Ludo with video call: play Pachisi's grandchild face to face
Ludo is more fun when you can see the other players: the groan at a bad roll, the grin when a token gets sent home. On Viaraa you can play Ludo on a video call, so you talk and play at the same time, the way you would sitting round a board at home.
Below are the rules, Ludo's roots in the Indian game of Pachisi, its names across India, and how to play it free on Viaraa: on a video call, with friends in a group, or against the computer.
Free to join
How to play Ludo on a video call
- 1Open viaraa.in in your browser and sign up free. There's nothing to download.
- 2Start a video call with a host who's online and speaks your language.
- 3During the call, open the games and choose Ludo. The board opens for both of you while the video carries on.
- 4Take turns rolling and moving your tokens, and keep talking the whole time.
Games inside calls are always free. Video calls on Viaraa are with hosts: women aged 18 or over who chose to host, each checked by our team. To play with your own friends and family, use a group (below).
Ludo rules, step by step
Viaraa uses the rules most phone Ludo games use:
- 1Two to four players take part. Each has 4 tokens of one colour, waiting in their yard.
- 2Roll a 6 to bring a token out onto your start square.
- 3Move a token forward by the number you roll. Tokens go once round the board, 51 squares, then up your own home column of 5 squares.
- 4Land on another player's token and it goes back to their yard, except on the 8 safe squares: the four start squares and the four stars.
- 5Rolling a 6, sending another player's token back to their yard, or getting one of your own tokens home gives you another roll. Three 6s in a row, though, and your turn passes.
- 6You need the exact number to move a token into home.
- 7The first player to bring all 4 tokens home finishes first.
When only one of your tokens can move, Viaraa moves it for you, which keeps turn-by-turn games quick.
Ludo's roots: Pachisi, India's cross-and-circle game
Ludo comes from Pachisi, a game played in India for centuries on a cross-shaped cloth board. Its name comes from "pachis", twenty-five, the highest throw. Instead of a die, players threw cowrie shells and counted how many landed mouth up. The Mughal emperor Akbar is said to have played it on a giant board laid out in a courtyard at Fatehpur Sikri, with people as the pieces.
In the late 1800s a simpler version, with a die and a square board, was sold in England as Ludo, Latin for "I play". It came back to India, where today it’s mostly played on phones.
Many families still play the older cousins at home: Chowka Bara in Karnataka, Thaayam in Tamil Nadu and Ashta Chamma in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, often drawn on the floor and played with cowries or tamarind seeds.
Ludo's names across India
| Language | Name for Ludo and its cousins |
|---|---|
| Tamil | Thaayam (தாயம்) |
| Telugu | Ashta Chamma (అష్టా చమ్మా) |
| Kannada | Chowka Bara (ಚೌಕಾ ಬಾರ) |
| Malayalam | Pakidakali (പകിടകളി) |
| Hindi | Pachisi (पचीसी) |
On Viaraa, Ludo shows the name that goes with your language next to it, so the game feels like the one you grew up with.
Play Ludo with friends and family
- Make a group with up to 12 friends or family members, chat, and start a Ludo game for two to four players whenever you like.
- Invite someone directly by their Game ID. It's not their phone number or login, so you can share it safely.
- Games go turn by turn, so people can play from different cities at their own pace, and the app lets each player know when it's their turn.
- No one around? Choose Play with Viaraa in the Games tab and play against the computer.
Outside calls, playing with friends, in groups and against the computer is free for now. A game takes about 15 to 30 minutes.
Just for fun
Ludo on Viaraa is only for fun: trophies, badges and bragging rights, nothing else. Nothing of value changes hands.
If you'd like a friendly forfeit, Viaraa has a few built-in challenges, like "the last one home sings a song on the next call". Want more? Try Paramapadham, Act & Guess or our list of games to play on a video call.
Questions, answered
Can I play Ludo with a video call?
Yes. On Viaraa, open Ludo during a video call and the board appears for both of you while you keep talking face to face.
Is Ludo free on Viaraa?
Games inside video calls are always free. Outside calls, playing with friends, in groups and against the computer is free for now.
How many players can play Ludo?
Two to four players, each with 4 tokens.
Is Ludo the same as Pachisi?
Ludo is a simpler version of Pachisi, the old Indian game played with cowrie shells on a cross-shaped board.
What are the safe squares in Ludo?
The four start squares and the four star squares. A token on them can't be sent back.
Do I need to download a Ludo app?
No. Viaraa runs in the browser on Android, iPhone and computers.
Keep reading
- Indian board gamesTraditional Indian board games to play online, on a video call or with friends.
- 12 games to play on a video callBoard games, word games and guessing games that work on any video call.
- Paramapadham (Snakes & Ladders)The rules, the history and the names of Snakes & Ladders, and how to play it online free.
- Telugu video call appTalk in Telugu with checked hosts on a 1:1 video call, right from your browser.
- Ludo King alternativePlay Ludo while you talk face to face, on a video call, in your own language.