2–4 players · 20–40 minutes · Ages 6+
Ludo online with friends
Ludo is the board game almost every Indian family owns: four colours, sixteen tokens, one die and a lot of shouting when a token gets sent home. On PlayAdda you can play the full game with friends in other cities without installing anything. Create a room, send the code on WhatsApp, and the board appears on everyone's screen.
Takes five seconds. Share the code with up to three friends.
How to start a game
- Tap Play Ludo now and type the name your friends know you by.
- You get a six-letter invite code such as
KRT-492. Share it with the WhatsApp button, copy the link, or let someone in the same room scan the QR code. - When everyone appears in the lobby, the host taps Start game. Colours are given out in join order.
- Take turns tapping Roll dice. When you can move, the tokens you are allowed to move glow; tap one to move it.
Ludo rules used on this site
House rules for Ludo vary from family to family, so here is exactly how the game works on PlayAdda. These are the standard rules most people in India play with.
The board
The board is a cross-shaped track of 52 squares around a central home triangle. Each player has a coloured yard in one corner holding four tokens, a coloured start square just outside the yard, and a coloured home column of five squares that leads into the centre. Tokens travel clockwise once around the board and then turn up their own home column.
Leaving the yard
A token can only leave the yard when you roll a six. It is placed on your start square. If you roll a six and already have tokens on the board, you choose whether to bring out a new token or move one that is already out.
Moving and extra turns
- Move one token forward by the number you rolled. You must move if any move is possible.
- Rolling a six gives you another roll after your move.
- Rolling three sixes in a row ends your turn straight away, and the third six is not played.
- Capturing an opponent's token, or bringing one of your own tokens home, also earns an extra roll.
Capturing
If your token lands exactly on a square occupied by an opponent's token, that token is captured and goes back to its yard; its owner needs another six to bring it out. Captures cannot happen on the eight safe squares: the four coloured start squares and the four squares marked with a star. Any number of tokens can share a safe square.
Reaching home
After going around the board, a token enters its home column. You need the exact number to reach the centre. If the roll is too high for a token in the home column, that token cannot move and you must move another token if you can. If no token can move, play passes to the next player.
Winning
The first player to bring all four tokens home wins the round. The host can then start another round with one tap, and new seats are filled from the lobby.
Tips to win more Ludo games
- Get two tokens out early. With only one token on the board, every roll has to move it, even into danger. Two or three active tokens give you choices.
- Use the stars. Parking a token on a star or start square makes it uncatchable. It is a good place to wait while an opponent's token passes.
- Count behind you. A token that sits one to six squares ahead of an enemy token is at risk. Moving it a little further, or onto a safe square, often matters more than racing ahead.
- Chase when it is cheap. If an opponent is close to home, a capture costs them far more than it costs you. Sending a token that has gone 45 squares back to the yard can swing the whole game.
- Do not rush the home column. Tokens in the home column are safe, but you need exact rolls to finish. Keep at least one token on the main track so that awkward rolls are not wasted.
Why play Ludo in the browser?
Mobile Ludo apps are big downloads, ask for permissions, and often push coins and rewarded videos. A browser room is lighter: it opens from a link, works on older phones, and disappears when you close the tab. It is ideal for a quick game on a family video call, a break at the office, or a long train journey where everyone has a phone but nobody wants to install another app.
Because moves travel directly between the players' devices, the game is quick even on modest connections. The person who created the room acts as the referee: their browser checks every move against the rules above. If the host's battery dies, the next player in the room takes over automatically and the game continues.
Questions people ask
Is this Ludo free to play?
Yes. PlayAdda is free for everyone, with no coins, no paid boosts and no subscriptions. The site is supported by a small number of ads that are kept away from the board.
Do my friends need to download an app?
No. Everyone plays in their phone or laptop browser. Open the invite link or type the six-letter code and you are in the room.
How many people can play?
Two, three or four players. With two players you get opposite colours (red and yellow) so the race is balanced. Extra people who join can watch and are dealt into the next round.
What happens if someone loses their connection?
Their seat is kept. If they reopen the same link on the same device they continue where they left off. While they are away, a simple helper rolls and moves for them after a few seconds so the game never freezes.
Can the host cheat with the dice?
No. Before each game every player secretly picks a random number and locks it in (a commitment). The numbers are then revealed and combined into the seed that decides every roll, and every browser checks the result. The game shows “verified fair” when the check passes.
Is this the same as Ludo King?
No. Ludo is a traditional public-domain game. PlayAdda is an independent site and is not connected with any Ludo app or brand.
More games
Hosting a bigger group? Tambola (Housie) works for twenty or more players in one room, with auto-generated tickets and a host who calls the numbers.