How to Play Rules to Sorry Board Game
Check out our easy to read guide covering the rules to Sorry Board Game. We cover the essential Sorry board game instructions to get you started quickly. In our guide, you will get directions on how to set up and play the game.
Sorry How to Play Board Game Rules
Easy to read and refer guide of the official Sorry Board Game Rules.
Players: 2 to 4 | Game duration from: 30 mins | Game Complexity: EASY How to play Sorry! rules in simple steps
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What is the goal?
Be first to get all 4 of your pawns from your colour Start to your colour HOME.
Game setup
- Choose 4 pawns of the same colour and put them on that colour START space
- Shuffle the deck of cards and place face-down on “Cards Here” space to form the Draw Pile
- Randomly pick a player to go first.
Step by Step Sorry Board Game Rules
How to play Sorry game rules. Be first to get all 4 of your pawns from your colour Start to your colour HOME. Jump and bump others along the way and say SORRY!
Total Time: 30 minutes
Gameplay
Each player takes a turn and once completed, the player on the left goes next.
Each turn, a player will pick the top Sorry! card from the Draw Pile, move based on the picked card, place picked card face-up on “Discard Here” space
Moving your Pawn Out of Start
To move a pawn from START onto the track, a player must draw a 1 or 2 card. During first turn, if you do not draw a card that allows you to start a pawn, your turn is forfeited.
Jumping and Bumping
Players may jump over their own or another player’s pawn that’s in the way, counting it as one space. If a player lands on a opponent occupied space, opponent’s pawn is BUMPED back to its own colour START SPACE.
Moving Backwards
4 and 10 cards move a player’s pawn backwards. If the pawn moves at least 2 spaces backwards beyond their own START space, move on the next turn into their SAFETY ZONE without going around the board.
Moving to Home
All you pawns must move into HOME by the exact count. If you can’t, your turn is forfeited. Once HOME, the pawn does not move again for the rest of the game.
Key Sorry Movement Rules
2 pawns of the same colour may never occupy the same space. If your only possible move results in this, you forfeit your turn
Any time you can move, YOU MUST MOVE
When the Draw Pile cards have run out, shuffle Discards and create a new Draw Pile.
How do you win in Sorry?
You win when all 4 of your pawns reach HOME first. If you play again, the winner goes first.
The Sorry Cards
Here are the directions that a player must take for each numbered Sorry Card:
1 – Start pawn out or move forward one space
2 – Start pawn out or move forward two spaces. Draw again and move accordingly (even if you cannot move)
3 – Move one pawn forward 3 spaces
4 – Move one pawn backwards 4 spaces
5 – Move one pawn forward 5 spaces
7 – Either move one pawn forward 7 spaces or split the forward move between any 2 pawns:
- you may not use 7 to start a pawn
- if you use part of the 7 to get a pawn HOME, you must be able to use the balance of the move for another pawn
8 – Move one pawn forward 8 spaces
10 – Either move one pawn forward 10 spaces or move one pawn backwards 1 space
11 – Move 1 pawn forward 11 spaces or switch any one of your pawns with one of any opponents :
- you may forfeit your move if you don\’t wish to change places and it is impossible to go forward 11 spaces
- you may only use 11 for pawns in play on the open track – not at START, HOME or in the SAFETY ZONE
- If your switch landed you on a triangle at the beginning of another player\’s slide, slide to the end
12 – Move one pawn forward 12 spaces
SORRY! card
Take one pawn from your START, place it on any opponent occupied space, and bump that pawn back to its START. If there is no pawn on your START or no opponent’s pawn on any space you can move to, forfeit your move.
Key Sorry Board Spaces
Slide
Landing on start of slide that is not your colour
When landing by exact count on the triangle at the start of the slide , slide ahead to the end and BUMP any pawns in your way, including your own, back to their own START spaces.
Landing on start of slide that is your colour
You do not slide and stay put on the triangle.
Safety Zone
A player can only enter their own safety zone. No pawn may enter by a backward move. However, a pawn may move backward out of its safety zone and on subsequent turns move back into the zone.
Sorry Board Game FAQs
How do you start the game in Sorry?
Choose 4 pawns of the same colour and put them on that colour START space. Shuffle card dek and place face-down on “Cards Here”. Randomly pick a player to go first.
How many pieces do you need to play Sorry?
Sorry has 16 pieces, 4 of each colour. Each player chooses a colour and takes 4 pieces and places them on their colour’s START space.
How does the Sorry! Card work?
Take one pawn from your START, place it on any opponent occupied space, and bump that pawn back to its START. If there is no pawn on your START or no opponent’s pawn on any space you can move to, forfeit your move.
What is the goal of Sorry?
Be first to get all 4 of your pawns from your colour Start to your colour HOME.
How long does a Sorry game take?
Depending on the number of players, it can take up to 30 minutes. On average, a game takes about 15-20 minutes.
Related Links
How to Play Sorry! and Review Videos
