How to Play Sugoroku

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Sugoroku is a Japanese race game played on a illustrated board of numbered squares arranged in a winding path from a Start square to a Goal square. Players take turns rolling dice, advance their pieces, and either benefit from or suffer the consequences of whichever square they land on, including squares that send them forward, push them back, or hold them in place for a turn.

Its appeal is immediate: the rules take under two minutes to explain, the swings of fortune keep every age group invested, and a full game fits comfortably into a family evening. It is played at home, at school, and traditionally at New Year celebrations in Japan, where ornate seasonal boards are a familiar part of the festivities.

A little history

Sugoroku has two broad forms: ban-sugoroku, a double-dice race game with documented references in Japan dating to at least the Nara period (710 to 794 CE), and e-sugoroku, the illustrated board-and-path format that is the version described here and that became widely popular from the Edo period (1603 to 1868) onward, often featuring pilgrimage routes, famous landmarks, or seasonal themes as its subject. Its deeper origins are unclear, though scholars note structural similarities to older race games from China and the wider Asian region. Elaborately printed e-sugoroku boards were sold as New Year gifts and collectibles throughout the Edo and Meiji periods, a tradition that continues in a more modest form today.

Setting up

1. Unfold the board and place it flat on the table where all players can reach it.
2. Each player selects a piece in their chosen colour and places it on the Start square.
3. Agree on how 'miss a turn' penalties will be tracked: some editions use tokens, others rely on a player announcing they are sitting out.
4. Decide who goes first. The most common method is for each player to roll both dice simultaneously; highest total goes first, with ties re-rolled. Play then proceeds clockwise.

How to play

1. On your turn, roll both dice and add the two results together to get your move total.
2. Move your piece forward that exact number of squares along the numbered path.
3. Read the instruction printed on the square where your piece lands and apply it immediately. Common instructions include: advance to a named square, return to Start, go back a stated number of squares, and miss one or more turns.
4. If a square says 'miss a turn', you sit out your next turn entirely and then resume normal play the turn after.
5. If a square sends you to another square that itself carries an instruction, you apply only the first instruction; do not chain square effects unless the board explicitly states otherwise.
6. If two players land on the same square, both pieces occupy it; there is no penalty or bumping unless your edition's board specifies a rule for it.
7. Play passes clockwise to the next player once you have resolved all effects of the square you landed on.
8. Continue until a player reaches or passes the Goal square.

Winning and scoring

The first player whose piece lands on or passes beyond the Goal square wins. In the standard version there is no score, and the game ends immediately when a winner is declared. Some editions require an exact roll to land on the Goal square: if you overshoot, you move your piece back the number of squares by which you exceeded it and continue playing until someone lands exactly. Agree which rule your group is using before the game starts.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the Goal square. The standard competitive ruling is that any roll that reaches or exceeds the Goal square ends the game in that player's favour, with no bounce-back required. If your group prefers the exact-landing rule, apply it consistently from the first turn and be clear that the bounce-back squares carry their own printed instructions, which are still enforced during any bounce-back move.

A second dispute arises when a square instructs a player to advance to a square that would take them past the Goal. The standard ruling is that reaching the Goal by any instruction, direct roll or board instruction, counts as winning. If you are using the exact-landing variant, a board instruction that carries you to the Goal square is treated as an exact landing and wins the game, because the board itself directed you there rather than an overshoot.

How to win more often

• Learn the board before you play. Identify the squares that send players back to Start or hold them for multiple turns, and note roughly which dice totals from nearby squares land on them. Knowing the danger zones costs you nothing and occasionally saves you from a catastrophic drop.
• In editions where you can choose which piece to move when playing with multiple pieces per player, protect a piece that is close to a safe forward-jump square rather than always advancing your leading piece.
• If an exact-landing rule is in play, count from your current square to the Goal before you roll. If you are within twelve squares, you know which totals win outright and which bounce you back. This matters more in the final stretch than at any other point in the game.
• When two or more players are close to the Goal under standard rules, your priority shifts from advancing to avoiding the big penalty squares. A player who sits five squares behind you but avoids a miss-three-turns square will frequently win.

Variations

Exact Finish

Players must land on the Goal square with a precise roll. Any roll that would carry a piece past the Goal causes the piece to move forward to the Goal and then back by the excess number of squares. Play continues until someone rolls the exact number needed. This variant extends the game noticeably and adds tension in the final stages.

Seasonal Theme Boards

Traditionally, Sugoroku boards are published with themed artwork tied to the New Year, pilgrimage routes, or popular stories. The underlying rules remain unchanged, but the square instructions are written in flavour language matching the theme, such as a pilgrim resting at a way-station rather than simply missing a turn. Playing with a themed board does not alter the core rules but enhances the atmosphere considerably.

Team Play

With four players, the group divides into two pairs. Partners sit opposite each other and take turns alternately within their team. A team wins when both of its pieces reach the Goal. Penalty effects apply to the individual piece only, not to the partner. This variant works well when younger and older players are mixed, as the stronger player can offer quiet guidance to their partner.

Single Die

For younger children or shorter sessions, use only one six-sided die instead of two. This reduces the maximum move per turn from twelve to six, slows the pace, and makes the board feel larger. It also brings the probability distribution closer to even across all outcomes, reducing the influence of very high rolls that leap over danger squares.

Sugoroku: frequently asked questions