Ludo is a race of four tokens around a cross-shaped track. Every player starts with all four tokens in their base corner. The first player to move all four tokens into the centre home column wins.
Starting a turn
- Roll the dice. To bring a token out of the base you normally need a six.
- A six also gives you one extra roll, so a good throw can open a token and move another one in the same turn.
- If no legal move exists, your turn passes to the next player.
Moving and capturing
Your token moves forward by the rolled number along your own colour start square, then around the shared track. If you land exactly on a square holding an opponent token, that token is sent back to its base and must roll a six again. Landing on a safe square (the star squares) protects a token from capture, and tokens of the same colour may stack there.
The home column and winning
After one full lap, your tokens turn into their coloured home column. Only exact rolls move a token there, and the last square needs the right number. The first player with all four tokens in the centre wins the game.
Try it
Rules make more sense on a live board: play free Ludo online. For two-player matches see Ludo for two players, and for playing with friends across devices see Ludo game online.