How to play Ludo online
Ludo is a race game for two to four players. Each player has four tokens in a base. You roll a six to bring a token out, move tokens clockwise around a 52-cell track by the number rolled, send opponents home by landing on them, and bring all four of your tokens up your coloured home column to the centre. In Ludotok the same rules apply online, with a 30-second turn timer and provably fair dice.
The board
The board has four bases in the corners (red, green, yellow, blue), a cross-shaped track of 52 white cells, four coloured start cells, four star safe cells, four coloured home columns of five cells each and the centre home triangle. Board themes change only the surroundings: the track and homes keep the classic colours on every theme.
Turn order and rolling
- Red rolls first; play continues clockwise (red, green, yellow, blue).
- Tap the die bar or flick the die on the board. The physics animation is decorative: the value is fixed by the provably fair seed before the match.
- If only one move is legal the game plays it for you (you can turn this off in Settings).
How do you leave the base?
Only a six moves a token out of the base onto your start cell. With no token on the board and no six, the turn passes. A six always grants another roll, so a six followed by a five moves the new token five cells.
Captures and safe cells
Landing exactly on a single opponent token sends it back to its base and gives you an extra turn. Tokens on the four start cells and the four star cells are safe and cannot be captured. Two tokens of the same colour on one cell form a block that opponents cannot pass in Classic rules.
Home column and winning
After a full lap a token turns into its own coloured column. The final move into the centre must be exact; if the roll is too large, another token must move. Each token that reaches home earns an extra turn. The first player with all four tokens home wins; the others keep playing for second, third and fourth.
Extra turns and the three-six rule
| Event | Effect |
|---|---|
| Roll a six | Extra roll |
| Capture an opponent | Extra roll |
| Token reaches home | Extra roll |
| Third six in a row | Roll forfeited, turn passes |
| Turn timer runs out | Auto-roll and auto-move; three timeouts hand the seat to a bot |
Game modes in Ludotok
Classic
Four tokens each, 30-second turns, blocks enabled. The full game, 15 to 25 minutes.
Quick Mode
One token each, 10-second turns, five-minute games. No capture animations, pure pace.
Queen Mode
Crown one token as your Queen. Lose her and you are out. Queen's Guard and Last Stand protect her.
Offline vs AI
Three AI opponents, no connection needed. Same rules, same board.
Five tips from strong players
- Spread your tokens: one runner, one guard near your start, and keep pressure on the opponent who is ahead.
- Park on star cells when an opponent sits within six cells behind you.
- Count exact rolls for the home column early; a token stuck at the top wastes turns.
- In Queen Mode, keep the Queen behind a block or on a safe cell until the board thins out.
- Use the last few seconds of the timer to check captures before moving the obvious token.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a six to start in Ludo?
Yes. A token leaves its base only on a roll of six. Rolling a six also grants an extra turn.
What happens if you roll three sixes in a row?
In Ludotok the third consecutive six forfeits the roll: the turn passes without moving.
What are the safe cells?
The four coloured start cells and the four star cells cannot be captured. A token resting there is safe.
How long is a turn?
Classic turns are 30 seconds and Quick Mode turns are 10 seconds. If time runs out the game rolls and plays a move for you; three timeouts hand the seat to a bot.
What is Queen Mode?
Each player crowns one token as their Queen before the first roll. If the Queen is captured the player is out, so guarding her is the whole game.