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How to play Ludo: a beginner's guide
Ludo is a race game for two to four players. Everyone has four tokens in a corner yard, one die decides every move, and the first player to bring all four tokens home wins. It is simple enough for a seven-year-old and tense enough for a family argument.
Ludo has many house rules. This guide follows the classic rules that most players expect, and that LudoTalk plays. See the full Ludo rules for the details and the common variations.
What you need
- A Ludo board: a square board with a cross-shaped track and four coloured corner yards (usually red, green, yellow and blue)
- Four tokens in each player's colour
- One six-sided die (a dice cup is traditional)
- Two, three or four players
Not sure what the board looks like? See the Ludo board and equipment.
1. Pick a colour and set up
Each player takes a colour and puts their four tokens in the matching corner, called the yard (or home, or base, depending on where you learned the game). Your colour also owns a start square just outside the yard, and a coloured home column that leads to the centre of the board. Nobody else may enter your home column.
2. Decide who goes first
Everyone rolls the die once and the highest number plays first. After that, play goes clockwise around the board.
3. Roll a six to get out
All four of your tokens begin in the yard, and you need a six to bring one out onto your start square. If you roll anything else while you have nothing on the track, your turn simply passes. This is the part of the game that tests patience: on average it takes six rolls to see a six.
Whenever you roll a six you also get another roll, so a lucky streak can bring several tokens out or carry one a long way.
4. Move your tokens
Once you have a token on the track, you move it clockwise by exactly the number on the die. If you have more than one token out, you choose which one to move. Tokens may jump over other tokens, yours or anyone else's.
You must move if you can. If the number on the die would carry a token past the end, that token cannot move, and if no token can move your turn passes.
5. Send opponents home
If your token lands on a square where an opponent's token is standing, that token is captured and goes straight back to its owner's yard. The owner needs another six to bring it out again. Capturing is the heart of Ludo: more than one friendship has wobbled at the moment a token one square from home is sent back to the yard.
Some squares are safe. A token on a start square or on a star square cannot be captured, and neither can a token that has entered its own home column. Our guide to dice and safe squares explains which squares those are.
6. Walk up the home column
After a full lap of the board, each token turns off the main track into your coloured home column and walks towards the centre. To finish, a token must reach the centre with an exact roll. If it is three squares short and you roll a five, that token waits.
7. Win the game
The first player to bring all four tokens to the centre wins. Many families keep playing to decide second and third place, because the loser deserves a proper ranking.
Tips for your first game
- Bring a second token out when you roll a six, rather than always racing with one. Having a choice of moves is a real advantage.
- If a roll lets you capture an opponent, it is usually worth taking: the opponent loses far more time than you spend.
- Park a token on a star square when an opponent's token is just behind it.
When you are ready, play Ludo online with friends on a live voice call, free. More ideas are in Ludo strategy and tips.
Frequently asked questions
How many players can play Ludo?
Two, three or four players. With two players, most people use opposite corners. Some versions, including Ludo Teams on LudoTalk, play as two teams of two.
How do you win at Ludo?
Be the first player to bring all four of your tokens around the board and onto the centre square. You need the exact number on the die for the last step.
Do you need a six to start in Ludo?
In the classic game, yes: a token leaves the yard only on a six. Quick versions let any number bring a token out, which makes for a faster game.