Snake and Ladder Game

Snake and ladder is a board game for 2 to 4 players. Each turn you roll one die and move your token forward that many squares on a 10 by 10 board numbered 1 to 100. Ladders lift you up the board, snakes pull you down, and the first token to reach square 100 wins.

This page plays the game in your browser. You can play against the computer, or set every seat to a person and pass the device around. The game has no online multiplayer, accounts or leaderboards, so you play on the device in front of you. You can use the classic board with its fixed ladders and snakes, or a random board made for each new game. Because there are no choices to make, the game is decided by the dice.

How to play snake and ladder online

1. Choose the number of players in the Players selector. The default is 2 players.
2. Choose Board: classic or Board: random.
3. Set Finish, Sixes and Start to the rules you want. Each toolbar change starts a new game straight away.
4. Check the players list. Each seat has a Human or Computer button. For pass-and-play on one screen, set every seat to Human.
5. Click Roll the die, or press Space, Enter or R. On a phone the roll button stays at the bottom of the screen while the board is in view. A computer seat rolls by itself after a short pause.
6. Watch your token move square by square, then climb a ladder or slide down a snake. The status line and the move history, newest first, show what happened, for example “Ladder! 3 → 24”. With Start: need a 6, waiting tokens sit in a strip under the board.
7. Pass the device to the next player when the outline moves to their row.
8. Press Rules at any time to read the rules for the options you have selected.
9. Press New game, or N, to start again.

Press F to go fullscreen and Esc to close a dialog. Add ?seed=123 to the page address to make the dice repeatable.

What are the snake and ladder rules?

Players take turns in token-number order. Each turn you roll one six-sided die once and move your token forward by that number of squares. Every token starts on square 1, unless you have set the start rule to need a 6. Several tokens can share a square, and no token sends another one back.

The first token to reach square 100 wins, and the game ends at once. The other players do not play on.

How do ladders and snakes change a move?

When your token lands on the foot of a ladder, it climbs to the top. When it lands on a snake’s head, it slides down to the tail. Only one jump happens per move, and on these boards no ladder top or snake tail is the start of another ladder or snake, so there are no chains.

For example, a token on 22 that rolls 4 moves through 23, 24, 25 and 26. Square 26 is a snake head, so the token slides down to 6.

Which finish rule should I choose?

With Finish: reach or pass 100, any roll that reaches or passes 100 wins. From 97, a 5 wins.

With Finish: exact roll to 100, a roll that would go past 100 is not played. The token stays where it is and the turn passes. There is no bounce back, so the token does not walk away from 100. From 98, only a 2 wins, and from 99, only a 1 wins. On the classic board, square 99 is a snake head, so stepping onto it sends the token down to 80.

What does the six rule do?

With Six: roll again, rolling a 6 gives the same player another roll. There is no limit on consecutive sixes. The extra roll also applies when the 6 could not be played, such as when you are stuck on 98 under the exact finish rule, or waiting to start. A 6 that wins ends the game.

How do tokens start when I need a 6?

With Start: need a 6, each token waits off the board, shown in a strip under the board as “Waiting for a 6.” A 6 puts the token on square 1. That 6 is not walked as six squares. Any other roll passes the turn. With the six rule on, the 6 that enters a token also gives another roll.

What is a random snake and ladder board?

With Board: random, the game makes a new board for each new game, based on its seed. Each board has 8 to 10 ladders and 8 to 10 snakes. The program checks the layout. No ladder starts on square 1, no snake starts on 100, and no ladder ends on 100. Every end of a ladder or snake sits on its own square, so there are no chains. Each ladder or snake covers at least 9 squares, and none is longer than 60 squares.

Is there a snake and ladder strategy?

There is no strategy in the sense of choices, because every move is decided by the die. The game has no capturing, no safe squares and no skill level for the computer. The only decisions you make are the options you set before the game starts.

Some points follow from the rules:

• With the exact finish rule, a turn can pass without any movement when you are close to 100. Expect this near the end.
• On the classic board, a roll of 1 from 98 lands on 99, which sends you down to 80. The exact finish rule makes this a real risk.
• Compare games with the same options. The Fewest rolls to win chip keeps your best result for each combination of board and rules.
• Use the Rules dialog to confirm what the current options do before you start.

Frequently asked questions

Is snake and ladder online free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, it is free, and you do not need to sign up. The game has no accounts, so you can start playing straight away.

Can I play snake and ladder on a phone?

Yes. The page fits a 320 px wide phone without sideways scrolling. The roll button stays at the bottom of the screen while the board is in view, and the players list sits under the board. Tap the Roll button to play.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The game is saved in your browser after every roll, so reloading the page brings back the same position, and the computer carries on. The save stays on this device only, and nothing is sent anywhere. A different device or browser will start a new game.

Can I play snake and ladder with friends online?

Not over the internet. The game supports pass-and-play on one screen. Set every seat to Human and take turns on the same device.

Can I undo a roll or get a hint?

No. A die roll cannot be taken back, and the game has no undo or hint button.

Does the computer play better or worse?

The game has no skill level. The computer rolls the die for its seat and always plays a legal move.

How can I play the same dice again?

Add ?seed=123 to the page address. The dice, and the random boards in later games, will be the same each time you use that seed.

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