Snakes and Ladders Rules: How to Play the Classic Board Game

These snakes and ladders rules explain the game exactly as most families play it: how to start, what happens when you roll a 6, how ladders and snakes work, and whether you need an exact roll to reach 100. Snakes and ladders is a simple race game for kids and grown-ups alike, and it began in India as an old game called Moksha Patam, where ladders stood for good deeds and snakes for bad ones. Because every home seems to have its own house rules, we give the standard rules first and the popular Indian house rules after.

Quick rules

• All players start off the board, before square 1.
• Take turns rolling one die and moving your counter forward that many squares.
• Land at the bottom of a ladder: climb up to the square at its top.
• Land on a snake's head: slide down to the square at its tail.
• Rolling a 6 gives you another turn in most homes.
• The first player to reach square 100 wins.

What you need

• A snakes and ladders board, numbered 1 to 100 in a zig-zag pattern.
• One six-sided die. No die at hand? Use our online roller below.
• One counter per player in different colours, such as coins, buttons or ludo tokens.
• 2 to 6 players. Even 2 players can enjoy it.

Setup

1. Open the board on a flat surface where everyone can reach.
2. Each player chooses a counter and keeps it beside the board, before square 1.
3. Everyone rolls the die. The highest roll goes first, and play then passes clockwise.
4. Agree on house rules before starting: whether you need a 6 to start, and whether you need an exact roll to finish.

How to play

Starting the game

1. In the standard rules, every player enters the board straight away: roll the die and move to that square. A roll of 4 puts you on square 4.
2. In many Indian homes a player must roll a 6 to enter the board (some families use a 1 instead). Until you roll it, you stay outside. See House rules below.

Moving your counter

1. On your turn, roll the die once and move your counter forward that many squares, following the numbers. The path runs left to right on the first row, right to left on the next, and so on, snaking up the board.
2. More than one counter can share a square. You do not knock anyone off, unlike in ludo.

Ladders

1. If your move ends exactly on the bottom of a ladder, move your counter straight up to the square at the top of the ladder.
2. Passing over a ladder's foot without stopping on it does nothing.
3. Landing on the top of a ladder does nothing either. You never climb down a ladder.

Snakes

1. If your move ends exactly on a snake's head, slide your counter down to the square at its tail.
2. Landing on a snake's tail, or passing over a head, does nothing.

Rolling a 6

1. When you roll a 6, move six squares as normal, follow any snake or ladder, and then roll again.
2. In many homes, rolling three 6s in a row cancels your whole turn: your counter goes back to where it started that turn. Some families send you back to the start instead.

Finishing

1. The first player to land on square 100 wins.
2. The most common rule is that you need the exact number to land on 100. If you are on 97, you need a 3. A higher roll means you do not move, and you wait for your next turn.
3. Some families "bounce back" instead: on 97 with a roll of 5, you move 3 squares to 100 and back 2 squares to 98.
4. In the simplest version, any roll that reaches or passes 100 wins. Sources differ here, so agree on one rule before you play.

Scoring

There are no points in snakes and ladders: the first to reach 100 wins. If you play several games in a row, give 3 points for first place, 2 for second and 1 for third, and track totals on our scoreboard.

How to win

Reach square 100 before anyone else. Snakes and ladders is pure luck, so a player near the top can still slide down a long snake and lose to someone far behind. That swing is what makes it so exciting for children.

Variations

• Need a 6 to start: a very common house rule in India that makes the start more suspenseful.
• Two dice: roll two dice and move the total for a faster game on big boards.
• Choose your die: with two dice, move by either one of them, which adds a little strategy.
• Team play: pairs share a counter and take turns rolling.
• Classroom version: each ladder needs a correct answer to a maths or spelling question before you climb. Great for classroom games.
• Moksha Patam style: label each ladder with a good habit and each snake with a bad one, and read them aloud when someone lands there.

Tips and strategy

• There is no strategy in the standard game, since every move is decided by the die. Enjoy it as a family luck game.
• For younger children, count the squares out loud together. It is a gentle way to practise counting to 100.
• For a shorter game, use a board with more and longer ladders, or allow any roll to finish.
• To keep everyone happy, agree on the rules for 6s and finishing before the first roll, not when someone is about to win.

House rules to agree first

• Do you need a 6 (or a 1) to enter the board?
• Does a 6 give an extra turn, and what happens on three 6s in a row?
• Do you need an exact roll to reach 100, or do you bounce back?
• If two counters land on the same square, does anything happen? (In the standard game, no.)

Looking for more traditional fun? Explore our Indian traditional games, try carrom, or browse more board games for kids.