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This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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All aboard! If you want an easy game to play with your friends or family, then Ticket to Ride is a classic that you have to try. Throughout a game, you’ll place train cars on the board to build routes that score points, and whoever scores the most wins! This game is so fun for kids and adults, and the rules are really easy to learn. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to setup, play, and win the game.
Ticket to Ride: Game Overview
Players collect and play Train cards they can use to build Routes on the board. Players earn points for building a route, connecting cities listed on Destination Tickets, and having the longest continuous route. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the game wins!
Steps
Setup
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![Step 1 Place the Ticket...]()
Place the Ticket to Ride board map on a table. Unfold the official Ticket to Ride board that came with your copy of the game. Place it on a table or other flat surface that has plenty of room for all the players to gather around and play.[1]- There are many different versions of Ticket of Ride that feature maps around the world, but always use the one that came with the copy of the game you’re playing.
- You can play Ticket to Ride with 2-5 people.
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![Step 2 Pass out a set of 45 colored train cars to each player.]()
Pass out a set of 45 colored train cars to each player. Ask each person to choose either blue, red, green, yellow, and black trains to use for the game. Hand each player 45 train cars of their color to use as their personal supply.[2]- Ticket to Ride includes a couple extra train cars just in case you need to replace any lost pieces. Make sure to set the extra cars aside so each player has exactly 45 of their color.
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![Step 3 Put each player’s scoring marker on the starting space.]()
Put each player’s scoring marker on the starting space. Each player has a small, round scoring marker that’s the same color as their train cars. Set the scoring markers at the starting point in the bottom left hand corner of the board.[3] -
![Step 4 Shuffle the Train Car cards and deal out 4 to each player.]()
Shuffle the Train Car cards and deal out 4 to each player. Take the deck of Train Car cards and shuffle them really well. Pass out 4 cards to each player, keeping them face-down so no one else can see them.[4]- Train Car cards are what you’ll play in order to place your train cars on the game board.
- You can look at your own Train Car cards, but keep them hidden from the other players.
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![Step 5 Stack the leftover Train Car cards in the center and flip 5 cards face-up.]()
Stack the leftover Train Car cards in the center and flip 5 cards face-up. Set the Train Car deck face-down somewhere near the board where everyone can reach them. Take the top 5 cards of the deck and place them face up next to the board.[5] -
![Step 6 Set the Longest Continuous Path bonus card next to the board.]()
Set the Longest Continuous Path bonus card next to the board. The Longest Continuous Path card is a way to score bonus points at the end of the game. Set it face up next to the board so you can easily find it whenever the game ends. -
![Step 7 Deal 3 Destination Tickets to each player and have them keep at least 2.]()
Deal 3 Destination Tickets to each player and have them keep at least 2. Take the deck of Destination Tickets and shuffle it well. Pass out 3 total cards to each player face down. Each player has to keep at least 2 of the Destination Tickets, but they can choose to keep all 3 if they want.[6]- Destination Tickets are goals for players to earn extra points if they’re able to connect the 2 cities listed on the card.
- You can look at your Destination Tickets as soon as they’re dealt, but keep them hidden from other players.
- If you choose to discard a Destination Ticket, place it on the bottom of the Destination deck.
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![Step 8 Choose the most experienced traveler to go first.]()
Choose the most experienced traveler to go first. Ask all the players who has traveled the most and have them take the first turn. Otherwise, you can choose a random player or the person who knows the game best to go first. After that, play continues clockwise around the board.[7]
Taking a Turn
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![Step 1 Perform 1 of 3 possible actions during your turn.]()
Perform 1 of 3 possible actions during your turn. On your turn, you may only take a single action. After you complete the action, your turn is over. We’ll cover them in more detail in the next few steps, but the potential actions you can take are:[8]- Drawing Train Car cards from the deck or face-up supply
- Claiming a Route with Train Car cards and placing your train cars on the board
- Drawing new Destination Ticket cards
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![Step 2 Draw 2 Train Car cards from the deck or the face-up cards.]()
Draw 2 Train Car cards from the deck or the face-up cards. Train Car cards come in Purple, Blue, Orange, White, Green, Yellow, Black, and Red. If you choose to draw Train Car cards, you can either take them from the face up cards next to the board, or from the top of the deck (called a blind draw). Whichever you decide, take 2 total cards and end your turn.[9]- If you choose a face-up card, turn a replacement card face-up from the deck before you draw your next card.
- There are also multi-colored Locomotive cards that act as Wild cards that count as any other train cards. If you choose a Locomotive card from the face-up cards, you can’t take another card.
- If you take a face-up card and the replacement is a Locomotive, you are not allowed to take it.
- If you blind draw a Locomotive card, you lucked out and can still draw another card.
- If there are 3 Locomotive cards face-up on display, then immediately discard all 5 cards and draw 5 new cards.
EXPERT TIPAshton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.Board Game Expert
Ashton Wu
Board Game ExpertYour strategic plan should focus on the long-term goal. Don't unnecessarily block your opponents early on, as doing so will leave you vulnerable and not offer many points. Instead, collect train cards patiently to build a larger pool of options. This will allow you to make a powerful late-game surge by claiming long routes.
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![Step 3 Claim a Route by playing a set of matching cards equal to the Route spaces.]()
Claim a Route by playing a set of matching cards equal to the Route spaces. Routes on the board connect 2 cities and range from 1-6 spaces in length. To claim a Route, count the number of spaces it has and play Train Car cards that are the same color as the route. Discard the cards and place your plastic train cars in the spaces along the Route.[10]- Locomotive cards are wild, so they can be used in any set of Train Car cards.
- If the route on the board is gray, then you can use any color Train Car cards as long as all the cards you use have the same color.
- Some cities are connected by Double Routes. A single player can only claim one of the routes. In a 2- or 3-player game, only one of the Double Routes can be claimed, and the other is not used in the game.
- Immediately earn points and move your score marker along the track depending on the length of the route:
- 1 car: 1 point
- 2 cars: 2 points
- 3 cars: 4 points
- 4 cars: 7 points
- 5 cars: 10 points
- 6 cars: 15 points
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![Step 4 Draw 3 Destination Tickets and keep at least 1 of them.]()
Draw 3 Destination Tickets and keep at least 1 of them. Take 3 Destination Tickets from the top of the deck and look at them secretly. You must keep at least 1, but you can also choose to keep 2 or all 3 if you like. Place the cards you don’t want back at the bottom of the deck.[11]- Destination Tickets score the point values on the cards at the end of the game if you’re able to connect the 2 listed cities with a continuous path of your train cars. However, if you’re unable to connect them, you lose the points instead.
- Strategy Tip: Try to take Destination Tickets that connect cities where you’ve already built routes so you have a head start.
Ending and Winning the Game
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![Step 1 Start the final turn when 1 player gets down to 2 or fewer trains.]()
Start the final turn when 1 player gets down to 2 or fewer trains. Keep taking turns around the table to continue the game. Whenever a player gets down to 0, 1, or 2 Train Cars after their turn, every player gets 1 more turn.[12]- Even if a player has 0 Train Cars, they’ll still get to play 1 more round. They can take a Destination Ticket, but they won’t be able to claim any more Routes.
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![Step 2 Reveal your Destination Tickets and adjust your score.]()
Reveal your Destination Tickets and adjust your score. When the game is finished, each player reveals their Destination Tickets. For each completed Ticket, add the points to your total score. If you failed to connect the cities, then subtract the listed points from your total.[13] -
![Step 3 Give the player with the Longest Continuous Path the bonus card.]()
Give the player with the Longest Continuous Path the bonus card. Count the number of Train Cars for each player in their longest unbroken path. It’s okay if the path loops or goes through the same city multiple times, but each train car can only be counted once. Award that player the Longest Continuous Path card, which adds 10 bonus points to their score.[14]- If there’s a tie, then both players get 10 bonus points.
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![Step 4 Win the game if you have the most points.]()
Win the game if you have the most points. Move the scoring markers to tally up each player’s points, including any Destination Tickets and bonus points. Whoever has the highest score wins the game![15]- If there’s a tie, the player that completed the most Destination Tickets is the winner. If there’s still a tie, then the player with the longest continuous path wins.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
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There are multiple versions and maps for Ticket to Ride, but they all have the same base set of rules. Check the rulebook to see if there are any small variations that change up the game.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/tt_rules_2015_en.pdf
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UCZ0uQxvqv8?t=28
- ↑ https://youtu.be/yPGLlaGrShY?t=20
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UCZ0uQxvqv8?t=40
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UCZ0uQxvqv8?t=43
- ↑ https://www.ultraboardgames.com/ticket-to-ride/game-rules.php
- ↑ https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/7201-T2R-Rules-EN-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ultraboardgames.com/ticket-to-ride/game-rules.php
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UCZ0uQxvqv8?t=103
- ↑ https://www.ultraboardgames.com/ticket-to-ride/game-rules.php
- ↑ https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/7201-T2R-Rules-EN-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ultraboardgames.com/ticket-to-ride/game-rules.php
- ↑ https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/7201-T2R-Rules-EN-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ultraboardgames.com/ticket-to-ride/game-rules.php
- ↑ https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/7201-T2R-Rules-EN-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://youtu.be/PwylKBlrhrM?t=62
- ↑ https://youtu.be/bkFngH4cmRY?t=441
About This Article
Ticket to Ride is a fun board game for 2-5 players where players try to score the most points by building a railroad empire. To set up the game, first have each player choose which color they'd like to play as and collect the 45 railroad pieces in that color. Each player's token starts on the "1" at the rim of the board. Shuffle the train cards and deal out 4 to each player face-down. Set the remaining train cards next to the board and flip over the top 5 cards. These cards are considered part of the draw pile. Then, shuffle the destination cards and deal out 3 to each player. The player with the most travel experience starts the game, and play moves clockwise. On a player's turn, they may take 1 of 3 actions. First, they can draw 2 train cards. When drawing 2 train cards, the player chooses any of the face-up cards or draws randomly from the draw pile. When a player takes a face-up card, it should be replaced with a new card from the draw pile. There are 8 different types of train cards, each a different color. The colors correspond to the routes on the board. The multicolored locomotive cards can be used on any route on the board. Players use the train cards in their hand to complete routes on the board. A route is any line between two cities. The second possible action a player can take is claiming a route. To claim a route, a player can discard the necessary number of train cards in the color that corresponds with the route on the board and then place their train pieces on that route. Grey routes on the board can be claimed using any color set. Some routes can only be claimed once (they'll only have a single line of tracks) while others can be claimed once by one player and again by a second player (they'll have two lines of tracks). The points a route is worth depends on how long it is. You can see the points for each route length at the legend at the top of the board. When a player scores points, they move their token that number of spaces around the rim of the board. If a player completes a long route between the two cities listed on one of their destination cards, they get the number of points listed on that card at the end of the game. The third possible action a player can take on their turn is drawing 3 new destination cards. They must keep at least 1 of those destination cards. Any destination card that isn't completed at the end of the game is subtracted from that player's total score. Play continues until one player finishes their turn with less than 3 train pieces left. At that point, each player takes 1 more turn, and the player with the longest continuous route is awarded 10 points. Whoever has the most points wins the game!
