard any card. If you discard, then your acceleration equals zero and the time for your turn equals one.

Attack card on you: If an Attack card has just been played on you then you can (1) play the relevant Super card, (2) play an Acceleration card to slow down to less than 25 if the Attack card is a Deer Crossing or Sharp Turn, or (3) discard.

If you play the relevant Super card, you pick and play another card and your turn time is doubled.

Service is needed: If you need Service, then you can discard or play any type of card except for an Acceleration and Double Time card. At the end of your turn your final speed and position are calculated. If you are playing the manual version, you may be prompted with a question about your turn, depending on the type of card you played. Correctly answering questions increases your potential score. See the scoring section to see how your score is calculated. Play continues until all cards have been picked or someone travels a distance of 550.  If no one has traveled a distance of 550 after the final card has been picked, then all cards in the discard pile are reshuffled and play continues.