How to Play Ticket to Ride Online
By the Tavernly team ยท
Ticket to Ride was designed by Alan R. Moon, released by Days of Wonder in 2004, and won the Spiel des Jahres award that year. You can play it online on Board Game Arena or in the official Steam and phone apps. Milehollow on Tavernly is our free browser alternative. We make Milehollow. Our game has no expansions, no guided lesson and no Premium.
The short answer (5 October 2026)
- Free alternative with friends and no account: Milehollow on Tavernly. Open a private table and share the link.
- The official game: Ticket to Ride has paid apps on Steam, the App Store and Google Play.
- In the browser: Board Game Arena is free to join, hosting may need Premium. Check on BGA before hosting.
Which way is right for you?
Choose Board Game Arena if your friends already play there. The official Ticket to Ride app has paid expansions and computer opponents. Milehollow on Tavernly is free, needs no account and lets friends join through a link. To learn, use BGA's listed tutorial or read the rules below.
| You want to... | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Play with friends who have a game on Board Game Arena | Board Game Arena: free accounts can join; hosting may need Premium |
| Play with friends free and with no account | Milehollow on Tavernly: share a private-table link |
| Play alone against the computer | The official Ticket to Ride app or Milehollow on Tavernly |
| Play the official game with its expansions | The official Ticket to Ride app; expansions cost extra |
| Learn the rules | BGA's listed tutorial, or the rules recap below and the Read the rules page for Milehollow on Tavernly |
| Play on a phone | The official Ticket to Ride app on the App Store or Google Play |
Board Game Arena: Ticket to Ride in your browser (free to join)
Ticket to Ride on Board Game Arena runs in your browser with no download. The listing gives 2 to 5 players and about 10 minutes per game. It is free to join with an account, but hosting may need Premium. Check the table rules on BGA before you host.
- Open the Ticket to Ride game page.
- Sign in with a free BGA account to join a table.
- If you want to host for friends, check whether BGA asks for Premium. See BGA's FAQ for its Premium table rules.
The game page lists a tutorial. BGA also lists Ticket to Ride: Europe and a Ticket to Ride map collection as other games.
Ticket to Ride by Marmalade Game Studio: the official app (paid)
The official Ticket to Ride app is made by Marmalade Game Studio. Steam lists Windows and Mac versions, single-player, online PvP and cross-platform multiplayer. Phone versions are on the App Store and Google Play. The apps are paid, with in-app purchases. Steam sells expansions apart from the base game.
The Steam version was released on 14 November 2023. On 5 October 2026, its list price was $14.99, with a sale price of $4.49 at 70% off. Ticket to Ride: Europe Expansion had a $9.99 list price.
On 5 October 2026, the App Store price was $4.99. Its in-app purchases ranged from $3.99 to $49.99 for expansions, map packs and bundles. Google Play lists in-app purchases too; check its page for the price.
- Get Ticket to Ride on Steam for Windows or Mac, or choose the App Store or Google Play version.
- Choose how to play. Steam lists single-player and online multiplayer. The App Store listing includes computer opponents and couch mode, where players pass one device.
- For online features in the App Store version, log in. Its listing includes online matchmaking and private games.
- Check the expansion price before buying. Steam sells expansions separately, and the App Store offers them through in-app purchases.
A Ticket to Ride alternative: Milehollow on Tavernly
Milehollow on Tavernly is a free browser game for 2 to 5 players. It needs no account or download. You pave roads across our own map and try to connect the towns on your sealed letters. Play against bots or open a private table for friends. There are no expansions.
- Play now against bots. Open Milehollow on Tavernly. Under Opponents, choose 1, 2, 3 or 4. Under Bots, choose Easy, Medium or Hard; Medium is preselected. Press Play now. The quick game starts with 3 seats: you and two bots. The page says bots take empty seats within five seconds.
- Play with friends. Press Play with friends, choose 2 to 5 under Seats at the table, then press Open a private table. Use Share invite to send the link. Friends open it in their browser with no account. When you are ready, press Start now: bots take the empty seats.
- The birth-date screen. Tavernly asks for your birth date once on your first visit. The site is for players aged 13 and over.
- Watch the timer. A game takes about 45 minutes. Each decision has 60 seconds. If time runs out, the table draws cards from the deck for you. It paves a road only when nothing can be drawn.
What you see at the table
Milehollow on Tavernly opens with sealed letters and the prompt Keep at least 2 letters. Choose which to keep, then press Keep at least 2 (Space). Your kept letters appear in the Post bag panel.
Milehollow on Tavernly then shows Your turn: pave, take 2 cards, or draw letters. Your hand sits below the map. What happened records moves in words. The seat rail shows points, cards, letters and stones, with bots marked bot. Use Zoom (F) to enlarge the map.
Milehollow on Tavernly gives each card a carved sign as well as a colour. Colour is never the only cue. There is no guided lesson, only the Read the rules page. The table also has a How to play (opens in a new tab) link.
The words in the game are different from the ones in the rules recap below:
| Plain words | Milehollow's names |
|---|---|
| road between two towns | road (a row of slate slabs) |
| playing piece | waystone |
| colour card | cart card |
| wild card | Ox |
| secret goal card | sealed letter |
| bonus for the longest unbroken line of roads | the Long Road |
| claim a road | pave a road |
The rules in two minutes
Cards and goals. These numbers are for Milehollow on Tavernly. There are 2 to 5 seats, each with 45 playing pieces. The card deck has 110 cards: 12 in each of eight colours, plus 14 wild cards. There are 30 secret goal cards. Each names two towns and has a value equal to the shortest road path between them, counted in slabs.
Setup. Each seat gets 4 colour cards. Turn up 5 cards as a shared row. Each seat draws 3 secret goal cards and keeps at least 2. Everyone chooses at the same time before play starts. The first seat is random. If the shared row shows 3 or more wild cards, discard all 5 and turn up 5 new cards.
Your turn. Play goes clockwise. Do exactly one of these three things:
- Draw cards. Take 2 cards, one at a time, from the face-up row or the top of the deck. Replace each face-up card at once. A face-up wild card must be your first card and uses the whole draw. A wild card drawn from the deck counts as 1 card. If 3 or more wild cards show, discard the whole row and turn up 5 new cards. When the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile.
- Claim a road. Choose an unclaimed road and discard as many cards as it has slabs, from 1 to 6. Use cards of the road's colour. A grey road takes any one colour, and wild cards can stand for any colour. Put a playing piece on each slab and score the road at once. The road does not have to connect to your other roads.
- Draw letters. Draw 3 secret goal cards and keep at least 1. Put the others at the bottom of their deck.
Road points.
| Road length in slabs | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 15 |
Double roads. These run side by side between the same two towns. You cannot claim both. With 2 or 3 seats, claiming one closes the other. With 4 or 5 seats, two different seats can claim the two roads.
Letters. Your secret goal cards stay hidden until the end. You may hold any number of cards or letters. At the end, each letter adds its value if your own roads connect its two towns. Each letter you have not connected subtracts its value.
The Long Road. The longest unbroken path of your own roads earns 10 points. Count its length in slabs. It may visit a town more than once, but it may use each road only once. If paths tie for the greatest length, every tied seat gets the bonus.
The end. When a seat finishes its turn with 2 or fewer playing pieces, every seat gets one more turn, including that seat. Then the game ends. A seat that cannot act passes.
Tie-breaks. The highest final score wins. A tie goes to the seat with the most delivered letters, then to the seat with the Long Road. Seats still tied share the place.
Rules differ a little between editions and our own version of the map. For the edition you own, the rulebook in the box decides.
Tips for playing online
- Check your letters before claiming roads. A letter whose towns you cannot connect costs you its value at the end.
- Treat a face-up wild card as a whole draw. Take it when you need it.
- Compare road lengths. A 6-slab road scores 15 points. Two 3-slab roads score 8, though they use the same number of pieces.
- Watch double roads in smaller games. With 2 or 3 seats, one claimed road closes its partner to everyone else.
- Keep an eye on the pieces left. A seat ending its turn with 2 or fewer starts the final round.
Questions people ask
Can I play Ticket to Ride online for free?
Ticket to Ride on Board Game Arena is free to join with an account, though hosting may need Premium. Check BGA before setting up a table. The official Ticket to Ride apps are paid. Milehollow on Tavernly is our free browser alternative, with no account and no Premium.
Do I need to download anything?
Board Game Arena runs Ticket to Ride in the browser, so there is no download. Milehollow on Tavernly also runs in the browser without a download or sign-up. The official Ticket to Ride app is a download from Steam, the App Store or Google Play.
Can I play Ticket to Ride with friends online?
Ticket to Ride on Board Game Arena lets free accounts join tables; hosting may need Premium. The official app's App Store listing includes private games and says you log in for online features. Milehollow on Tavernly lets you open a private table and share an invite link. Friends join without an account.
Can I play Ticket to Ride alone?
The official Ticket to Ride app's App Store listing includes single-player games against computer opponents. Steam also lists single-player. Milehollow on Tavernly offers Easy, Medium and Hard bots, with Medium preselected. A quick game starts with you and two bots. You can choose the number of opponents before pressing Play now.
How many people can play?
Board Game Arena lists Ticket to Ride for 2 to 5 players. Milehollow on Tavernly also has 2 to 5 seats. Its quick game starts with 3 seats: you and two bots. For friends, choose the seats at a private table. Bots fill any seats that stay empty.
Can I play Ticket to Ride on my phone?
The official Ticket to Ride app by Marmalade Game Studio is listed on the App Store and Google Play. The App Store price was $4.99 on 5 October 2026, with in-app purchases. Google Play also lists in-app purchases. Check that store for its current price.
How long does a game take?
Board Game Arena lists a typical Ticket to Ride game at about 10 minutes. Milehollow on Tavernly takes about 45 minutes and gives each decision 60 seconds. Those are different timings for different games. Use the listing for the option you choose when planning a game with friends.
What happens when my timer runs out?
Milehollow on Tavernly gives you 60 seconds for each decision. When the timer runs out, the table draws cards from the deck for you. It paves a road only when nothing can be drawn. The timer therefore keeps the game moving if a player is away.
Sources
Checked on 5 October 2026. We did not test the apps' online play or Board Game Arena while logged in.
- Wikipedia, Ticket to Ride (board game): designer, publisher, release year and award.
- Board Game Arena, Ticket to Ride: browser play, player count, typical game time, tutorial, other listed games and the Premium caution.
- Board Game Arena FAQ: the link for BGA's Premium table rules.
- Steam, Ticket to Ride: Marmalade Game Studio, release date, platforms, prices, play modes and the separately sold expansion.
- App Store, Ticket to Ride: price, in-app purchases, computer opponents, couch mode, private games and online login.
- Google Play, Ticket to Ride: the listing and its in-app purchases. Its price was not checked.
- Milehollow on Tavernly: our rules, seats, timer, bot levels, table labels and play options.
Milehollow is not affiliated with or endorsed by the owner of Ticket to Ride. Ticket to Ride is a trademark of its owner. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you want the physical game, here is Ticket to Ride on Amazon.