About First®

FIRST® is an organization founded in 1989 to inspire young peoples’ interest and
participation in Science and Technology. Based in Manchester, NH, this non-profit public
charity designs accessible innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue
educational and career opportunities in science, engineering, technology and mathematics while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

The Annual Challenge

The FTC program is the First Technical Challenge … one of the challenges presented by
FIRST to high school and middle school students. The Challenge changes annually, and it challenges students to build robots that can accomplish a number of tasks in the most
efficient manner. Once the Challenge is revealed in mid-September, each robotics team
designs, builds, programs and tests robots to accomplish the tasks presented in the
Challenge. They then compete with other teams to see who can score the highest number of points as defined in the Challenge. For the first part of the Challenge there is a 30 second period where the robot must operate autonomously. No human interface. At the end of this period there is a 90 second period where team members can control the robot by remote control to accomplish the other tasks. In competitive matches the teams are randomly matched with other teams to form “Alliances”, and two “Alliances” compete against each other. “Alliance” partners are then randomly changed for a number of subsequent matches, and the top teams are selected based on their overall scores when matched with the various partners. Final winners are selected in runoff elimination matches involving the top teams until a final pair of winners are determined.

This year’s challenge

DECODE Presented by RTX

DECODE is the official 2025–2026 FIRST Tech Challenge game presented by RTX. The theme centers on deciphering patterns and uncovering discoveries, tying into innovation and STEM exploration as teams build robots to “unlock mysteries and uncover the future.”

Basic Game Structure

  • FTC matches are played between two alliances of two teams each on a standardized 12 ft × 12 ft field.
  • A match is divided into three phases:
    1. Autonomous (30 seconds) – Robots operate based on pre-programmed instructions.
    2. Driver-Controlled / Tele-Op (2 minutes) – Human drivers control the robot.
    3. Endgame (final portion of Tele-Op) – Special scoring opportunities and objectives must be completed near the end of the match.

Core Game Objectives

While the official manual contains all details, DECODE’s major objectives generally include:

🟡 Scoring Artifacts

  • Robots manipulate and score game elements (often called artifacts) into goals or scoring locations.
  • Artifacts may come in different colors/types, each with unique point values.

🔄 Patterns & Motifs

  • Teams are encouraged to build patterns or specific arrangements with artifacts — achieving correct motif patterns can yield significant bonus points and ranking advantages.

🏁 Robot Positioning

  • Endgame scoring often includes bringing robots back to a base zone or another strategic zone at the end of the match to earn additional points.

📊 Ranking Points

  • In addition to raw points, teams earn ranking points (RPs) for completing key objectives (like patterns or movement benchmarks) which influence tournament standings.

Design, Strategy & Skills

  • Teams must design, build, and program a robot capable of:
    • Navigating the field efficiently
    • Scoring artifacts reliably
    • Completing endgame tasks
    • Adapting to both autonomous and driver-controlled play
  • Achieving balance between speed, precision, and strategy is critical for success.

Team Experience

In DECODE, as with all FTC games, success isn’t just about match performance — teams also:

  • Iterate their robot designs over the season.
  • Practice coding and autonomous strategies.
  • Learn engineering and teamwork skills.
  • Participate in judged awards and portfolio submissions that can also contribute toward advancement.