How to play Parchisi: illustrated beginner guide

Understand the objective

Parchisi mixes a visible dice result with choices about safety, timing and which pawn to advance. Two to four players race four sticker pawns home. Every player sees their own nest at bottom-left; the left-hand entry begins a route that follows the numbered circuit toward the right.

How to play

Roll the pair of dice. A five on one die, or a total of five when both are available, brings a pawn out; entry is compulsory when possible. Select your pawn on the board, then tap the highlighted destination rectangle covering its square. Use the two displayed values, with one pawn or different pawns. Doubles allow another roll after those values are used; 6–6 does not add 1–1, and 5–5 does not add 2–2.

Rules used on this platform

1. 2–4 players, four pawns each. First to bring all four home wins. Two players use opposite sides.
2. Enter with a five on one die or a total of five. Entry is compulsory when possible. Use both dice whenever possible, on one or several pawns.
3. Safe spaces protect pawns. Your entry can capture a lone rival there. Two same-colour pawns form a blockade that nobody can cross; its pair cannot advance together to form another blockade that turn.
4. A capture grants a 20-space bonus; reaching home grants 10. Bonuses move one pawn exactly and are forfeited if blocked. Home requires the exact count.
5. Doubles grant another roll. Use only the two values shown; doubles add no opposite-face moves. A third consecutive double sends the nearest unfinished pawn back to start.
6. Platform board: 68 outer spaces, 12 safe spaces and private home lanes. A 120-second decision limit plays an automatic legal action; disconnected players have 60 seconds to return.

Build a simple plan

Stars mark protected squares; coloured entry squares are also safe, with the special entry-capture exception described below. Two pawns on one square form a blockade, so count the whole route rather than the landing square alone. A capture gives 20 steps and reaching home gives 10; each bonus must move one pawn by its exact value. Keep several pawns active so a blocked route does not waste all your options.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not confuse movement dice with bonus steps or think any roll can release a pawn. A star does not permit jumping over a two-pawn blockade. The third consecutive double sends the furthest unfinished pawn back to its nest. Finishing requires the exact count, and moving one of two paired pawns does not allow rebuilding that same blockade farther along in the same turn.

Try this exercise

For one round, compare three choices before moving: enter another pawn, reach safety or advance the leader. Count the squares and check blockades for each. After the game, explain one decision that was sensible even though the next roll was unlucky. Judge your choice using the information available at the time.

Play with your own profile

Open the profile button at the top of a game and choose Create account. Pick an available nickname of 2–20 letters or numbers, with spaces, dots or hyphens. Enter a private password of 10–128 characters and confirm it. Sign in on another device with the same credentials to recover your saved profile and coins. Never send your password in chat.

To try the platform without a password, choose Continue as guest and enter your name before joining. A registered account reserves its nickname: the profile editor does not currently rename it. You can choose a name when creating an account or upgrading a guest account. Check spelling before confirming; changing your sticker or flag does not rename your account.

Open your profile, browse the circular stickers and select the face that suits you. The list scrolls inside the window. Choose a country flag, or the globe option for no flag, then save. Your selected sticker appears beside your name in games and chat; in Parchisi and Monopoly it also represents your moving pawn. Signed-in profile choices are saved to your account.

The chat icon opens the conversation without leaving the game. Each message identifies its sender by nickname and sticker. The microphone button controls what you transmit; the listening button independently mutes or restores other players. A friend can hear you without opening their own microphone, provided listening is enabled. Allow microphone access when asked. Focus mode enlarges the board; closing the chat returns you to it.

Challenge a friend

Open the game you want to play and use Invite or the share icon. For Parchisi or Monopoly, select the number of seats and Friends first. Send the invitation, copy it or let your friend scan its QR code. Your friend enters with a separate profile. The invitation has a ten-minute countdown; if it expires, return home and create a new one. Use the start or fill option where the waiting room offers it.

Organise a tournament

From Tournaments on the homepage, create a cup, choose the game and select 4, 8 or 16 entrants. Choose an open event for random participation, or Friends to share invitations. The organiser controls the friend cup start. Empty places may be filled by platform-controlled opponents; a displayed profile does not establish that a person is online. Read the waiting-room countdown and entry settings before starting.

The current format is knockout with a bronze match. Follow the match cards to see the two opponents and who qualifies. Tournament matches are head-to-head, including the multiplayer games; a four-player Parchisi room is different from a four-entrant tournament. Each decision has a 120-second clock. A drawn match is replayed with reversed sides; after two draws the original seeded order decides qualification.

The final podium awards 100k platform coins for first, 50k for second and 10k for third. These coins track progression; they are not cash prizes. Monopoly money belongs only to the current board and is separate from your account coins. Keep the tournament page open between rounds, review the next match card and wait for the server’s result before leaving.

Common questions