If you’ve ever scrolled through your social media and seen friends posting Ludo King win screenshots, or downloaded the app out of boredom and got immediately overwhelmed by the dozen different game modes and setting options, you’re not alone. I’ve played Ludo King every weekend with my extended family for three years, and last month, my 12-year-old niece downloaded it for the first time and called me panicking because she accidentally joined a 1000-coin tournament and lost all her starting coins before she even understood how to move her tokens. If you want to know how to start a new Ludo King game without wasting time on settings you don’t understand or getting crushed by random opponents right out the gate, this guide is for you. No fancy hacks, just the same tips I gave my niece that helped her win her first 2v2 match against me and her dad a week later.
How to Start a New Ludo King Game: Step-by-Step Basic Setup
When you first open the app, you’ll see a homepage lined with big, flashy buttons for tournaments, special events, and friend matches, but you don’t have to tap any of those right away. Take 30 seconds to navigate past the pop-up ads for limited-edition skins first, because those are designed to get you to spend coins before you even know how to earn them. The first thing you want to do is select the “Play Offline” mode for your first 5 to 10 games, so you can get used to the controls without pressure from real opponents.
Once you pick offline mode, you’ll be prompted to choose how many players you want to compete against, and what difficulty level you want. Stick to 2-player matches on easy difficulty at first, as 4-player matches have twice as many opponents and move way faster for new players. Always check the turn timer setting before confirming your game, because if you accidentally pick 10-second turns and you’re still learning which moves are allowed, you’ll miss rolls constantly and lose by default before you even get a token on the board. Pick a token color you can easily spot on the board too—yellow and red are far easier to track than green or blue for most people, especially on smaller phone screens.
Pre-Game Settings Most New Players Skip That Change Everything
Most new players tap “confirm” as soon as they pick their game mode, but there are 3 small settings you can adjust that will make your first games way less frustrating. I didn’t even know these existed for my first month of playing, and I missed out on a ton of easy wins because of it. These settings are tucked away in the small menu icon in the top right corner of the game setup screen, so you have to actively look for them to find them.
- Turn timer length: Pick 30-second turns for your first 10 games, even if it feels slow. It gives you time to think through moves without rushing, and you can lower the timer later once you get more comfortable with the rules.
- Game mode type: Avoid “tournament mode” for your first few games, as entry fees cost in-game coins you can earn later by playing casual matches. If you lose a tournament match, you lose all the coins you spent to enter, and you won’t get any consolation rewards for playing.
- Opponent type: Start with computer opponents on easy difficulty before moving to online matches with real players. Easy mode computers won’t target your tokens on purpose, so you can learn how to move and strategize without getting ganged up on.
If you’re planning to play with friends instead of the computer, make sure you toggle on the “private room” setting before sending out invites. If you don’t, random players from the global queue can join your match, and you might end up playing with a stranger who has thousands of games under their belt instead of just your group of friends.
First Move Strategies to Set Yourself Up for Early Wins
Once your game loads and you roll your first dice, you might be tempted to hold out for a 6 to get all your tokens out of the yard as fast as possible, but that’s one of the biggest mistakes new players make. Spending your first 5 rolls trying to get multiple tokens out means you have no presence on the board, and opponents can get halfway to the finish line before you even make your first move.
Your first priority after rolling your first 6 is to get one token out of the yard and onto the safe spot immediately, don’t waste your extra roll trying to get a second token out right away. Even if you roll another 6 right after, move your first token forward to the next safe spot instead of pulling a second token out. That way, you already have a token making progress towards home, and it’s protected from being hit by opponents for at least a few turns.
I’ve seen so many new players lose 10 minutes into a game because they spent their first 5 rolls trying to get all four tokens out at once, and got all of them knocked back by a more experienced opponent. You only need one token on the board to start building momentum, and you can pull your other tokens out later once you have a clear path to move them without risk. If you roll a 1 or 2 right after getting your first token out, move it to the next safe spot instead of holding out for another 6 to get a second token out.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your First Ludo King Games
Even if you follow all the setup and first move tips, there are a few common pitfalls that trip up almost every new player their first few times playing. The good news is these are all really easy to avoid once you know what to look for, and they’ll save you a lot of frustration and lost coins.
First, don’t use all your starting in-game coins on entry fees for premium games or special event skins right away. You earn 50 to 100 coins per casual match win, so you can build up your stash quickly without spending real money, but if you blow all your starting coins on a tournament you’re not ready for, you’ll have to watch ads to earn more coins to play. Second, don’t leave the game mid-match even if you’re losing. You still get XP and small coin rewards for finishing, and leaving too many online matches early can get you a temporary ban from online play.
Don’t automatically chase opponent tokens to knock them back if it means putting your own token in danger of being hit. It’s really tempting to move your token 3 spots to knock an opponent back to their yard, but if that puts you 2 spots in front of another opponent’s token, it’s almost never worth the risk, especially early in the game. You’re better off moving your token towards home and saving the hits for later in the game when you have more tokens on the board to fall back on. Also, don’t forget to collect your free daily rewards when you open the app—they give you extra dice rolls, coin boosts, and even ad-free play for an hour sometimes, which makes your first games way more enjoyable.
You don’t need to be a pro to have fun or win when you start a new Ludo King game, as long as you take a minute to check your settings first, play your first few moves strategically, and avoid the common mistakes most new players make. I still use most of these tips when I play with my cousins, and they work just as well now as they did when I first downloaded the app. Take it slow, don’t get frustrated if you lose your first few games, and you’ll be pulling off win streaks before you know it.