Ludo for 5 and 6 Players: How Bigger Games Work

Ludo for 5 and 6 Players: How Bigger Games Work

Classic Ludo has room for four. That's fine until a fifth or sixth friend turns up and someone has to sit out. Bigger Ludo boards fix that: the board grows an extra arm for each extra player, so everyone gets a colour, a yard and a way home.

5- and 6-player Ludo are available now on PlayLudo, both online and on one device with Pass & Play.

One Arm per Player

The classic board is a cross: four arms, one per player. Bigger boards keep the same idea and add an arm for each extra player, arranged around the centre. Every arm works exactly like an arm on the classic board: three columns of squares, with that colour's home column running down the middle.

The 5-Player Board

The 5-player board has five arms around a pentagon-shaped centre.

• Five colours: red, green, blue, yellow and charcoal.
• Triangle yards: each player's four pieces wait in a triangle between two arms.
• Name tags on the board: every player's name and progress sit along the edge of their yard, so you always know whose colour is whose.
• One dice in the middle: it shows the roll of whoever's turn it is.

How Far a Piece Travels

Each extra arm adds 13 squares to the shared track, so a full lap takes a little longer and there are more chances to cut and be cut.

Safe squares

Each arm has two safe squares: the square where its colour enters the board, and the square marked with a star. A piece on a safe square can't be cut.

The 6-Player Board

The 6-player board has six arms around a hexagon-shaped centre: the same design as the 5-player board, with one more arm.

• Six colours: red, green, blue, yellow, charcoal and pink.
• Triangle yards, name tags and one dice in the middle, just like the 5-player board.
• The longest game: 78 squares round the shared track, so there's more time to come back from a bad start.

The Rules Are the Same

Everything you know from 4-player Ludo still applies:

• Roll the right number to take a piece out of your yard. That's a 6 by default; you can change it in Game Rules.
• Move round the board, then up your home column.
• Land on an opponent to send them back to their yard.
• Get all four pieces home first to win.

The optional house rules, like Cut to unlock home and Must cut, work on every board size.

How to Start a 5- or 6-Player Game

Online with friends

1. Go to Play Ludo Online.
2. Under Players, pick 5 or 6.
3. Create a room and share the link.
4. Not enough friends? Fill the empty seats with computer players from the lobby.

On one device (Pass & Play)

1. Open Pass & Play.
2. Pick 5 or 6 players.
3. Make each seat a person or a computer player, then start.

Any mix works: six friends round one phone, or you against five computer players.

Tips for Bigger Games

• Watch both neighbours. With more players there's someone close behind you more often than in a 4-player game.
• Use the stars. More arms mean more safe squares, so more places to wait for a good roll.
• Spread out early. A longer track rewards having two or three pieces out instead of racing just one.

Ready for a bigger game? Start a 6-player room or play Pass & Play with up to six.