How to Play Yahtzee Online

To learn how to play Yahtzee, you need five dice, thirteen boxes and three rolls a turn. You can play online through Board Game Arena or the Scopely phone app. We make Yacht on Tavernly, a free browser alternative.

The short answer

• Browser tables: Board Game Arena needs a free account; Premium is not required.
• Phone app: Scopely offers a free app with ads and in-app purchases.
• With friends or bots: Yacht on Tavernly is free, with no account needed.

Which way is right for you?

Board Game Arena has browser tables, while the Scopely phone app lists solo and multiplayer modes. Yacht on Tavernly lets you invite friends, choose bots or follow a lesson in your browser.

You want to…	Option
Open free browser tables	Board Game Arena, with a free account
Use a phone app	Scopely phone app
Invite friends without accounts	Yacht on Tavernly
Learn during a coached turn	Yacht on Tavernly
Choose Easy, Medium or Hard bots	Yacht on Tavernly

Board Game Arena: play Yahtzee online free (free account)

Board Game Arena (BGA) lists this game for 1 to 10 players, with an average duration of 7 minutes. A free account can open or join tables; Premium is not needed for this game. The game runs in your browser without a download.

You need: a browser and a free BGA account.

1. Open the game panel. Visit Board Game Arena’s Yahtzee page.
2. Sign in. Use your free account.
3. Choose a table. Open a table or join one.

The Scopely phone app: solo and multiplayer modes

The Scopely phone app is free to download, with advertising and in-app purchases. Its App Store listing names iPhone and iPad, plus solo, Multiplayer, Teams and Tournaments modes. Google Play also lists ads and in-app purchases. We did not test the Scopely phone app online.

You need: the app from your device’s store.

1. Open the store listing. Use the App Store or Google Play.
2. Download the app. The App Store lists in-app purchases from $2.99 to $49.99.
3. Choose a mode. The listing includes solo play and multiplayer challenges.

Warning: The App Store lists a $7.99 Prize Pass whose trial becomes a recurring subscription after 7 days.

A Yahtzee alternative: Yacht on Tavernly

Yacht on Tavernly is free for 1 to 6 players, with no sign-up. Play alone, invite friends or add bots; the page says a game takes about ten minutes. You roll five dice, keep the ones you like and fill thirteen boxes. The highest total wins.

You need: a browser; players must be 13 or over.

1. Open Yacht on Tavernly. Visit Yacht on Tavernly to start a browser game.

2. Complete the age screen. Enter your birth month and year.
3. Choose your opponents. Under Play against bots, select 0 to 5 opponents and Easy, Medium or Hard.
4. Start the bot game. Press Play now.

To invite friends:

1. Open the friends setup. Press Start now under With friends.
2. Create the table. Choose 1 to 6 seats, then press Start a private table.
3. Send the invitation. Use Share invite to send friends the browser link.
4. Begin the game. Press Start now: bots take the empty seats.

Play a turn

1. Roll. Press Roll the dice (Space).
2. Keep dice. Tap each die you want on the kept ledge.
3. Reroll. Press Roll again (2 left) (Space).
4. Choose a box. Tap an open box on your sheet.
5. Score. Press the score button, such as Score 25 in Full house (Space).

Press Learn by playing for an eight-step lesson. The coached turn took under a minute:

1. Roll five dice.
2. Keep three sixes. They stay while the other two dice roll again.
3. Score Full house. Three sixes and two fives score 25.

How to play Yahtzee: the rules step by step

Plain word	Yacht on Tavernly name
three of a kind	Three alike
four of a kind	Four alike
full house	Full house
small straight	Short run
large straight	Long run
five of a kind	Five alike
chance	Tally

These are the rules of Yacht on Tavernly, our version.

1. Roll all five dice. A random player starts.
2. Keep the dice you choose. Kept dice stay out of your next roll.
3. Reroll the remaining dice. You get up to three rolls. Keeping all five prevents another reroll.
4. Score one open box. You may stop after any roll; after the third, you must score. A combination box that does not fit can take 0.
5. Fill all thirteen boxes. You fill one box per turn, and it stays filled. Ones through Sixes add up the matching dice: three 4s in Fours give 12.
6. Count the upper bonus. A total of at least 63 in Ones through Sixes earns 35 extra points. Three of each face reach it: 3 × 1 + 3 × 2 + 3 × 3 + 3 × 4 + 3 × 5 + 3 × 6 = 63.
7. Compare the final totals. Once everyone fills thirteen boxes, add each sheet’s boxes and bonus. Highest total wins; ties go to the earlier seat.

Our version uses these scores:

Box	It needs	Points
Three alike	At least 3 matching dice	All dice added
Four alike	At least 4 matching dice	All dice added
Full house	3 of one face, 2 of another	25
Short run	4 different faces in a row	30
Long run	1 to 5 or 2 to 6	40
Five alike	All 5 dice matching	50
Tally	Any dice	All dice added
Bonus	Upper boxes total 63 or more	35

Example turn: 3, 3, 3, 6, 6 can score Full house for 25, Threes for 9, Sixes for 12 or Three alike for 21.

Our version has no bonus for a second Five alike and no joker rule. Rules vary between editions; your edition’s rulebook decides.

Tips and warnings

• Aim for three matching dice in each upper box. Together they total 63; a shortfall needs points elsewhere.
• Put high dice in Three alike and Four alike. Both score the sum of all five dice.
• Weigh Full house against Sixes. In the example turn, Full house scores 25 and Sixes 12, but Sixes also builds toward 63.
• Spend a zero deliberately. A combination box that does not fit can take 0; choose one you do not expect to fill.
• Save Tally for a roll without a pattern. It adds any five dice, once per game.

Warning: Yacht on Tavernly has a turn timer; if it expires, the table plays a safe move for you.

Questions people ask

Can I play Yahtzee online for free?

Board Game Arena lets you open or join this game’s tables with a free account, without Premium. The Scopely phone app is free with ads and in-app purchases. Yacht on Tavernly is a free browser alternative with no account needed.

Do I need to download anything to play Yahtzee online?

No download is needed for Board Game Arena or Yacht on Tavernly; both run in your browser. The Scopely phone app is installed from a store. You can also open Yacht on Tavernly in a phone browser rather than install an app.

Can I play Yahtzee with friends online?

Board Game Arena lets free accounts open or join tables. For Yacht on Tavernly, create a private table and send friends its invitation link. They open that link in a browser, and bots take seats that remain empty when you start.

Can I play Yahtzee alone?

The Scopely phone app lists a solo mode. Yacht on Tavernly supports a one-player table, or you can add bots and choose Easy, Medium or Hard. Select zero opponents for a solo game.

Can I play Yahtzee on my phone?

The Scopely phone app appears on the App Store and Google Play; the App Store lists iPhone and iPad. Yacht on Tavernly runs in a phone browser. Its score pad fits one phone screen, arranged in three columns of five boxes.

How many people can play?

BGA lists 1 to 10 players for its game. Yacht on Tavernly seats 1 to 6, while quick play uses 3 seats. For a private table, choose your seat count before sharing the invitation; bots can take the empty seats.

How does the 63 bonus work?

For Yacht on Tavernly, add Ones through Sixes. A total of 63 or more earns 35 extra points; a lower total earns none. Three dice of each face total exactly 63, so three of a face in each box is your target.

Sources

• Board Game Arena, Yahtzee panel: players, duration and free tables.
• App Store, Yahtzee with Buddies Dice: price, purchases and modes.
• Google Play, Yahtzee With Buddies: Dice: ads and purchases.
• Yacht on Tavernly: rules, seats, timer, bots and lesson.

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Yacht is not affiliated with or endorsed by the owner of Yahtzee. Yahtzee is a trademark of its owner. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you want the physical game, here is Yahtzee on Amazon.