These are real games, reconstructed as faithfully as the evidence allows and built to actually play — not video adaptations of them. Some are five thousand years old. A few you will not find playable anywhere else online. Pick one, read where it came from, and play.
Mancala
Africa & beyond · sow, capture, count · 3 AI strengths
The count-and-capture classic played across two continents for over a thousand years. Sow your seeds, steal the opposite pit, and out-count a real thinking opponent.
Hnefatafl
Viking · 11×11 · vs AI, as defender or attacker
The Norse king-hunt. Twenty-four attackers against twelve defenders and a king — two sides, two completely different goals. Our AI plays both.
Patolli
Aztec · cross-and-circle · bean dice
The gambling game the Aztecs loved and the Spanish burned. Toss the marked beans and race the cross — one of the only playable Patolli boards online.
Pachisi
India · the ancestor of Ludo · cowrie shells
Akbar played it with living pieces on a marble courtyard. Toss six cowries and race four pieces home around the royal cross.
Craps Practice Table
Modern echo · 3D dice · play chips only
The dice game that grew out of medieval Hazard, on a full 3D layout. Every bet pays true casino odds and shows its house edge as you place it — no real money, just reps.
The Royal Game of Ur
Sumer · ~2600 BCE · the oldest playable race game
Found in the royal tombs of Ur, with rules recovered from a Babylonian tablet. Roll the four-sided dice and run the gauntlet of rosettes.
Senet
Egypt · ~3100 BCE · the journey of the soul
Buried with the pharaohs for the afterlife. Throw the casting sticks and move your pieces across the thirty squares.
Nine Men’s Morris
Rome to the Middle Ages · mills & captures
Carved into cathedral cloisters and Roman roof tiles alike. Form a mill of three and take your opponent’s men off the board.
Every game here links to its full history and sources. If you want the wider story, start with the oldest board games ever discovered.
