If you’ve spent hours playing classic Ludo King with friends and family, you might have missed the hidden casual mode tucked in the app’s menu. I stumbled on it last year when I was waiting for a friend to join my regular Ludo lobby, and it’s become my go-to quick game when I only have 5 to 10 minutes to spare. Today, we’re breaking down exactly how to play snake and ladders on Ludo King, from accessing the mode to mastering little tricks that help you win more often than not. It’s way simpler than you think, and you don’t need any prior experience with the physical board game to pick it up in seconds.
How to Access Snake and Ladders on Ludo King in 3 Quick Steps
Most users never notice the snake and ladders mode because it’s not front and center on the Ludo King home screen. I missed it for almost two years before I accidentally tapped the right icon, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t spotted it yet. The process works the same for both Android and iOS versions of the app, and you don’t need a paid upgrade to access it either.
- Open the Ludo King app and wait for the home screen to load fully. Skip any pop-up ads or tournament notifications until you see the main menu with the classic Ludo mode options.
- Look for the “More Games” icon at the bottom of the screen, right next to the “Tournaments” tab. It has a small dice graphic next to it, so it’s easy to mix up with other menu buttons if you’re in a hurry.
- Tap the snake and ladders thumbnail from the list of available mini-games, and choose your preferred game mode (1v1 against the computer, multiplayer with friends, or random online match) to start playing immediately.
Note that if you’re using an older version of Ludo King, you might need to update the app first to see the full list of mini-games. The mode is available for all free users, so you never have to pay to unlock it, even if you get pop-ups pushing the premium ad-free version.
Official Snake and Ladders Rules for Ludo King
A lot of people assume the Ludo King version of snake and ladders has weird modified rules, but it sticks almost exactly to the classic physical board game you probably played as a kid. There are only a few small tweaks to make it work for mobile play, and none of them change the core fun of the game.
First, every player starts at the 1st square at the bottom of the board, and the goal is to be the first person to reach the 100th square at the top. You roll one dice per turn, and move forward the number of squares matching your roll, just like regular Ludo. If you land at the bottom of a ladder, you automatically climb up to the square at the top of the ladder, skipping dozens of squares in the process. If you land on the head of a snake, you slide all the way down to the square at the snake’s tail, which can set you back pretty far if you’re close to the finish line.
The only unique rule for the Ludo King version is that you don’t need to roll an exact number to land on the 100th square. If you roll a number higher than the remaining squares you need to finish, you’ll move forward to 100 and then backtrack the extra amount. For example, if you’re on square 98 and roll a 3, you’ll move 2 squares to 100, then back 1 square to 99. This is one of the best changes the devs made to the mobile version, as it avoids the endless rolling that drags out physical versions of the game for 20 minutes or more.
You can play with up to 4 players total, either against the AI, friends in the same room, or random players from around the world. There’s no turn timer for casual matches, but ranked online matches give you 10 seconds per roll to keep games moving fast.
Simple Tips to Win More Snake and Ladders Matches on Ludo King
Snake and ladders is mostly a game of luck, but there are a few small choices you can make to tilt the odds in your favor, especially when you’re playing against real people online. I’ve tested these tips over 40+ matches in the last few months, and they’ve upped my win rate by almost 30% compared to when I first started playing the mode.
First, stick to 1v1 matches if you want to win more often. The more players there are in a game, the higher the chance someone else gets a lucky ladder roll early on and runs away with the win. 1v1 matches give you more room to recover from a bad snake slide, and you only have to outluck one other person instead of three.
Second, pay attention to the board layout before you start rolling. All Ludo King snake and ladders boards have the same snake and ladder placement, so you can memorize which squares have big rewards and which have big risks. For example, the ladder on square 1 takes you all the way to square 38, which is the biggest jump in the game, while the snake on square 99 takes you back to square 7, which is the worst possible roll you can get late in the game. If you’re a few squares away from a high-risk snake, you don’t have any control over your roll, but you can adjust your expectations so you don’t get frustrated if you hit it.
Third, if you’re playing with friends, you can use the in-game chat to distract them, but don’t be annoying about it. A quick joke about their last bad roll can make them less focused, but only do this if you’re playing with people you know well, not random strangers online. Don’t fall for any fake hacks or cheat tools that claim they can let you control your dice rolls for snake and ladders. Ludo King uses a random number generator for all dice rolls, so there’s no way to manipulate the outcome, and any tool that claims otherwise will either steal your account information or flood your phone with malware. It’s not worth the risk for a casual game.
Common Issues With Ludo King’s Snake and Ladders Mode (And Fixes)
Even though the mode is pretty well optimized, I’ve run into a few common bugs and issues when playing over the last year, and most of them have really simple fixes you can do in less than a minute.
The most common issue is the mode not showing up in the “More Games” menu. If this happens, first check if you have the latest version of Ludo King installed from the App Store or Google Play Store. Older versions of the app from 2022 or earlier don’t have the snake and ladders mode added, so updating will usually fix the problem immediately. If it still doesn’t show up after updating, try clearing your app cache (for Android) or offloading the app (for iOS) and restarting your phone.
Another common issue is lag or disconnections during online matches. This almost always happens because of a bad internet connection, not a problem with the app itself. Switch to a Wi-Fi connection instead of mobile data if you’re playing ranked matches, and close any other apps running in the background that are using up bandwidth. If you get disconnected mid-match, you have 2 minutes to rejoin before the game counts as a forfeit, so you don’t have to panic if your internet cuts out for a few seconds.
The last common complaint is ads popping up mid-turn. The free version of Ludo King has ads, but you can avoid most mid-game ads by turning off your mobile data or Wi-Fi before you start a match against the AI. That doesn’t work for online multiplayer matches, obviously, but it’s a great trick if you’re playing casual games to kill time without interruptions. You can also pay for the premium ad-free version if you play often enough to justify the cost.
At the end of the day, snake and ladders on Ludo King is meant to be a low-stakes, fun casual game to play when you don’t have time for a full 30-minute Ludo match. You don’t need complicated strategies or hours of practice to have fun with it, and it’s a great alternative to the classic mode if you’re tired of getting your tokens knocked back to the start every other turn. Next time you open the app, give the mode a try, and use the tips we shared to win a few matches against your friends. Whether you’re playing against the AI to kill time or competing in online ranked matches, knowing how to play snake and ladders on Ludo King gives you another great way to get more out of one of the most popular mobile board games of all time.