Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through them, The Ludarium may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, The Ludarium earns from qualifying purchases. How affiliate links work here.
The Sorry board game rules come down to one loop: draw a card, do what it says, and race your pawns from Start, around the board, and into Home before anyone else. Cards move you forward, backward, or let you swap places with a rival. Land on someone and they go back to Start. Land on the right triangle and you slide down a whole side of the board. The game’s name is the line you say, not very sincerely, when you knock a friend’s pawn off the track.
The quick answer: on your turn, draw one card and move one pawn by its number (the 7 can split between two pawns). Land on an opponent to bump them back to Start. Land on the start of a slide to zip to its end, bumping everyone in the way. Enter your Safety Zone and reach Home by exact count. First player with every pawn Home wins.
One thing first: Hasbro changed the rules in its 2013 edition, and the box sold today (item A5065) plays a little differently from the version most adults grew up with. This guide teaches the classic rules, then lists every change, so you can play whichever box is on your shelf.
What comes in the Sorry! box?
The classic Sorry! set has:
- A square board with a track around the edge, a Start circle and a Home circle for each of four colors, and a short colored lane called the Safety Zone leading into each Home.
- 16 pawns, four in each of four colors.
- A deck of cards numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12, plus Sorry! cards. There are no 6s or 9s.
The current edition has 12 pawns (three per color) and a 45-card deck. The game is for 2 to 4 players, ages 6 and up.
Sorry board game rules: how do you set up?
- Each player picks a color and puts all four pawns on that color’s Start.
- Shuffle the cards and put the deck face down in the middle of the board, on the space marked for the draw pile.
- Pick someone to go first. Play passes to the left, and pawns move clockwise unless a card says otherwise.
The classic rule sheet offers a faster setup: put three pawns on Start and the fourth on the circle just outside it, already in play. It cuts the slow opening turns and is a good choice with younger kids.
How to play Sorry: what happens on a turn?
Every turn is the same three steps:
- Draw the top card.
- Move one of your pawns as the card says, if you can.
- Discard the card face up. When the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discards into a new deck.
A few rules govern every move:
- If you can move, you must, even when the move hurts you.
- If you can’t move, you lose the turn.
- You may jump over any pawn, yours or anyone else’s. It counts as a space.
- You can never land on your own pawn. If that is your only move, you forfeit the turn.
- If you land on an opponent, bump them. Their pawn goes back to its Start, and you take the space.
How do you get a pawn out of Start?
In the classic rules, only a 1 or a 2 can start a pawn. Either card moves a pawn from Start to the circle just outside it. The Sorry! card can also bring a pawn out of Start, as described below. Every other card can only move pawns already on the track.
If someone else’s pawn sits on your starting circle when you come out, it gets bumped back to its own Start. And if you have no pawns on the track and draw a card that can’t start one, your turn is over.
Sorry card meanings: what does each card do?
Here is the full list for the classic game.
| Card | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1 | Start a pawn, or move one pawn forward 1. |
| 2 | Start a pawn, or move one pawn forward 2. Either way, draw again and play that card too, even if you couldn’t move with the 2. |
| 3 | Move one pawn forward 3. |
| 4 | Move one pawn backward 4. |
| 5 | Move one pawn forward 5. |
| 7 | Move one pawn forward 7, or split the 7 between two pawns (for example 4 and 3). You can’t use it to start a pawn. |
| 8 | Move one pawn forward 8. |
| 10 | Move one pawn forward 10, or move one pawn backward 1. |
| 11 | Move one pawn forward 11, or switch places with any opponent’s pawn on the open track. |
| 12 | Move one pawn forward 12. |
| Sorry! | Take a pawn from your Start, put it on any space an opponent occupies, and bump that pawn back to its Start. |
A few card details settle most arguments:
- The 7 and Home. If you use part of a split 7 to bring a pawn Home, you must be able to use the rest on another pawn.
- The 11 switch is optional. If you can’t move 11 forward and don’t want to switch, you may skip the move. Switches only work on the open track, never with pawns in Start, Home, or a Safety Zone.
- The Sorry! card needs two things: a pawn in your Start and an opponent’s pawn somewhere you can reach. Without both, you lose the turn.
How do slides work in Sorry!?
Each side of the board has two slides: a triangle at one end, a line of spaces, and a circle at the other end.
In the classic rules, if you land exactly on the triangle of a slide that is not your color, you slide to the end. Every pawn on the slide gets bumped back to Start, including your own. If the slide is your own color, you stay on the triangle and don’t slide.
Only an exact landing counts. Passing over a triangle does nothing. Any card can trigger a slide, including a backward 4 or an 11 switch that drops you on a triangle.
What is the Safety Zone in Sorry?
The Safety Zone is the five-space lane in your color that runs from the outer track into your Home. Only your own pawns can go in, so nothing there can be bumped or swapped.
The rules for it are short:
- You can’t go past your Safety Zone entrance while moving forward on the outer track. A forward move that would carry you past it is not allowed.
- You can’t enter the Safety Zone with a backward move. But a 4 or a 10 can move a pawn backward out of it, and it can come back in later.
- You can pass your entrance going backward. That is the root of the best trick in the game (see the tips below).
Do you need an exact count to get Home in Sorry?
Yes. Every pawn must reach Home by exact count. If the card’s number would carry a pawn past Home, that pawn can’t make the move, so you use the card on a different pawn or lose the turn. Once a pawn is Home, it stays there for the rest of the game.
How do you win Sorry!?
The first player to get all four pawns Home wins. If you play again, the winner goes first.
What changed in the newer edition of Sorry!?
If your box says A5065 or has three pawns per color, you have the current edition. Its rule sheet differs from the classic in these ways:
- Three pawns each, not four. You win by getting all three Home.
- Any forward card can start a pawn, not just a 1 or a 2.
- The 2 no longer draws again. It is just “move forward 2.”
- The Sorry! card has a backup option: bump an opponent from Start as usual, or move one of your pawns forward 4.
- Slides flip. You slide when you land on a triangle that shows your color, and you stay put on one that doesn’t.
- The youngest player goes first.
Hasbro posts the instructions for every edition on its instructions site if you’ve lost yours.
Neither version is wrong. Pick one before the first card is drawn. Our family game night rules have a simple way to settle rule questions fast.
What are the best Sorry! strategy tips?
Sorry! is mostly luck, but you make real choices on the 7, 10 and 11, and those choices win games.
1. Use the backward 4 near Start
This is the classic trick. A pawn just out of Start that moves backward 4 lands a few spaces behind its own Safety Zone entrance. On a later turn, a small forward card takes it straight into the Safety Zone, skipping almost the whole lap. The classic rule sheet spells this out: once a pawn has moved backward at least two spaces past its own Start, it can enter the Safety Zone on a later turn without going all the way around.
2. Spread your pawns out
One pawn far ahead is easy to bump. Two or three pawns on the track give you a choice on every draw, and the 7 split is much stronger when you have two pawns to split between.
3. Think twice before an 11 switch
Swapping with the leader feels great, but check where you land. A switch that puts you just past your Safety Zone entrance costs you a full lap. A switch that drops you on a slide’s triangle sends you sliding.
4. Park in the Safety Zone
A pawn in your Safety Zone can’t be touched. If you can’t get it Home by exact count yet, it is still in the safest place on the board.
5. Save your bumps for the leader
At a family table, bump the player who is winning, not the one who is behind. It keeps the game close. If someone at your table takes being bumped hard, our guide to the kid who hates losing has practical help.
Is there a version of Sorry! with more choices?
Yes, and it comes in the same box. The classic rule sheet includes a variation where each player holds a hand of five cards and plays one per turn, drawing back up to five. It turns Sorry! from pure luck into a game of planning, and the sheet adds a points scoring system for adults. It also has a team variation where opposite colors play as partners.
If your family has outgrown the luck and wants more decisions, the hand-of-five variant is the easiest upgrade. After that, games like Kingdomino and Ticket to Ride keep the friendly race feel with real choices on every turn. Our list of the best family board games has more, and our guide to take-that games explains why bumping a friend is so much fun.
FAQ
Can you start a pawn with a Sorry! card?
Yes. A Sorry! card takes a pawn from your Start and puts it on an opponent’s space, sending their pawn back to their Start. You need a pawn in Start and an opponent on the board to use it.
Does the 2 card let you draw again in Sorry?
In the classic rules, yes: after a 2 you always draw again, even if you couldn’t move. In the current edition (A5065), the 2 is just a move of two spaces with no extra draw.
Can you split a 7 to start a pawn?
No. The 7 can be split between two pawns already on the track, but it can’t bring a pawn out of Start.
Can you slide on your own color in Sorry?
In the classic rules, no: you slide only on slides of other colors. In the current edition it is the reverse, and you slide only on your own color. Check which box you have.
What happens if you can’t move in Sorry?
You lose your turn. And if you can move, you must, even if the move is bad for you.
Draw a card tonight
Sorry! takes five minutes to teach and works across a wide spread of ages, which is why it has lasted since the 1930s. If you like this kind of race, our Trouble board game rules cover its pop-the-dome cousin. For more ideas on who to play with and what to play next, Ludarium Letters is just below.
The game is the reason. The people are the point.
Sources
Get the next one in your inbox.
Board game picks, strategy, and shelf advice from The Ludarium.