How to play Ludo

Ludo is a race. Each player has four tokens parked in a yard, and the goal is to walk all four round the board and into the centre before anyone else manages it. The route is the same length for everyone: fifty-one squares around the shared ring, then five squares up your own private column, then the centre — fifty-seven in all.

Nothing moves until you roll a six. A six brings one token out onto your start square and earns you another roll, so a good opening can put two tokens on the board at once. After that you move the number you roll, choosing which token to advance when more than one can legally go.

Land on a square holding an opponent and their token goes straight back to its yard, losing everything it had walked — and you roll again. The squares marked with a star are safe: nobody can be captured there, so they are worth aiming for when an opponent is close behind. Your own tokens are never in danger from each other and simply stack up, with a number showing how many are sharing a square.

The last step is the fussy one. Coming home needs an exact roll: if your token is three from the centre and you roll a five, that token cannot move at all. Three sixes in a row forfeits your turn, so a hot streak eventually hands play on.

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Tips & strategy

• Get a second token out before pushing the first one far. One lone runner is easy to hunt down, and with nothing else on the board every six you roll is wasted.
• Count the gap behind you. An opponent six or fewer squares back can reach you on their next roll, so a safe square within reach is usually worth more than three squares of progress.
• Keep a token near your own start. It guards the square your opponents have to pass and gives you something useful to do with an awkward roll.
• Capturing is worth more than it looks: you send a token all the way back and you get another roll, so a capture often turns into two moves.
• Late on, bring tokens home in order rather than leaving several one square short. Each one needs its own exact roll, and a queue of near-finished tokens wastes turns.

Ludo FAQ

Can two people play Ludo on the same device?

Yes. Choose Friends on the setup screen, pick how many are playing and type their names, then pass the device round — two, three or four people can share one screen.

Can I play Ludo against the computer?

Yes. Choose Computer on the setup screen, then pick one to three opponents and a difficulty: Easy, Normal or Hard. You always go first, and the panel that glows shows whose turn it is.

Can I play Ludo online with friends?

Yes. Choose Online on the setup screen and create a room, then share the five-letter code or the invite link. Friends join from any phone or computer without an account, empty seats can be bots, and if someone drops out the room plays their turns until they reconnect.

Do I need a six to start?

Yes. A token only leaves its yard on a six, and rolling a six also earns you another roll.

What makes a square safe?

The squares marked with a star, which include every player's start square. A token resting on one cannot be captured.

Is Ludo free on Skorven?

Completely free in the browser, with no download and no signup. Sign in only if you want your wins on the leaderboard.