Sorry! is the kind of game where you can be “winning” right up until someone politely (and legally) sends your pawn back to the Start area. If your table has ever argued about slides, swaps, or whether you must move out on a 1 or 2, this guide will stop the chaos.
What You Need to Play
- Sorry! game board
- 4 colored pawn sets (each player uses 1 color)
- Sorry! card deck
- 2–4 players (most common)
Affiliate opportunity (subtle but real): if you don’t own the original, there are travel editions and deluxe wooden sets that feel less like cardboard betrayal.
Setup
- Each player chooses a color and takes 4 pawns.
- Put your pawns in your color’s Start area (not on the track).
- Shuffle the deck and place it face down on the board.
- Pick a first player (draw high card, youngest player, whoever apologized last, etc.).
How to Play (Turn Order and Card Actions)
On your turn, you draw 1 card and do what it says. If you can’t make a legal move, your turn ends.
Basic movement rules
- Pawns move clockwise around the track.
- You need exact movement to enter your Home space.
- Only one pawn per space, except Start and Home areas.
Getting out of Start
This is where many players get confused:
- You can only move a pawn from Start to your starting square by drawing a 1 or 2.
- If you draw a 2, you take another turn (after completing the move).
Numbered gameplay steps
- Draw 1 card from the deck.
- Choose a pawn to move (or a special action if the card allows it).
- Perform the move/action fully (including any bumping or sliding).
- If you drew a 2, draw again and take another full turn.
- Play passes clockwise.
What happens when you land on someone
- If you land on a space occupied by an opponent’s pawn, that pawn gets bumped back to its Start.
- You cannot land on your own pawn. If the move would do that, it’s not legal.
Slides
Slides are not optional if you land on the start of a slide.
- If you land on the beginning triangle of a slide (and it’s not your color), you must slide to the end.
- While sliding, you bump any pawns on the slide path back to their Start.
- If the slide is your own color, you do not slide.
Card-by-card actions (common Sorry! deck)
Sorry! editions vary slightly, but the classic rules generally work like this:
- 1: Move forward 1 or move a pawn from Start to your starting square.
- 2: Move forward 2 or move from Start. Then draw again (extra turn).
- 3: Move forward 3.
- 4: Move backward 4.
- 5: Move forward 5.
- 7: Move forward 7 or split 7 moves between two of your pawns (example: 4 + 3).
- 8: Move forward 8.
- 10: Move forward 10 or move backward 1.
- 11: Move forward 11 or swap one of your pawns with an opponent’s pawn.
- 12: Move forward 12.
- Sorry!: Take a pawn from Start and replace an opponent’s pawn on any space, bumping them to Start. (You can’t use it if you have no pawns in Start.)
Important detail: Swapping (11) and Sorry! usually cannot target pawns in a Start or Home area.
How the Game Ends
The game ends when one player gets all 4 pawns into Home.
How to Win
You win by being the first to move all 4 pawns into your color’s Home area with exact movement.
Strategy Tips
- Get multiple pawns out early. More pawns on the board means more legal moves.
- Save your 7s for precision. Splitting is great for setting up exact Home entries.
- Use 4 (backwards) creatively. Backing into a spot can line up a slide or dodge getting bumped.
- Control key choke points. Parking a pawn in a high-traffic space can force awkward moves.
- Treat 11 as a weapon. Swapping can undo someone’s perfect positioning instantly.
Common Mistakes
- Thinking slides are optional. If you land on the start of a slide (not your color), you slide. Period.
- Ignoring the “exact to Home” rule. You can’t overshoot Home and bounce back.
- Trying to land on your own pawn. Not allowed.
- Forgetting the extra turn on a 2. Yes, it matters. A lot.
- Misusing Sorry! cards. You need a pawn in Start to use it, and you generally can’t target Start/Home pawns.
Quick Reference Summary
- Draw 1 card per turn and follow it exactly.
- 1 or 2 gets a pawn out of Start (2 gives an extra turn).
- Landing on an opponent bumps them back to Start.
- Landing on a slide start (not your color) forces a slide and bumps pawns on the slide.
- Exact count required to enter Home.
- First player with all 4 pawns in Home wins.
Ready for Game Night Without the Rule Debates
Sorry! is way more fun when you’re plotting moves instead of arguing about them. Remember the big three: 1 or 2 to leave Start, slides trigger when you land on the slide start (unless it’s your color), and Home requires exact movement. Lock those in, and every bump-back feels like strategy, not chaos.
Want more no-confusion rules guides? Check out our other classic board game how-to-play articles and keep game night moving.
