How to Play Sorry!

Learn the rules to the board game Sorry! quickly and concisely - This visually rich video has no distractions, just the rules.

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The object of the game is to get all your cards from the start space tot the home space by traveling around the board clockwise, as indicated by the arrows. Setup: Layout the board. Each player picks and color and places their 4 pawns in the corresponding start space. Shuffle the deck of cards and place face down for a draw deck.

On your turn you draw a card and if possible apply its effects then discard the card. Each card says what it does and I’ll go over each of them later. If the drawn card cannot be fulfilled, discard it and end your turn. Play proceeds with the next player to your left.

You are only allowed to move a pawn out of the start space with a 1, 2 or sorry card. Pawns in your start space cannot move from any other card until they leave the start space. On a 1 or two, move your pawn directly below your start space onto the entry circle. If another player’s pawn is on your entry circle, bump it back to start. You may not move a pawn to the entry circle if one of your pawns is already there.

You are allowed to jump over pawns on the board that are in your way, counting it as one space. But you may not share a space with another pawn, instead when landing on the same space as an opponent, bump their pawn back to their start space. If the space is already occupied by your pawn, you may not move there.

If you can move you must, if you can’t move, you forfeit your turn and the next player goes.

In order to land your pawns in the home space they must move in with the exact number. Anytime you land by exact count on a slide triangle that is not your own color, your pawn slides down to the circle at its end, bumping all pawns back to start that are in the way. If you land on the triangle of a slide of your own color, don’t do anything.

When you travel around the board and return to your starting area, instead of proceeding straight, your pawn goes into your safety zone. Only you are allowed to enter your color’s safety zone. Pawns inside a safety zone may not be targeted by Sorry cards. No pawn may enter its safety zone by a backwards move, however, you may move backwards past your safety zone then on a subsequent turn move forward into it.

The cards are as follows:
1 - Either start a pawn out OR move 1 pawn forward 1 space.
2 - Either start a pawn out OR move 1 pawn forward 1 space. Whichever you do, even if you couldn’t move, Draw again and move accordingly.
3 - Move 1 pawn forward 3 spaces.
4 - Move 1 pawn backwards 4 spaces.
5 - Move 1 pawn forward 5 spaces.
7 - Either move 1 pawn forward 7 spaces or split the forward move between any two pawns. Note: you cannot use a 7 to start a pawn and if you use a 7 to get a pawn home, you must be able to use the remainder of the move for another pawn.
8 - Move one pawn forward 8 spaces.
10 - Either move 1 pawn forward 10 spaces or move 1 pawn back 1 space.
11 - Move one pawn forward 11 spaces or switch any one of your pawns with any one of your opponents so long as neither pawn is in the start, safe or home spaces. You may forfeit your move if you don’t want to change places and can’t move 11 spaces forward. If the switch causes you to land on a triangle of another player’s slide, slide to the end.
12 - Move 1 pawn forward 12 spaces.

Sorry! Take one pawn from your start, place it on any square that is occupied by an opponent, and bump that opponent’s pawn back to their start space. If there is no pawn on your start or no opponent’s pawn on any space, you forfeit your turn.

The first player to get all their pawns to their home space wins. Check out the rule Variation for Adults.

[a]

Finally! Someone who can help me play games with my grandchildren! You are great at explaining!!!

[mistycohen]

I played this as a kid (I'm 40) and I couldn't remember how to play, thank you. I just bought a new version and the directions say if you land on the triangle of your own color slide, then slide ahead. If you land on a slide that isn't your color then don't slide. I was confused until I looked at the new board. They have 3 colors on each slide. I get they're trying to make it easier to understand, but I think they make it more confusing by changing the rules.

[sillybonejones]

this is probably my favorite board game because of how unique it is compared to other board games ( except for chess )

[pastelshadows]

I played this religiously as a kid and yet I still forgot everything about it.

[IconicCROSS]

I never could understand this when I was a kid. Good to know that I barely understand it now

[thebestworst]

house rules you should always play with

1, start with three pawns at start and 1 pawn out of start
2, you can enter home if the card you get is higher than the amount of spaces needed to enter. For example, if I get a 12 and the home is 2 spaces away, I can move my pawn to home

[strangebee]

Dude. I knew you could move backward four and then followup with going into 'home'. My husband didn't believe me. :)

[jalapeno]

The kids I play with like to slide even if they don't end their turn on the arrow. So they go 1, 2, 3, slide, 4, 5. Annoys me so much.

[JohnSmith-zwvp]

I personally think it makes a lot better and more interesting two player game when one player has blue/green and the other has red/yellow (I think the game does include rules for that variation). Also, I recommend starting the game with each color having three pawns in the start circle and one in the front so the players aren't just wasting the first several turns trying to get a pawn out.

This can also be used for that half-copycat game Trouble.

[brandonhaygood]

The Japanese version of this game is called "Gomennasai!" And each pawn bows.

[stephaniekaleberer]

My Family and I are playing Sorry for the 1st time tonight! I can't wait to play with my family... gonna be so fun. 38yr old playing me? 48yr old playing my Husband! 59yr old playing grandma and my son's playing 6yrs old….. Wish us Luck and the best. Happy Holidays to you All! 🦌⛄🎄🌲

[hadimenzilcioglu]

I loved and hated this game as a child it ended many of my friendships and made me rage quit but I was addicted to it because I wasn’t able to live without its trill and happiness when i won

[GrowingForever]

Short and sweet explanation, thank you!

[gramnet]

I don't remember it being so complicated.

[ehtuanK]

That's just like a DLC to the age old German board game "Mensch, ärgere dich nicht!", just with cards instead of dice. Even the name seams somewhat inspired by it.

[yahshua]

Sorry, Ludo, and Trouble are kinda similar. Which one came first?

[gaaranaruto]

I have two questions.
1. When getting a piece to home do you need to have the exact number of moves in order to land at home? Example. If you're three spaces from home and you pull the card number five, can you go home with that card or do you have to pull the exact number?

2 if one of your piece is is on the sliding area of a different color. And you have a second piece that would land on the triangle, can you slide past your own piece?

[mrcreepybearrblx]

Can you do next video called "How to Play: Sorry with Fire and Ice Power-ups"?

[xuyuri]

In Croatia we call it "Covjece ne ljuti se" or Dude, don't get mad"

[bryanjesus_]

I used to play that in High School but I definitely forgot