Snakes and Ladders
Climb the ladders, dodge the snakes. Pure luck, all ages.
👥 2-4 playersLand on a ladder to climb, on a snake to slide. You need the exact roll to finish on 100.
About Snakes and Ladders
Free online Snakes and Ladders on a full colour hundred-square board, for two to four players, with computer players to fill any empty seats.
Snakes and Ladders began in India as Moksha Patam, a game about morality rather than luck: the ladders were virtues that carried you closer to salvation and the snakes were vices that dropped you back down, and there were deliberately more snakes than ladders. The Victorians brought it to Britain and stripped the sermon out, and it has been a first board game for children ever since. It is pure chance, which is exactly why it works for a family: a four-year-old and a grandparent have identical odds, nobody has to be taught tactics, and the swings are the whole point. This version draws the board properly, with the snakes coiling across the squares and the ladders rungs and all, on a hundred squares with nine ladders and ten snakes.
Frequently asked questions
How many can play?＋
Two to four. Any seats you do not need can be played by the computer, so one person can still have a proper game.
Do I need an exact roll to finish?＋
Yes. You must land squarely on 100, and a roll that would carry you past it does not move you. It is the usual playground rule and it stops games ending on a fluke.
What happens on a six?＋
You roll again, unless you switch that off in the options. Winning on a six ends the game rather than granting another turn.
Is it the same as Chutes and Ladders?＋
Yes. Chutes and Ladders is the American edition of the same game, with slides instead of snakes.
Is there any skill in it?＋
None at all, and that is the point. Everyone has exactly the same chance, so it is one of the few games a small child and an adult can play together honestly.
Where does it come from?＋
India, as Moksha Patam, where the ladders stood for virtues and the snakes for vices - and there were more snakes than ladders to make a point.