Ludo Rules Explained: Settling the 7 Arguments That Ruin Every Family Game

No game starts more family arguments than Ludo. Not because people are competitive (they are), but because almost every household plays with slightly different rules, and everyone is convinced theirs is the "real" one.

So let's settle it. Below are the seven arguments that come up in almost every game, what the standard rules say, and the common house variations. Screenshot this. Send it to the group. End the war.

Argument 1: "Do you need a 6 to come out?"

Standard rule: Yes. A token can only leave the yard when you roll a 6. It goes onto your coloured start square.

House variations: some families let a 1 or a 6 bring a token out, to speed the game up. It's a fair choice for younger kids. Just agree on it before the first roll, not after someone's been stuck for six turns.

Argument 2: "Do you get another turn after a 6?"

Standard rule: Yes. Roll a 6, move, then roll again.

But roll three 6s in a row and your turn ends immediately. Some versions also send the last-moved token back. Without this rule, one lucky player can basically play the whole game alone.

Argument 3: "Do you get a bonus roll for capturing?"

It depends, and this is where most fights start. Not every version gives one, but it's a very common modern rule and many Ludo apps use it. Capturing someone and then rolling again feels right, and it makes the game more exciting.

Many players also give a bonus roll when a token reaches home. Again: decide before the game.

Argument 4: "Can two of my tokens make a wall?"

This is the "blockade" rule. In some versions, two tokens of the same colour on one square form a wall that nobody can pass or capture.

Many modern versions don't use blockades at all. It slows the game down a lot and causes long stand-offs. If your family uses it, fine, but the Rule Lawyer doesn't get to invent it halfway through a game they're losing.

Argument 5: "Do I need the exact number to get home?"

Standard rule: Yes. If your token is three squares from home, you need exactly a 3. A bigger roll can't be used on that token, so you'll have to move a different one or wait.

Some families let you "bounce back" from the centre with extra steps, but exact-roll is by far the most common rule.

Argument 6: "Which squares are safe?"

The coloured start squares and the star squares are safe. No token can be captured on them, and tokens of different colours can share them.

Everywhere else on the outer track, landing exactly on an opponent sends their token back to its yard. And once a token turns into its own coloured home column, nobody can touch it.

Argument 7: "Can I just skip my move?"

Standard rule: No. If any of your tokens can legally move, you have to move one, even if every option is bad. You only skip when no token can move at all.

This rule is why the endgame gets so tense: sometimes you're forced to move a token right into someone's path.

The rules we use

On Ludo Arena, the game handles the rules for you, so there's nothing to argue about:

• You need a 6 to bring a token out.
• Bonus roll for rolling a 6, capturing a token, or getting a token home.
• Three 6s in a row and you lose the turn.
• Exact roll needed to finish.
• Start squares and star squares are safe.
• No blockades.
• If you can move, you must move.

The computer can't cheat, can't "forget" a rule and doesn't care whose turn it is in real life.

👉 Play Ludo Arena free: create a room, share the code with the family group, and let the board settle it.

Which rule causes the biggest fights in your house? Tell us in the comments.