Play Ludo Online
Classic Ludo for two to four players in the browser. Invite friends or fill seats with bots.
Can you play Ludo online for free with friends?
Yes. Open a lobby and send the code to up to three friends, or fill empty seats with bots on easy, medium or hard. Our server rolls the die, and it is free with nothing to install.
What is Ludo?
Ludo is a race game on a cross-shaped board: each colour has a yard, a lap of track and a home column.
Roll, race round the track and send rivals back to their yard; the first to bring every token home wins.
How to play
- 1Create or join a lobbyOpen a room and pick quick or classic. Share the code or link.
- 2Fill the seatsWait for friends or add bots. Alone, one bot joins automatically.
- 3Roll and movePress Roll, then tap a token. A single possible move plays itself.
- 4Race for homeCapture rivals and get every token home first. The game ends then.
Ludo rules
- 1Roll a 6 to bring a token out of the yard onto your start square.
- 2A 6 earns another roll. Three 6s in a row lose the turn.
- 3Even an unusable 6 earns the extra roll; captures and finishes earn none.
- 4Land on an opponent to send their token back to the yard.
- 5Start squares and star squares are safe: nobody can be captured there.
- 6There are no blocks: landing on two rival tokens sends both back, except on a safe square.
- 7After 50 squares a token enters its own home column, where no rival can land.
- 8You need the exact number to reach home.
- 9One timer covers roll and move; a bonus roll after a 6 gets a fresh one. If it runs out while your game is open, the server plays your turn.
Modes and settings
- Quick or classic
Two tokens each or four, picked by the host when creating the lobby.
- A clock on every turn
Lobbies you create default to 30 seconds; the host can set 30 to 180 before the start. Quick Play and Play vs Bot use 45.
- Three bot levels
Token Rookie moves at random. Token Tactician prefers a capture, then leaving the yard, then heading home. Ludo Grandmaster scores each move, weighing rivals up to six squares behind.
Ludo strategy
- 1.Get tokens out
More tokens out, more choices per roll.
- 2.Rest on stars
Start and star squares are safe; wait there.
- 3.Count the gap behind
A rival one to six back can hit you.
- 4.Trail, don't lead
Tokens only move forward; the threat is behind.
- 5.Capture the costly token
A rival near the end of its lap loses most.
- 6.Bank your leader
No rival reaches the home column; bring your leader in first.
- 7.Plan the exact finish
Three from home needs exactly a 3; keep a spare token.
- 8.Mind rival start squares
A token entering rolls again; squares past its start are risky.
Common mistakes
- Stopping just ahead of a rival
One to six squares in front of an opponent invites a capture.
- Trusting a pair to block
Two tokens on one square block nobody and fall together off a safe square.
- Racing one token alone
With one token out, any roll but a 6 moves it if it can.
Playing together online
- Play friends anywhere
Share the code with up to three friends; the chat sits beside the board.
- Bots for solo play
Play vs Bot seats one bot; press Start Game. The host can add more first.
- When someone leaves
A player silent for 30 seconds is removed at the next table check; their tokens stay, their turns are skipped and play goes on.
- No app, no sign-up
Any browser on a phone, tablet or laptop; a guest name is enough.
Why play Ludo on Boardly?
- Fair dice, rolled on the server.
- Bots on three levels.
- Quick mode with two tokens each.
- Free as a guest.
Who it suits
Families and mixed groups: luck keeps everyone in it, while token choice rewards a sharp eye.
Where Ludo comes from
Ludo descends from Pachisi, an Indian race game centuries old, and was patented in England in 1896 as Ludo, Latin for "I play".
Questions about Ludo on Boardly
- Is Ludo on Boardly free?
- Yes, every seat, mode, bot and timer. Premium adds extras around the game, such as spectators and lobby themes for the host, a longer game history and profile looks.
- Can I play Ludo on my phone?
- Yes, in any mobile browser. On a small screen the board, moves, rules and chat, when there is someone to talk to, sit in tabs.
- Can anyone pick their dice roll?
- No. The server rolls for every seat, ignores numbers a browser sends, and each face is one in six.
- Which token moves if my timer runs out?
- If your game is open when the timer runs out, the server moves a token reaching home, else one that captures, else the furthest. A 6 rolled so earns no extra roll.
- How many players can play Ludo?
- Two to four, up to three of them bots. Two players sit in opposite corners of the board.
- Who chooses quick or classic mode?
- The host, when creating the lobby; Play Again and Return to Lobby keep that mode. Rooms that Quick Play or Play vs Bot create use quick.
- Can we play again with the same people?
- Yes. The host presses Play again and a new game starts in the same lobby with everyone still seated, in the same mode.