Ludo Rules: How to Move, Capture and Get Every Token Home

Ludo rules at a glance

• Each player controls four tokens.
• You need a roll of 6 to bring a token out of the yard onto its starting square.
• Move one legal token by exactly the number rolled.
• Landing on a single opponent token on a vulnerable square captures it and sends it back to its yard.
• Safe squares protect tokens from capture.
• Two or more opponent tokens stacked on one main-track square form a blockade you cannot pass through or land on.
• You need the exact roll to finish a token at home.
• The first player to bring all four tokens home wins.

How do you get a token out of the yard?

A token begins off the main track in your home base. To enter the race, you must roll a 6. That token moves directly onto your colour's starting square.

A 6 also gives you another turn after you make your move. In this version, three consecutive sixes forfeit the turn, so repeated sixes are powerful but not unlimited.

How movement works

After rolling, choose one token that can legally move by the full amount shown on the die. You cannot split a roll between two tokens. If a token would overshoot its final home position, that token is not a legal choice for that roll.

How captures work

If your move ends on a vulnerable main-track square occupied by one opponent token, that token is captured and returned to its yard. The opponent must later roll another 6 to bring it back into play.

Captures do not happen on safe squares or inside a home stretch.

What are safe squares?

Safe squares are protected spaces on the main track. The four coloured starting squares and the traditional star-marked safe squares are safe in this game. Opponents cannot capture a token while it is sitting on one of them.

Safe squares are strategically valuable because they let an advanced token wait without immediately risking a trip back to the yard.

What is a blockade?

Two or more tokens belonging to the same opponent on one main-track square form a blockade. You cannot land on that stack and you cannot move through it. A single opponent token is not a blockade and may be captured if the square is not safe.

How do tokens enter the home stretch?

After completing the main loop, each colour turns into its own home stretch. Only that colour uses that lane. Movement still follows the die exactly, and you cannot overshoot the final home position.

Do you need an exact roll to finish?

Yes. A token reaches home only when the die gives the exact number required. If a token is two spaces from home and you roll a 3, that token cannot move.

How do you win?

The first player to bring all four tokens to the final home position wins. One finished token is safe forever, but the game is not over until all four have completed the route.

Common illegal moves

• Leaving the yard without rolling a 6.
• Splitting one die roll between multiple tokens.
• Moving through an opponent blockade.
• Landing on an opponent blockade.
• Capturing a token on a safe square.
• Overshooting the final home position.

Try the rules on the board

The online game shows which tokens are legal after every roll, making it easy to learn when a six, blockade, safe square, or exact finish changes your options.