Lotus Ludo

How to Play Ludo

Ludo is one of the world's best-loved board games — simple to learn, genuinely tactical, and best played with friends. This guide takes you from never having played to your first win.

What You Need

Nothing but an account. Ludo runs in your browser and needs no download. You can play with friends, with other players, or inside a voice room so everyone can talk while they play.

The Board

  • The board has FOUR coloured corners — red, green, blue and yellow. Each is a player's yard.
  • A cross-shaped TRACK runs around the board and leads to the centre.
  • Each colour has its own STARTING SQUARE where tokens enter the track.
  • Each colour has a coloured HOME PATH leading into the middle, which only that colour may enter.
  • STAR squares along the track are SAFE: a token standing on one cannot be captured.

The Goal

Each player has four tokens. Move all four all the way around the track and into the centre home before your opponents do. First to get all four home wins.

Starting a Game

  • Open Games and choose Ludo.
  • Create a game or join one that is waiting for players.
  • Games can be 2 or 4 players. Turn order is decided automatically.
  • If you are in a voice room, everyone at the table can talk while you play.

How a Turn Works

1. When it is your turn, TAP THE DICE to roll a number from 1 to 6. 2. To move a token OUT of your yard onto the board, you need a 6. 3. Tap a token to move it forward by the number you rolled. 4. Rolling a 6 gives you ANOTHER turn. 5. If your token lands exactly on an opponent's token, and that square is not safe, you CAPTURE it — their token goes all the way back to their yard. 6. If you have no legal move, your turn passes.

Getting a Token Home

  • After a full circuit of the track, your token turns into your own coloured home path.
  • Only your colour can enter your home path — you are safe there.
  • To finish, a token must land EXACTLY on the final home square. If your roll is higher than the number needed, you cannot move that token.

Simple Strategy to Start With

  • OPEN SEVERAL TOKENS. With only one token in play, every roll has one destination. With three, you always have a choice.
  • USE THE SAFE SQUARES. If an opponent is within six squares behind you, ending your move on a star protects you.
  • COUNT THE DANGER before you step out. An opponent can only reach you from one to six squares back.
  • TAKE THE CAPTURES THAT ARE WORTH TAKING. Sending an opponent home undoes all their progress — but do not strand yourself in front of three other players to do it.
  • PLAN THE ENDGAME. Work out the exact number each token needs to finish, and protect those numbers.

Common Beginner Mistakes

  • Pushing a single token far ahead and leaving it alone and exposed.
  • Ignoring safe squares and stopping one square short of one.
  • Spending the bonus roll from a 6 automatically on the same token.
  • Watching only your own colour and never seeing the capture coming.

Etiquette

Ludo is a social game. Say good game, do not rush other players, and keep rooms friendly. People remember who was pleasant to play with — and invite them back.

Ready to Play

Open Ludo, invite a friend into a voice room, and enjoy it the way it is meant to be played: together.