Ludo · Rules & strategy
Board and tokens
The four corners of the cross-shaped board are the red, green, yellow and blue yards. Two players use the facing colours red and yellow, three players use red, green and yellow, and four use all of them. Everyone starts with four tokens, or choose two tokens when creating a room for a quick game. Play passes clockwise starting with red.
Leaving the yard and moving
On your turn you roll the die once. A token in the yard can only come out onto your start square with a six. Tokens already on the track move clockwise by the number rolled. If several tokens can move, you choose one; if only one can, it moves automatically; if none can, your turn passes.
Rolling again
Roll a six and you roll again after moving — but three sixes in a row forfeit the third roll and end your turn. Capturing an opponent or bringing a token home also earns a bonus roll.
Captures and safe squares
Finish your move exactly on a square holding an opponent’s token and that token returns to its yard, where it must wait for another six. Each colour’s start square (white star) and the four grey star squares are safe: tokens of different colours can share them without being captured. Your own tokens may share a square, but they do not block anyone.
Home column and the finish
After almost a full lap, a token turns at the arrow into its own five-square home column, where nobody can capture it. Reaching the centre requires an exact roll; a token that would overshoot cannot move. To keep online games short, this site ends the game the moment the first player gets all tokens home, and ranks the others by the total distance their tokens have covered.
Get tokens out and spread them
A six is usually best spent bringing out a new token. With several tokens on the track you have a real choice on every roll, and losing one to a capture hurts less. Racing a single token far ahead collapses the moment it is hit.
Mind the 1–6 danger zone
An opponent one to six squares behind you can capture you with the next roll. Stop on stars when you can, or move past opponents to open a gap. The reverse is your chance: an opponent one to six squares ahead is a target, and a capture wipes out dozens of their squares and gives you a bonus roll.
Beware the squares after a start
The squares just after an opponent’s start square are exactly where a freshly released token lands and attacks. Don’t linger there. Near your home column, it can pay to wait for a roll that carries a token straight into safety.
Using the AI levels
Easy moves any legal token. Normal weighs captures, leaving the yard, safety and progress. Hard also estimates how exposed your tokens will be to every opponent after the move. Learn the danger zone against Normal, then take on Hard.
FAQ
Why does the game end when one player finishes?
Playing until all four finish makes games very long. To keep online waits short, the game ends as soon as the first player brings every token home; places two to four are decided by how far each player’s tokens have travelled.
Can two of my tokens form a blockade?
Not on this site. Your tokens may share a square, but they do not stop opponents passing, and on a non-safe square they are all captured together if an opponent lands there.
Can I play without signing in?
Yes — games against the AI and pass-and-play on one device need no account. Online matches and rankings require signing in with a GameNow account.
How do I play with several friends?
Open “Invite a friend”, pick 2, 3 or 4 players and send the link. The game starts automatically when the table is full, or the host can press “Start now” once at least two players have joined.
Is there a time limit?
Online, each roll and each token choice has 20 seconds. If time runs out the game rolls for you or makes a sensible move, so nobody is left waiting. Miss two turns in a row and you are marked away, after which you get only 5 seconds.