Play Ludo Online Free: 2, 3 or 4 Players

About Ludo

Ludo is a simplified descendant of the Indian game pachisi and was patented in England in 1896. It is a household favourite across India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, and close relatives are played in Europe and the Americas under names such as parchis and parcheesi. The appeal has not changed: simple rules, a lot of luck, and just enough choice to make captures feel personal.

This version follows the familiar rules. Each player has four tokens in red, green, yellow or blue. You need a six to bring a token out of the yard, and tokens travel around a 52-square track before turning up a six-square home column. Landing on a rival sends that token back to its yard. The four starting squares and four star squares are safe, and nothing can be captured there.

Rolling a six, capturing a token or getting a token home each earns another roll, but three sixes in a row forfeits the turn. You need the exact number to finish. The game ends as soon as one player has all four tokens home, and with a 30-second turn limit a full game runs around twelve minutes. Two-player games seat the colours on opposite sides of the board.

How to play Ludo

1. The objective is to move all four of your tokens around the board and into the home centre before anyone else.
2. On your turn, roll the die. A token can leave the yard only on a six, and it enters on your coloured start square.
3. If you have more than one token that can move, choose which one advances by the number rolled. If no token can move, the turn passes.
4. Landing on a square occupied by an opponent's token captures it and sends it back to its yard, unless the square is a start square or a star square, which are safe.
5. Rolling a six, making a capture, or bringing a token home gives you another roll. Three sixes in a row cancels the turn and play moves on.
6. After a full lap, a token turns into its own colour's home column, where rivals cannot reach it.
7. A token needs the exact roll to land on home. A roll that is too high cannot be used on that token.
8. The first player to get all four tokens home wins the game.

Read the full Ludo rules, with a board diagram and house-rules table →

Rules checked against the game on 2026-09-01.

Ludo tips and strategy

• Spread out rather than racing one token. Two or three tokens on the track give you a useful move on most rolls and more chances to capture.
• Stop on safe squares when a rival is within six squares behind you. Sitting on a star costs nothing and removes the risk entirely.
• Stacking two of your own tokens on an ordinary square gives no protection in this version, and both can be sent home by one capture. Only safe squares protect a pair.
• Captures are worth more than distance. Sending a token back costs the opponent a full lap and gives you an extra roll, so take the capture unless it leaves your own token badly exposed.
• Keep one token near your start as a guard. Opponents entering the last stretch before their home column have to pass it, and it stays close to a safe square.
• Late in the game, count the exact numbers you need. Park a token one to six squares from home only when your other tokens can use the rolls that do not fit.