Ludéum
For iPhone and iPad
Thirteen games with centuries, even millennia, of history: from the Royal Game of Ur to Viking Hnefatafl, Aztec Patolli and the Tavli of Greek cafés. Take on characters from their era, play with someone next to you, or play online with Game Center.
For iPhone and iPadComing soon to the App StoreEverything is free to play · No ads · No accounts
The games are grouped by era and place, as in a museum. They are rebuilt from ancient sources, archaeological finds and oral tradition, and when the sources disagree you choose the variant: Ur with Irving Finkel's rules, 9 × 9 Tablut or 11 × 11 Hnefatafl, Oware or Kalah, and more.
Mesopotamia · c. 2600 BC
The Twenty Squares
A race with pyramid dice over 20 squares: rosettes grant another roll and captures happen in the middle row.
Their rivalsLudingira, the apprentice scribe · Ea-nasir, the merchant · Puabi, the Queen of Ur
2 variants
Greece · 7th c. BC
The Five Lines
The oldest Greek board game we know of: bring your pieces to the sacred line.
Their rivalsDafnis, the shepherd · Nicias, the hoplite · Aristóteles, the philosopher
2 variants
Rome · 1st c. BC
The Game of Soldiers
Place your soldiers, then trap enemies between two of yours to capture them.
Their rivalsDécimo, the recruit · Lucio, the centurion · Máximo, the legate
3 variants
Rome · 1st c. BC – 6th c.
Twelve Lines · Alea
A 15-piece dice race, ancestor of backgammon: bear them all off before your rival.
Their rivalsFélix, the freedman · Fortunata, the barmaid · Claudio, the emperor
2 variants
Rome · Imperial era
Roman three in a row
Place and move three pieces to form a line. Quick and deceptively deep.
Their rivalsQuinto, the boy from the Forum · Rufo, the innkeeper · Cornelio, the senator
2 variants
Scandinavia · 4th–11th c.
The King’s Board
An asymmetric Viking game: the defenders escort the king to a corner; the attackers try to surround him.
Their rivalsLeif, the fisherman · Sigrid, the skald · Harald, the jarl
2 variants
Rome · Middle Ages
The Mill · alquerque of nine
Place and move nine pieces: every three in a row makes a mill and lets you remove a rival piece.
Their rivalsRodrigo, the squire · Brother Tomás · Alfonso X, the Wise
2 variants
Africa · traditional
The Sowing Game
Sow seeds from pit to pit and capture your rival’s when you leave 2 or 3. Whoever gathers 25 of the 48 wins.
Their rivalsKofi, the boy · Nana Kwame, the chief · Yaa Asantewaa, the queen mother
2 variants
Mesoamerica · until 1521
The Game of Beans
An Aztec race on a cross-shaped board with five beans as dice: bet jade beads, avoid the triangles and capture in the center.
Their rivalsTochtli, the macehualli · Itzel, the pochteca · Moctezuma, the huey tlatoani
2 variants
Hawaii · before 1778
Lava and Coral
A Hawaiian jumping game: the board starts full and every move captures. Whoever can no longer jump loses.
Their rivalsKai, the fisherman · Leilani, the weaver · Kaʻahumanu, the regent
2 variants
Greece · Byzantium – today
Greek backgammon
The backgammon of Greek cafés: three games in a row on the same board, with hitting, trapping and blocking, up to 5 points.
Their rivalsArchimedes, the mathematician · Aspasia, the Milesian · Achilles, the hero
4 variants
England · 17th c.
Fifteens, Pairs and Pegs
An English card game with a pegboard: score fifteens, pairs and runs, and reach the finish before your rival.
Their rivalsNed, the potboy · Moll, the barmaid · Sir John, the poet
2 variants
Mexico · 19th c.
The Grandfather of Rummy
The Mexican card game that gave birth to rummy: meld the center card in sets and runs until your hand is gone.
Their rivalsToño, the muleteer · Doña Chole, the cook from the fonda · Don Juan, the rancher
2 variants
Every game has three characters, one per difficulty: Easy, Normal and Hard. At the Royal Game of Ur, Queen Puabi awaits you; at Patolli, Moctezuma; at Pente Grammai, Aristotle; at Nine Men's Morris, Alfonso X the Wise.
MáximoCornelioAristótelesClaudioPuabiAlfonso XHaraldMoctezumaYaa AsantewaaKaʻahumanuDon JuanSir JohnAchilles
Every game comes with its “i” cards: History, with photos of real boards and pieces from museums; How to Play, with an animated explanation; and Rules, which separate what is documented from what is still debated. A guided tutorial teaches you to play the first time.
The Weekly Challenge and the Monthly Challenge, with stamps for your yearly collection.
The Weekly League and the Game of the Week, with Game Center leaderboards. They start on Monday, November 2, 2026.
35 Game Center achievements for exploring the halls, playing online and beating the toughest rival in every game.
Illustrated or Realistic, in wood, stone, terracotta, woven palm and lapis lazuli mosaic. Patrons add the “Museum” boards.
3D dice that roll across the table, the pyramid dice of Ur and the beans of Patolli.
Original music and sounds for every game.
For playing at night, on every screen.
Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, Catalan and Italian.
Games save automatically: pick up right where you left off.
The big screen suits the boards. Your games and your Game Center achievements go with you.
All of Ludéum is free to play, with no ads. If you want to support the museum, become a Patron with a single purchase, no subscription:
It is shared with your family through Family Sharing, and everything new for Patrons is included at no extra cost.
The collection keeps growing. These 16 games have been announced but can't be played yet: they will arrive one new game every month.
For iPhone and iPad. Questions or ideas? Write to us from the support page.
For iPhone and iPadComing soon to the App Store