How to Play Sorry

Sorry is a family friendly game that can be played by 2-4 players age 6 and up. The object of the game is simple: get all four of your pawns from start to home before your opponents do. But the game can get tricky because you can bump other players back to start and miss turns if you can’t make a move to a space that you do not occupy. Learn how to play Sorry and try it out at your next family game night.

Things You Should Know

Before setting your pawns at the START space, shuffle the deck and familiarize yourself with Sorry's cards.
Take turns choosing cards, following their directions with your choice of pawn, and attempting to send other players back to the start by landing on their same square.
Your pawn is safe when it enters the SAFETY ZONE, but you don't win until you get every pawn into the HOME space.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Set Up

1
Choose your pawn color and place all of your pawns on the START space. Sorry comes with four sets of four pawns in the colors red, blue, green, and yellow. Choose one color and take all four pawns. Then place all four pawns on the start space of the Sorry board.^{[1]
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2
Shuffle the cards and place them on the board. Take the Sorry cards and shuffle them a few times to get them mixed together. Make sure that all of the cards are facing in the same direction in the pile. Then, place the pile face down on the card spot of the board. There are 11 different types of cards in the deck and they all allow you to do slightly different things. The cards included in Sorry are:^{[2]
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- 1: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 1 space.
- 2: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 2 spaces. You must draw again.
- 3: Move forward 3 spaces.
- 4: Move backward 4 spaces.
- 5: Move forward 5 spaces.
- 7: Move forward 7 spaces or split between 2 pawns (e.g. 3 spaces for one pawn, 4 spaces for another).
- 8: Move forward 8 spaces.
- 10: Move forward 10 spaces or move backward 1 space.
- 11: Move forward 11 spaces or switch places with an opponent. If it is impossible to move forward 11 spaces, and there are no opponent pawns on the board, then you will have to switch places with your partner or forfeit your turn.
- 12: Move forward 12 spaces.
- Sorry!: You can save the card for later use, or you can use it to bump an opponent's pawn to the start.
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3
Decide who goes first. Choose someone to go first before you start the game. You can elect a person at random, have the youngest (or oldest) player go first, or start with the player who won the last game you played. The player to the left of the person who goes first will have the next turn and turns will keep going in a clockwise fashion for the rest of the game.^{[3]
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Part 2

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Game Rules

1
Draw a card at the beginning of each turn. The first thing that each player does at the start of his or her turn is to draw a card from the pile. Cards cannot be taken from the discard pile. Only the face down cards may be drawn. When you draw a card, read what it says to do and follow the directions.^{[4]
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- Some cards have special rules that allow you to split the move between two pawns, take the place of an opponent’s pawn, or move backwards.
- You need to draw either a 1 or 2 to make your first move.
2
Jump over pawns that belong to you or to other players. If you draw a card that will advance one or more of your pawns past another player’s pawns or past your own pawns, then you can jump over them. Do not move other players’ pawns if you jump them, just move to the space that your card allows you to go to.^{[5]
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3
Bump your opponents’ pawns if you land on an occupied space. If you land on a space that is occupied by an opponent’s pawn, then you will need to bump it back to the START space. Two pawns can never occupy the same space in Sorry.^{[6]
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- If you draw a card that would move one of your pawns to a space you already own, you do not get to move that turn. Leave all of your pawns where they are and let the next player take his or her turn.
4
Slide if you land on a SLIDE triangle. If you land on a SLIDE triangle that is not the same color as the pawns you have chosen, then you get to slide to the circle at the end of the triangle. As you slide, bump any other pawns (including your pawns) back to the START space. If the triangle is the same color as your pawns, do not slide. Just stay put on the triangle and move as usual during your next turn.^{[7]
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5
Observe the SAFETY ZONE. Each player has a SAFETY ZONE that is the same color as his or her pawns. If the card that you draw allows you to do so, you may move into your SAFETY ZONE. Doing so may protect you from losing the progress you have made with one of your pawns. On a subsequent turn, you can move your pawn back out of the SAFETY ZONE if the card allows you to do so.^{[8]
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6
Shuffle the discard pile if you use up all of the cards before the game is over. It is possible that you and your fellow players will draw all of the cards in the deck before the end of the game. If you do, then simply shuffle the deck and replace the cards face down on the card spot of the Sorry board.^{[9]
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7
Get all of your pawns to the HOME space to win the game. To win Sorry, you need to get all of your pawns to the home space. Getting your pawns home sounds simple, but it may take time because other players will bump you back to START. You also need to draw the exact number of spaces between a pawn and your home space in order to get there. The number cannot be higher than the amount of spaces between your pawn and the HOME space.^{[10]
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Community Q&A

Question

If you draw a 2 and can't use it, can you draw another card?

AwesomeSaucy

Community Answer

No, if you draw something you can't use, you have to skip your turn. Everyone takes turns drawing.
Question

If I get a Sorry, can I move a piece out of the safe zone?

Community Answer

No, the safe zone is off limits for everyone except the owner of the color in which the safe zone is.
Question

Can I jump over my own pawns in the safety zone?

Community Answer

Yes.

Warnings

Please remember that the pawns are a moderate choking hazard for children under age 3. Please keep the game where little children cannot reach it.

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