Ludo Rules Explained: How to Play, Step by Step

Ludo is one of those games almost everyone has played and almost nobody has read the rules for. You learned it from whoever taught you, and their version had a quirk or two that they learned from someone else. That is fine until you sit down with a stranger and discover that you disagree about what happens when two tokens land on the same square.

Here is the game as it is normally played, in the order the rules matter.

The board and the pieces

Four players, four tokens each, one colour per player. The tokens start in the home yard in the corner that matches their colour. They travel once around the outer track, then turn up the coloured path in the middle and finish in the centre.

That is the whole journey: out of the yard, around the board, up your own column, home. Fifty-seven squares from start to finish, for every token, for every player. Nobody has a shorter route.

Who goes first

Everyone rolls once and the highest number starts. Ties roll again. Play then moves clockwise around the board, so the player on the starter's left goes next.

It sounds trivial, but settle it before the game starts. Arguments about turn order halfway through a game are harder to resolve than the ones about captures.

Getting a token out

A token cannot leave the yard until you roll a six. That is the first rule and the one that decides how a game opens.

Rolling a six also earns you another roll. So a six that brings a token out is followed by a normal roll you can use to move it, which is why a good opening six is worth more than the number itself.

Roll three sixes in a row and your turn ends with no move. This stops one lucky player from running away with the game.

Moving

On your turn you roll one die and move one token that many squares. You choose which token. That single choice is the entire skill of the game, and it is where matches are won.

You may not move a token past the end of its coloured column. To finish, you need the exact number. A token three squares from home needs a three - a five does nothing for it, and you must move a different token instead.

If you have no legal move at all, your turn simply passes.

Capturing

Land exactly on a square holding a single opponent token and that token goes back to its yard. It has to roll a six to come out again, and it has lost every square it had gained.

This is the sharpest rule in Ludo. A capture near the end of the board can undo forty moves of work in one roll.

You cannot capture on a safe square. Those are the marked squares, usually the starred ones and each player's starting square. A token sitting there cannot be sent home.

Blocks

Two of your own tokens on the same square form a block. Opponents cannot pass it and cannot land on it. It sits in the road like a closed gate.

Nothing about blocks is optional or house-specific - they are part of the standard game, and most players who lose regularly are the ones who never make them.

Winning

Get all four tokens into the centre. Some groups play until only one player is left, some stop at the first finisher. Agree before you start.

Playing with two or three players

Ludo is drawn for four, but it plays perfectly well with fewer.

With two players, sit on opposite corners so neither of you starts right behind the other. Some families give each player two colours, which doubles the tokens and makes the game longer and more tactical - you now have eight pieces to protect instead of four.

With three players, one colour simply stays in its yard all game. Its starting square is still a safe square, so it still matters as a place to shelter.

A quick sample turn

You roll a six. You have no tokens out, so you bring one onto your starting square. The six earns another roll: a four. You move that same token four squares along the track.

On your next turn you roll a two. An opponent's lone token is sitting exactly two squares ahead of yours. You land on it, it goes back to its yard, and in many house rules you roll again.

That one sequence contains most of the game: the six to get out, the bonus roll, the choice of which token to move, and a capture.

The rules families argue about

These are the common house rules. None of them are wrong, but they are not universal, so say which one you are using.

• A capture earns an extra roll. Widely played, not in every ruleset.
• Getting a token home earns an extra roll. Same story.
• You must capture at least one token before any of yours can go home. This one slows a game down a lot.
• Rolling any number, not just a six, releases a token. Makes for a much faster game.
• Three tokens on one square. Most rules cap a block at two.

Where the skill sits

Once you know the rules, every decision in Ludo comes down to one question: which token do I move? Spreading four tokens evenly around the board feels productive and is usually the losing choice, because four lone tokens are four targets.

That decision is worth a post of its own, and there is one: Ludo Jim is free to play in the browser, and the strategy that separates good players from unlucky ones is covered in the guide on winning at Ludo.

If you have only ever played the version your family plays, try a few games with the standard rules above. The game is tighter than you remember.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a six to start in Ludo?

In the standard rules, yes. A token can only leave the yard on a six, and the six also gives you another roll. Some house rules let a one release a token too, or let any number do it, which makes the game much faster.

What happens if you roll three sixes in a row?

Your turn ends immediately and you do not move with the third six. It stops a run of luck from deciding the game on its own.

Can you capture a token on a safe square?

No. Tokens on the marked safe squares, usually the starred squares and each colour's starting square, cannot be sent home. Landing there with an opponent already on the square is allowed, and both tokens simply share it.

Can two players play Ludo?

Yes. Sit on opposite corners, or give each player two colours for a longer and more tactical game. Everything else about the rules stays the same.

Do you need an exact roll to get home?

Yes. A token has to reach the centre with the exact number. If the roll is too big for that token, you move a different one, and if nothing can move, your turn passes.

How long does a game of Ludo take?

A four-player game on a physical board usually runs thirty to forty-five minutes. Online games tend to be quicker because nobody has to count squares, often fifteen to twenty-five minutes.