Collection · 6 games · 2 players
Ancient Board Games You Can Play Online
Long before chess or backgammon, people across the ancient world were already gathering around boards scratched into stone, sand, and temple steps. Many of those games survive — and you can play six of the oldest right here, free in your browser. From the Egyptian Senet to the Roman Ludus Latrunculorum, Aztec Patolli, Maya Puluc, Indian Pachisi, and West African Oware, each one carries thousands of years of culture into a few minutes of play.
What counts as an "ancient" game?
The games in this collection are not modern inventions dressed up in old themes — each has genuine roots in antiquity, documented through archaeology, art, and surviving texts. Senet appears in Egyptian tombs from before 3000 BCE. Ludus Latrunculorum was played across the Roman Empire for centuries and named by Roman poets. Patolli and Puluc are pre-Columbian games of Mesoamerica, reconstructed from Spanish chronicles and living tradition. Pachisi is described in Indian epic literature, and Oware belongs to the mancala family, one of the oldest game traditions on Earth.
What makes them worth playing today is that the rules still hold up. These are sharp, replayable games of strategy and chance that have entertained — and taught — people for dozens of generations. Below, each links to a free playable version and a full rules guide.
The games
Ancient Egypt
Senet
One of the oldest known board games — a race along 30 squares that became an allegory for the soul's journey through the afterlife. Buried with pharaohs, including Tutankhamun.
Roman Empire
Ludus Latrunculorum
The Roman "game of mercenaries" — a two-player battle of capture and encirclement played by soldiers and citizens across the Empire for over 400 years.
Mesoamerica (Aztec)
Patolli
A sacred Aztec race game on a cross-shaped board of 52 spaces, mirroring the 52-year calendar cycle. Nobles gambled gold — and sometimes their freedom — on the outcome.
Mesoamerica (Maya)
Puluc
A Maya war game from highland Guatemala in which captured pieces become prisoners carried on top of enemy stones — one of the few pre-Columbian games with rules preserved by living tradition.
Indian Subcontinent
Pachisi
India's royal cross-and-circle race game, documented for at least 1,500 years and the ancestor of Ludo and Parcheesi. Emperor Akbar is said to have played it with living pieces.
West Africa
Oware
One of the world's oldest continuously played games, rooted in Akan culture. Its "starvation rule" encodes values of fairness directly into a sowing game of seeds and pits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the oldest board game in the world?
Senet, played in Ancient Egypt, is among the oldest known board games, with examples dating back more than 5,000 years to around 3100 BCE. Mancala games such as Oware are also extremely ancient, with evidence of play in Africa stretching back thousands of years.
Can you play ancient board games online for free?
Yes. Cultural Games offers free, browser-based versions of ancient games including Senet, Ludus Latrunculorum, Patolli, Puluc, Pachisi and Oware, playable against the computer or a friend with no download or account.
What board games did the Romans play?
Romans played Ludus Latrunculorum, the "game of mercenaries," a two-player strategy game of capture played across the Empire for centuries. Boards have been found scratched into pavements and buildings from Pompeii to Hadrian's Wall.
What games did the Aztecs and Maya play?
The Aztecs played Patolli, a sacred cross-shaped race game tied to their 52-year calendar cycle, while the Maya played Puluc, a war game in which captured pieces become prisoners. Both are pre-Columbian games reconstructed from historical and living sources.