How to play Ludo: the rules for 2 to 4 players, step by step

What is Ludo?

Ludo is a race game for 2 to 4 players. Each player has four tokens, and the goal is simple: be the first to move all four tokens round the board and into the centre. The die decides how far you go, but you decide which token moves, and that's where the strategy is.

Ludo comes from Pachisi, a game played in India for centuries on cross-shaped cloth boards, with cowrie shells instead of dice. Simpler versions with a single die spread around the world in the late 1800s and became family favourites under many names. On PlayTrova it's called Race Home, and this guide explains the rules exactly as they work there.

The Ludo board and setup

The board is shaped like a cross. Each player owns a coloured corner, called the base, where their four tokens wait at the start.

• The track: 52 squares running round the arms of the cross. Everyone shares it.
• Start square: the coloured square just outside your base, where your tokens come out.
• Home lane: a coloured lane of 5 squares leading from the track to the centre. Only your own tokens can go in it.
• Safe squares: the four start squares and the four star squares. Nobody can be captured there.

With two players, you sit in opposite corners. A Quick game with 2 tokens each is great for younger kids or a short game.

Ludo rules: how a turn works

1. Roll the die. To bring a token out of your base, you need a 6. It moves onto your start square.
2. Move one token exactly the number you rolled. Tokens travel clockwise round the track.
3. Rolled a 6? Roll again after your move. But a third 6 in a row is lost and your turn ends, so nobody can roll forever.
4. No move possible? Your turn passes. If you rolled a 6 you still roll again.
5. When a token has gone almost all the way round, it turns into your home lane instead of carrying on along the track.

Capturing tokens and safe squares

If your token ends its move on a square with a single opponent token, you capture it: it goes all the way back to its base and must roll a 6 to come out again. As a reward, you roll again.

• Tokens on start squares and star squares are safe and can't be captured.
• Two of your tokens on the same square protect each other, so they can't be captured either.
• Tokens in your home lane are completely safe.

House rules vary here. Some families say a pair of tokens also blocks other tokens from passing. In Race Home a pair can't be captured, but other tokens can still move past it.

Getting home and winning

To finish, a token must move up its home lane and land in the centre with an exact roll. If you need a 3 and roll a 5, that token can't move, so move a different one. Getting a token home earns another roll.

The first player to get all of their tokens home wins the game.

Ludo strategy: 6 tips to win

1. Get tokens out early. Use your 6s to bring tokens out, so every roll gives you choices.
2. Count the squares behind you. An opponent 1 to 6 squares back can capture you next turn. Hop onto a star or move away.
3. Capture when you can. A capture sends a token back a whole lap and gives you an extra roll. It's almost always worth it.
4. Move the token in danger first. A token that's already safe (on a star, in a pair or in the home lane) can wait.
5. Keep several tokens moving. At the end, home needs an exact roll, and spare tokens make every number useful.
6. Don't rush one token home. One finished token while three wait in the base loses to four tokens spread round the board.

Play Ludo online with Race Home

Race Home is PlayTrova's free Ludo-style game. Play 2 to 4 people on one device, one friend online with an invite link (no sign-up), or the computer: Rookie Robo, Clever Cat, Sly Fox and Grandmaster Owl. In the daily Home Run, everyone gets the same board and dice. Get all four tokens home in the fewest rolls while dodging gust squares that blow a token back 3.

Enjoy push-your-luck dice games too? Read about the Pig dice game and try Lucky Lanterns. For more games to play together, see the best 2 player games for kids.

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