How to play
- Tap the dice to roll, and your token moves that many squares.
- Land at the foot of a ladder to climb up it.
- Land on a snake's head and you slide down to its tail.
- A 6 gives you another roll.
- Reach square 100 with the exact number to win.
Play Snakes & Ladders free online with 2 to 4 players. Play the computer or pass the phone to friends. Roll, climb ladders, dodge snakes and reach 100 first.
About Snakes & Ladders
Snakes & Ladders is a race to square 100. Every player starts at the bottom of a numbered board and rolls a die to move. Ladders lift you higher up the board, and snakes drop you back down. There are no decisions to make, which is why it is often the first board game children learn, and why a game between a grandparent and a five-year-old is a fair fight.
The game comes from India, where an older version was known as Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar. In that version the ladders stood for good deeds and the snakes for bad ones, and reaching the top meant reaching liberation. The game travelled to England in the late 1800s, where it became Snakes and Ladders, and later to the United States, where a version called Chutes and Ladders was sold from 1943.
Snakes & Ladders on Gamesupa
Choose 2, 3 or 4 players, and decide for each colour whether a person or the computer plays it. You can play alone against the computer, or pass one phone around the family. Every roll is saved on your device, so you can close the page and carry on later.
- Roll to move. Tap the dice, or press Space or Enter on a keyboard. Your token walks forward one square at a time.
- Ladders and snakes. Stop at the foot of a ladder and you climb to its top. Stop on a snake's head and you slide down to its tail.
- A 6 rolls again. Roll three 6s in a row and your turn ends straight away.
- Exact roll to finish. If a roll would take you past 100, your token stays put.
- Your start rule. Start with any roll, or turn on the house rule where you need a 6 to come onto the board.
The board has 7 ladders and 8 snakes. The longest snake waits on square 99, so the last few rolls are never safe.
How to win
The first player to land exactly on square 100 wins. Tokens don't capture each other, so two or more players can share a square without trouble.
Quick tips
- Enjoy the luck. Every roll is random, so a long snake near the end can turn any game around. Nobody is out until someone reaches 100.
- Pick the right start rule. "Any roll" makes games quicker for small children. "A 6" makes them longer and closer to how many families play at home.
- Count to the next snake. It won't change your roll, but it makes every throw more exciting, especially in the nineties.
- Use it to teach numbers. Ask a child to count the squares out loud as the token moves. It is how many of us learned to count past 50.
Read more in Snakes and Ladders rules explained and From Moksha Patam to Snakes and Ladders.
Snakes & Ladders questions
How many people can play Snakes and Ladders?
Two, three or four. For each colour you choose whether a person or the computer plays it, so you can play alone or pass the phone around with family and friends.
Do I need a 6 to start?
Only if you want to. On the start screen choose "Any roll" to start moving straight away, or "A 6" to play the house rule where every token needs a 6 to come onto the board.
Do I need the exact number to reach 100?
Yes. If your roll would take you past 100, your token stays where it is and the turn passes. From square 97, for example, you need exactly a 3.
Do I get another turn on a 6?
Yes, a 6 gives you another roll. If you roll three 6s in a row, your turn ends straight away.
Can two tokens share a square?
Yes. Tokens never knock each other off in this version, so several players can stand on the same square.
Is my game saved?
Yes. The game is saved on your device after every move. Close the page and open Snakes & Ladders again to carry on.
Snakes & Ladders guides
- Snakes & Ladders Snakes and Ladders rules explained How to play Snakes and Ladders: the board, starting, moving, ladders, snakes, rolling a 6 and the exact roll to reach 100.
- Snakes & Ladders Playing Snakes and Ladders with kids How Snakes and Ladders helps young children learn counting, numbers and taking turns, with simple ways to make the game more fun and less frustrating.
- Snakes & Ladders From Moksha Patam to Snakes and Ladders How Moksha Patam, an old Indian board game about good and bad deeds, became the Snakes and Ladders that families around the world play today.