Play ludo online free: rules, bots and rooms for up to six

Ludo is the race-and-bump board game that has ended more friendships than any other, and we mean that fondly. On inkmate it is free, there is nothing to sign up for, and you can play it three ways: against doodle bots, passing one phone around, or in a private room with up to six people on their own devices.

The goal

Each player has four tokens that start in their own coloured base. You win by getting all four around the board and into your home column. On inkmate, the game goes on until every person at the table is home, and everyone is ranked first, second and so on, so being behind never means being out.

How a turn works

Roll the die.
If you roll a six, you can bring a token out of your base onto your starting square. You need a six to get any token out.
If you have a token on the board, move it forward by the number you rolled. If you have several, you choose which one to move.
If you rolled a six, you roll again after moving.
If you cannot move at all, for example you have nothing out and did not roll a six, the turn simply passes.

Bumping

If you land on a square occupied by an opponent’s token, that token is sent back to its base and its owner needs another six to start again. That is the bump, and it is where most of the shouting comes from. Squares marked as safe are the exception: tokens of different colours can share them without anyone being sent home.

Getting home

After a lap of the board, your token turns into your home column. A token cannot go past the finish, so you may need a smaller number than you rolled for your last steps. If your roll is too big for every token you have, you skip the move.

Ways to play on inkmate

Against bots: open ludo, choose two, four or six players and let doodle bots fill the empty colours. They come in different skill levels, from careless to sharp.
One phone: use the together option and hand the device around. It is ideal for a living room or a long train ride.
Private room: make a room, send the code and play with up to six people from anywhere. The server rolls every die, so there is no cheating, and you can add emoji reactions and margin notes while you play.

A game runs about fifteen to thirty minutes. With six players, the board gets crowded fast, and bumping becomes a way of life.

Six tips for beginners

Get a second token out early when you roll a six. Having a choice of moves is the single biggest advantage in the game.
Use safe squares as parking. If an opponent is lurking a few squares behind you, a safe square is the cheapest insurance.
Bump when it hurts most: tokens that have travelled far are worth much more to capture than ones just out of base.
Do not leave a token sitting one to six squares in front of an opponent unless it is on a safe square. Those are the squares they can reach on a single roll.
Keep a token back near home as long as you can, so you always have a useful move for small numbers.
Do not take a bump personally. It is a dice game.

tip: For a deeper look at the rules and the thinking behind good moves, read ludo rules for beginners and ludo strategy: how to win more games.

If a ludo evening goes well, you might fancy something else to play in the same room. Snakes and ladders is the quick, gentle cousin, and carrom brings some real skill. When you are ready, start a ludo game and roll for a six.