Snakes and Ladders is the old dice race where luck does all the work and anyone can win. Roll, move your token along the numbered fields, ride ladders up and slide down snakes. The first token to reach the last field wins. This version from Christopher Müller’s open-source PaperGames collection draws everything in clear black and white. It offers a full 100-field board and a shorter 50-field board for small children, for two to four players on one device.
How to Play Snakes and Ladders
All tokens start off the board and enter with their first roll. Fields run in a zigzag from the bottom left corner, left to right on one row and right to left on the next. Tap Roll, and your token moves forward by the number on the die all by itself.
If your token stops at the foot of a ladder, it climbs straight to the top. If it stops on a snake’s head, it slides down to the tail. The status line names every ladder and snake, and a short table under the board lists the last few moves with who rolled, the number, and the start and end fields.
Before the game, set the number of players and how many of them the computer runs. Then choose who starts, your token shape and the finish rule. The 100-field board has eight ladders and eight snakes.
Snakes and Ladders Controls
| Action | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Roll the die | Click "Roll" | Tap "Roll" |
| Let a computer player take its turn | Click "Continue" | Tap "Continue" |
| Set up the next game | Choose board, finish rule, players, computers and who starts, then click "New game" | Choose board, finish rule, players, computers and who starts, then tap "New game" |
| Show the setup again during a game | Click "Menu" | Tap "Menu" |
Tips and Strategies
- Pick the small board for first games. Fifty fields and fewer snakes keep a young player’s attention to the end.
- Use the exact finish rule for suspense. Needing the right number at the end makes the last rows tense, even for a player far behind.
- Leave computer turns on tap mode with kids. Waiting for Continue gives children time to see where each token went and why.
- Read the move table after a big slide. It shows the roll and both fields, which helps children count along and check the move.
- Let a child pick the token. Shapes are easier to follow than colors on a busy board.
Features
- A 100-field board and a 50-field board for small children
- Two to four players, with zero to three of them run by the computer
- Two finish rules: spare pips are lost, or exact roll needed
- A list of the last moves under the board
- The game in progress is saved in your browser and comes back after a reload
Tested and updated:
