If you have ever wanted to learn how to play the Sorry! board game, you are in the right place. This classic family favorite is a fast, fun, and slightly cutthroat race where you move four pawns from Start to Home while bumping your opponents out of the way. In this complete rules guide we will walk through everything you need to set up, play, and win the Sorry Board Game.
What Is Sorry! and What You Need to Play
Sorry! is a classic “chase and race” board game for two to four players, usually recommended for ages six and up. The goal is simple to understand but tricky to master: be the first player to move all four of your colored pawns from your Start space, all the way around the board, and safely into your Home.
To play the Sorry! board game you need the following components:
- The Sorry! game board with four colored corners (red, blue, yellow, and green).
- Sixteen pawns total, four in each of the four colors.
- A deck of Sorry! cards used instead of dice to determine movement.
Each corner of the board has a Start circle, a Home space, and a colored Safety Zone that leads into Home. Around the outer track you will also see colored slide zones marked with triangles and arrows, which we will cover in detail later.
Setting Up the Game
Setting up Sorry! takes only a moment. Each player chooses a color and takes the four matching pawns, placing all four in their Start circle. Shuffle the deck of Sorry! cards thoroughly and place it face down in the center square of the board. Leave room beside the deck for a discard pile, which is where used cards go after each turn.
To decide who goes first, each player can draw a card, and the highest number goes first. Play then proceeds to the left, in a clockwise direction around the table.
The Object of the Game
The object of Sorry! is to be the first player to get all four of your pawns from Start to Home. Your pawns travel around the outer track in a clockwise direction, then turn into your own colored Safety Zone, and finally reach the Home space. Pawns in the Safety Zone and Home are protected and cannot be bumped by opponents, so getting a pawn into the Safety Zone is an important milestone.
How a Turn Works
On your turn you draw the top card from the deck and must move a pawn according to what the card says, if a legal move is possible. After moving, place the card face up on the discard pile. If you cannot make a legal move with the card you drew, your turn simply ends and play passes to the next person. When the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck and keep playing.
One of the most important early rules involves getting your pawns out of Start. A pawn cannot leave Start on just any card. You must draw a 1 or a 2 to move a pawn out of Start and onto the track. When you draw a 2, you also get to draw again and take another turn.
Understanding the Cards
Instead of dice, Sorry! uses a deck of numbered and special cards. The standard deck contains cards numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12, along with the famous Sorry! cards. Notice there is no 6 and no 9, which helps avoid confusion since those numbers can look alike upside down. Here is what each card lets you do:
- 1 Move a pawn out of Start, or move a pawn forward one space.
- 2 Move a pawn out of Start, or move a pawn forward two spaces, then draw again for an extra turn.
- 3 Move a pawn forward three spaces.
- 4 Move a pawn backward four spaces. This is a great way to reach your Safety Zone quickly.
- 5 Move a pawn forward five spaces.
- 7 Move one pawn forward seven spaces, or split the seven between two pawns.
- 8 Move a pawn forward eight spaces.
- 10 Move a pawn forward ten spaces, or move a pawn backward one space.
- 11 Move a pawn forward eleven spaces, or swap places with an opponent’s pawn.
- 12 Move a pawn forward twelve spaces.
- Sorry! Take a pawn from your Start, place it directly on a space occupied by an opponent’s pawn, and send that opponent’s pawn back to their Start.
The Special 7 Card
The 7 card is one of the most strategic in the deck. You can move a single pawn seven spaces, or you can split the seven between two different pawns. For example, you might move one pawn three spaces and another pawn four spaces, as long as the total equals exactly seven. You cannot use part of a 7 to move a pawn out of Start, though. This split ability makes the 7 useful for nudging a pawn the last few spaces into the Safety Zone.
The Special 4 and 10 Cards
The 4 always moves a pawn backward four spaces, never forward. Because the board is a loop, moving backward can actually be a shortcut toward your own Safety Zone. The 10 normally moves a pawn forward ten spaces, but you may instead move a pawn backward one space if that is more useful. If you draw a 10 and cannot move ten forward or one back with any pawn, you forfeit the turn.
The 11 and the Swap
The 11 card gives you a choice. You can move a single pawn forward eleven spaces, or you can swap one of your pawns with an opponent’s pawn anywhere on the main track. You cannot swap with a pawn that is in Start, Home, or a Safety Zone. Swapping can be a clever way to steal a well positioned space or drag an opponent backward.
Bumping Opponents
Bumping is what gives Sorry! its playful bite. If your pawn lands on a space occupied by an opponent’s pawn, you bump that pawn back to its owner’s Start. Your pawn takes the space, and the bumped player must earn a 1 or 2 to get that pawn moving again. You can even bump on a normal numbered move, so watching where opponents sit is a big part of the strategy. Remember, though, that you cannot bump pawns resting safely in their Safety Zones.
Using the Slides
The colored slides are one of the best features of the board. Each slide has a triangle at its start and an arrow showing its path. If a pawn lands exactly on the triangle space at the beginning of a slide of a color that is not its own, it immediately slides all the way to the end of that slide. Even better, any pawns caught in the path of the slide, including your own, are bumped back to their Start.
There is one key exception. If you land on the start of a slide that matches your own color, you do not slide. So a red pawn does not slide on a red slide, but it will slide on any other color. Slides can send you racing forward and knock out several opponents at once, so they are worth aiming for.
The Sorry! Card in Detail
The Sorry! card is the signature move of the game. When you draw it, you take one of your pawns out of Start and place it directly onto a space occupied by an opponent’s pawn. That opponent’s pawn goes back to their Start, and yours takes its place. You can only play a Sorry! card if you have a pawn in Start and there is an opponent’s pawn on the main track to bump. If neither is true, the card is forfeited and your turn ends.
Reaching Home and Winning
To move a pawn into Home, you must reach it by exact count or turn into your Safety Zone. Pawns in the Safety Zone continue toward Home and cannot be bumped. You do not need an exact number to enter the Safety Zone from the track, but you must count carefully to land in Home. The first player to get all four of their pawns Home is the winner, and the game ends immediately.
Quick Strategy Tips
Once you know the rules, a few simple ideas will sharpen your play:
- Get pawns out of Start early so you always have moving options.
- Use 4 and 10 backward moves as shortcuts to your Safety Zone.
- Aim to land on slide triangles to leap ahead and bump rivals.
- Save Sorry! and 11 cards for the perfect moment to disrupt a leader.
- Spread your pawns out so a single bad card does not strand you.
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Final Thoughts
Sorry! is easy to learn, quick to play, and full of satisfying moments when you bump an opponent right back to Start. With four pawns per player, a deck of cards driving every move, and slides that can flip the game in an instant, the Sorry Board Game rewards both a little luck and a little planning. Gather two to four players, deal the cards, and enjoy the friendly chaos of racing your pawns Home.