Ludo
Roll a 6. Race home.
The classic race game for four: roll the die, bring your tokens out, and run them round the board to the centre, sending anyone you catch back to their yard. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
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- Players
- 4
- You need
- A board, a die, 16 tokens
- Style
- Race
- Goal
- All tokens home
What is Ludo?
Four colors. One race.
Ludo is played on a cross-shaped board with a yard in each corner. Each player has four tokens, and the aim is to bring every one of them all the way round the track and into the centre.
You roll a die and move one token that many squares. A 6 brings a token out of the yard and earns another roll. Land on an opponent and they go back to their yard. The luck of the dice decides a lot, but not everything.
The practice table
Try itLearn it with the dice in your hand.
Play against three bots with our Classic rules. Roll the die, tap a ringed token to move it, and the coach shows the move it would make and why.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp bots take hits and keep clear of your tokens.
- Quick game uses two tokens each. Full game uses four.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
- You0 of 2 home
- West0 of 2 home
- North0 of 2 home
- East0 of 2 home
Tokens home count at 56 squaresSafe squares: starts and stars
Roll the die.
Every token is in the yard, so you need a 6 to get one out.
Quick rules
- Four players, each with four tokens in their yard (two in a Quick game). Roll the die and move one token that many squares.
- You need a 6 to bring a token out onto your start square. Every 6 also earns another roll.
- Tokens run clockwise around the track, then turn up their own home column. The exact number is needed to land on the centre.
- Land on an opponent’s token and it goes back to its yard, unless it stands on a safe square: a start square or a star.
- You must move if you can. No move? The turn passes.
- The first player to bring every token home wins.
Found a bug, or a rule that feels off?Tell us in our Discord →
A little history
From India to every living room.
Ludo comes from Pachisi, a cross-and-circle race game played in India for well over a thousand years. The Victorian version, with a single die and a simpler board, took the name Ludo and spread across the world.
Like most table classics, it travels with house rules: whether you need a 6 to start, whether tokens can stack into blocks, and what a third 6 does. These are our Classic rules.
Fun facts
- Each player has four tokens, and the aim is to bring all of them around the track and into the center.
- A 6 brings a token out of the yard and earns another roll.
- Land on an opponent and they go back to their yard.
- Tokens on a safe square can’t be hit in our rules.
Why people love it
Easy to learn. Hard to stay ahead.
Anyone can win.
The dice are the great equaliser, so a player a long way behind is never out of it.
The sting of being hit.
One roll can send a token all the way back to the yard. The reverse is just as satisfying.
Small choices matter.
Which token to move, when to take the safe square, when to run for home.
Plays anywhere.
It takes two minutes to teach, and a whole evening to finish a rematch.
How to play
Roll. Move. Get home.
Setup
- Players: four: you and three bots, each with their own color.
- Tokens: four each, starting in the yard. Our Quick game uses two each.
- The track: fifty-two squares clockwise around the board, then up your own home column.
- First move: a 6 brings a token out onto your start square. Without a 6, the turn passes.
Winning
The first player to bring every token home wins.
- 1
Roll and move
Roll the die and move one token that many squares. You must move if you can.
- 2
A 6 is special
It brings a token out of the yard, and every 6 earns you another roll.
- 3
Send them home
Land on an opponent’s token and it goes back to its yard, unless it is on a safe square.
- 4
Safe squares
Start squares and the squares marked with a star can’t be hit. Tokens in a home column are safe too.
- 5
Exact finish
A token needs the exact number to reach the centre. A bigger roll can’t move it.
- 6
Beware of being hit
Stop within six squares ahead of an opponent and one roll can send you home.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
4 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Getting out of the yard
All your tokens are in the yard. Which roll brings one out onto your start square?
Scoring
The first home wins.
There are no points in Ludo. Whoever gets every token into the centre first wins, and the rest are placed by how many tokens they got home.
| In a game of Ludo | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| First to bring every token home | Win | |
| Tokens home when someone else wins | Place | |
| Landing on an opponent’s token | Sends it back | |
| A 6 | Roll again |
Our Classic rules: a 6 to start and for an extra roll, no blocks, and tokens landing on a safe square can’t be hit. Some tables forfeit a turn after three 6s, or let tokens form blocks; those are house rules.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Use every 6.
A 6 is the only way to get a token out. When you have tokens in the yard, bring one out.
Tip 2
Take the hit when you can.
Sending an opponent back costs them everything they have run, so hit a stray token over a plain move.
Tip 3
Don’t stop in range.
A token within six squares ahead of an opponent can be hit. Keep ahead of them by more, or stand on a safe square.
Tip 4
Run the leader.
With no hit or entry to make, advance your furthest token and get it home before anything can catch it.
Tip 5
Save the exact roll.
When a token is only a few squares from the centre, take the exact roll the moment it comes.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Ludo puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Ludo table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Ludo? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Yard
- The corner where your tokens wait until you roll a 6.
- Start square
- Where a token lands when it leaves the yard. It is safe.
- Home column
- Your own five squares leading to the centre, where nobody can hit you.
- Safe square
- A start square or a star. Tokens on it can’t be hit.
- Hit
- Landing on an opponent’s token, sending it back to its yard.
- Exact roll
- The number needed to land precisely on the centre.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: how a 6 works, whether tokens can block, what a third 6 does. We'll show you what Ludo can do when it's ready.
In the Board Games pack
Ludo is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which board games join the Board Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Ludo is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Ludo into the Board Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.