How to Play Ludo Online With Friends (Rules, Tips and Setup)

Ludo is one of the best board games to play online, mostly because the physical version is a pain: it needs a specific board, four sets of tokens, and someone to keep track of whose turn it is. In a browser, all of that is handled for you. Here's how to get a game going and how to win it.

Set up a game in under a minute

• Go to the Ludo page and choose Create a room.
• Pick a nickname and an avatar. There's no account or download.
• Share the four-digit room code, the QR code or the link with up to three other people.
• Everyone joins from their own phone, tablet or computer. When enough people are in, the host presses Start.

Short of players? The host can add computer players to empty seats in the lobby, so a game with one friend, or on your own, still gets a full board.

The rules, briefly

• Each player has four tokens, which start in base. You need to roll exactly a 6 to bring one out.
• On each roll you choose which of your tokens to move.
• If you land on a square with a single opposing token, that token goes back to its base. The exception is a safe square: each colour's entry square and the four star squares can't be captured on.
• Rolling a 6 gives you another turn. Three 6s in a row and the third is forfeited.
• Tokens finish by going up a private home column. You need the exact roll to land on the final square, and an overshoot doesn't move the token.
• The first player to bring all four tokens home wins.

Tips that actually win games

• Get a second token out early. Two of your tokens on the same ring square can't be captured, because a capture only works on a single token, and more tokens in play means more choices each roll.
• Use safe squares when someone's close behind you. If a rival is within six squares behind you, a safe square is worth more than a longer move.
• Chase captures. Sending an opponent's token home costs them a 6 to get back out, which can be several turns.
• Don't run everything home at once. The exact-roll finish is the slowest part of the game, so keep more than one token in play to use different numbers.

What if someone loses connection?

Their seat is held for 30 seconds. If they come back, they rejoin with their tokens exactly where they were. If they don't, their turns are skipped so the game keeps moving. If the host disconnects, control passes to another player.

A full game runs about 20 to 40 minutes, so it suits a long evening better than a quick break. For something shorter, try Snakes & Ladders or Connect 4. Ready? Start a Ludo room.