Monopoly is one of the most iconic board games with millions of players worldwide, but this doesn’t mean that everyone knows the rules fully. Whether you need a refresher or you’ve never played before, this blog outlines how to play Monopoly. 

Goal

Become the wealthiest player and drive all of your opponents into bankruptcy.

Set Up the Board

Within your board game, you’ll find the following pieces:

• The board.
• Tokens (thimble, cat etc.).
• 2 dice.
• 16 Chance cards.
• 16 Community Chest cards.
• 28 Title Deed cards.
• Monopoly money.
• 32 houses.
• 12 hotels.

Place your Monopoly board on a stable surface like a table and place shuffled Chance cards and Community Chest cards face down on their specified spaces on the board. 

Each player selects their token to travel around the board and places it on ‘GO’. 

Choose Your Banker

One player is elected as the Banker for the game who will be managing and distributing the money. When there are more than 5 players, the Banker might not take part in the game and will only take on the role of the Banker and auctioneer. 

 

The Banker should give each player £1,500 split in the following way:

• 2x £500
• 4x £100
• 1x £50
• 1x £20
• 2x £10
• 1x £5
• 5x £1

The Banker will also keep the Title Deed cards, houses, and hotels until they are bought by players. Their role will be to manage salaries, bonuses, and lending money, as well as collect taxes, fines, loans, and interest. 

The bank cannot go bankrupt, so if the bank runs out of money IOUs can be written on paper.

To decide who goes first, all players roll both dice and the highest score goes first. Play passes to the left. 

Playing the game

On your turn, roll both dice to determine how many steps you’ll take on the board. Move clockwise around the board in the direction of the arrow. The space you land on will determine which moves you can make. After a player has completed their actions, play passes to the left. 

Depending on which space you land on, possible actions are:

• Buy Building Sites or other Properties.
• Pay rent by landing on an owned Property.
• Pay taxes.
• Draw a Chance or Community Chest card.
• Go to Jail.
• Rest on the Free Parking space.
• Collect £200 salary.
• Be “Just Visiting” Jail.

If you land on or pass Go when moving in the direction of the arrow, you can collect £200. 

What happens when you roll a double?

Move your token and take your turn, and then you have the opportunity to roll again and have another turn. However, if you roll a double for a third time in succession, you must go straight to Jail. 

Jail in Monopoly

The reasons why a player might be sent to Jail include:

• If your token lands on a space marked ‘GO TO JAIL’.
• If you draw a Chance or Community Chest card marked ‘GO TO JAIL’. 
• If you throw a double three times in a row.

If you have to move past Go to get to Jail, you cannot collect £200 on your journey as your turn has ended. You can land on Jail during usual gameplay, but this counts as just visiting and you will not incur penalties.

How to get out of Jail in Monopoly

A player can get out of Jail if:

• Play a ‘Get out of Jail free’ card.
• You pay a fine of £50 so you can continue on your next turn.
• You throw a double on any of your next three turns. If so, you can move forward the number of spaces shown on the dice and also have another throw of the dice. 
• Purchase a ‘Get out of Jail free’ card from another player at a mutually agreed price. 

You can’t stay in Jail for over three turns, meaning after waiting for three turns, you must leave Jail and pay £50 then move your token according to your dice roll. While in Jail, you can collect rent on Properties provided they are not mortgaged. 

Buying Property

If a player lands on a location that is unowned, they have the option to buy that Property from the bank based on the price that is printed. The three types of Property include sites, utilities, and stations. 

A Property can be bought by handing the correct monetary value to the Banker, who will then provide the Title Deed card showing ownership. If the player decides they do not want to buy the Property for the written price, the Banker then auctions the Property off which is sold to the highest bidder. All players are open to bid, even the player who turned down the original offer.

What does owning Properties mean?

If you own a Property then you can collect rent from players who land on them. The amount of money for rent is determined by what’s printed on the Title Deed card. You must ask the player to pay you rent before the next player rolls their dice.

If you own all of the Properties in a colour group, you can charge double the rent.

Building on Properties

Once you own all of the sites in a colour group, you can buy houses to put on these spaces. By doing this, you can charge more rent. You must build a house on every site of the colour group before you can buy a second house for any site. Houses cannot be built if any site within the colour group has a mortgage, which we will discuss shortly. 

The most houses you can have on a site is four. Once you have four houses on each site within a colour group, you can upgrade to a Hotel. Hotels cost four houses. 

 

Building shortages

If there are no houses left at the bank, you must wait for other players to return theirs such as when they upgrade their Properties such as hotels. 

Selling Property

A player can sell railway stations, utilities, and undeveloped sites to other players. A site cannot be sold if it has houses or hotels, so you must sell all buildings to the bank first. The bank can buy houses and hotels back at half of the value stated on the Title Deed. You can sell a mortgaged Property to other players at an agreed price. The buyer can decide whether to pay off the mortgage or keep it. 

Can I get a mortgage?

If you have no money left and need to pay a debt, you can mortgage a Property that you own. To mortgage a Property, turn its Title Deed face down and collect your mortgage from the Bank, which is the value of the amount shown on the back of the card. It is possible to repay your mortgage by paying this amount plus 10% interest. 

Landing on Chance or Community Chest

If you land on Chance or Community Chest space, then take the relevant card from the top of the deck. The card will provide you with an action, such as: 

• Move your token
• Pay money – for example, in taxes
• Receive money 
• Go to Jail 
• Get out of Jail free

After you’ve completed the action, return the card to the bottom of the deck. All actions should be completed immediately aside from the Get out of Jail free card that can be kept until you wish to use or sell it. 

If a Chance card says to go to the nearest utility or railway, you should move forward and collect £200 if you go past Go.

What does free parking mean in Monopoly?

Free Parking is just another landing space so you can use the rest stop to contemplate your next move. You can still undertake transactions on this spot, such as collecting rent. 

What if I don’t have the money for rent?

If you land on a Property space and can’t raise enough money to pay rent, you must declare bankruptcy. At this point, you’re out of the game and all of your assets will go to the player whose Property you’re on.

If you’re bankrupt to the banks, then your Properties will be auctioned off to the remaining players, while the bank keeps the money or any assets you had left. 

How to win Monopoly

The goal of Monopoly is to be the last player remaining who is not bankrupt. Therefore, it is important to make sure you always have enough money to cover rent by gathering Properties fast (especially orange and red ones that see a lot of action), keeping emergency cash on standby, and spreading Properties across the board. 

We recommend focusing on getting as many houses on each site as soon as possible, so your opponents have a lot of rent to pay if they land on it. The aim of Monopoly is not to simply own the priciest Properties, as owning a large number of affordable Properties can be just as effective.

 

FAQs

How much money do you start with in Monopoly?

Traditionally, each player begins with £1,500 in Monopoly money. This can vary depending on house rules or special editions of the game.

When does Monopoly end?

Monopoly is a race to financial ruin! The game ends when every player has gone bankrupt leaving only one player still with money and assets.

How many tokens are in Monopoly?

A classic Monopoly game comes with eight playing tokens. Since Monopoly was first introduced in the 1930s, playing pieces have gone through some changes. The current standard edition of Monopoly has the iconic thimble, top hat, battleship, race car, dog (Scottish Terrier), rubber duck, cat, and penguin. 

What are the original Monopoly pieces?

The first version of Monopoly was created by Charles Darrow in 1935. The original Monopoly pieces in this game were the cannon, boot, battleship, top hat, iron, and thimble. 

Does the Monopoly man have a monocle?

The idea that the ‘Monopoly man’ has a monocle is a common example of the Mandela Effect, where a large group of people collectively misremember an image. The Monopoly mascot, called Rich Uncle Pennybags, is monocle-free.

How many players are in Monopoly?

Monopoly is designed for 2-6 players.

Can you collect rent in Jail Monopoly?

You can. Jail does not stop you from being a landlord. If you own Property another player lands on, you can collect rent. 

How many Monopoly games are there?

Looking at Board Game Geek’s list of Monopoly games, there are over 1,800 different versions, including variations like Monopoly Deal as well as branded editions like Barbie Monopoly. 

How many dark blue Properties are in Monopoly?

The most expensive Properties on the board are the dark blue ones on Park Lane and Mayfair.

How long does Monopoly take?

It’s possible to play Monopoly quickly in half an hour, but it’s more likely to take a couple of hours once you get into the fun of strategising. If you have 6 players rather than 2, your game might last longer too as everyone except one player has to go bankrupt for there to be a winner.

Do I have to buy Property if I land on it?

No, landing on an unowned Property simply gives you the option to purchase it from the bank at the listed price. You may not want to buy a Property if you're low on funds or don't see the strategic value.

Explore Monopoly at Asmodee

Loving Monopoly? Why not check out other versions of the hit game, such as the portable card game Monopoly Deal, or themed options like Monopoly Disney Villains or Monopoly Super Mario Celebration.