RuleRunner

Ticket to Ride rules

Claim train routes across the map to connect cities and complete tickets.

Players
2–5
Time
30–60 min
Ages
8+
Goal
Claim train routes across the map to connect cities and complete your secret Destination Tickets. Most points at game end wins.

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How to play Ticket to Ride

Setup

  1. Board: place the board in the middle of the table.
  2. Each player takes 45 trains in one colour and puts their scoring marker on Start (0) on the scoring track.
  3. Train Car cards: shuffle them and deal 4 to each player. Put the rest face down next to the board as the draw deck, then turn its top 5 cards face up beside it.
  4. Three Locomotives showing? If 3 of those 5 face-up cards are Locomotives, discard all 5 and turn up 5 new ones.
  5. Bonus card: place the Longest Path bonus card face up next to the board.
  6. Destination Tickets: shuffle them, deal 3 to each player (4 in the 2025 edition), and put the rest face down next to the board. Keep at least 2 (you may keep all); put the rest on the bottom of the deck (2025 edition: shuffle them first). Keep yours secret.
  7. Whoever's the most experienced traveler goes first; play then passes clockwise.

Your Turn

Take exactly one of these 3 actions. You can't pass.

  1. Draw Train Car cards: take 2, from the 5 face-up cards or the top of the deck. A face-up Locomotive has its own limit.
  2. Claim a route: play cards matching its colour, one per space, then place your trains and score it straight away.
  3. Draw Destination Tickets: draw 3 and keep at least 1.

Routes

Scoring

Example: A 4-space route scores 7 at once. An unfinished 12-point ticket costs 12 at game end.

Game End & Winning

  1. Game end: once a player finishes a turn with 2 or fewer trains, everyone gets one last turn.
  2. Final scoring: score your tickets, then the Longest Path bonus.
  3. Winner: most points. The tie-breaker is most tickets completed, then the Longest Path card.

Expansion rules

Only needed if you play with the expansion named on each heading.

USA 1910 USA 1910

Asia Asia (Map Collection 1)

India & Switzerland India & Switzerland (Map Collection 2)

The Heart of Africa The Heart of Africa (Map Collection 3)

Nederland Nederland (Map Collection 4)

UK & Pennsylvania United Kingdom & Pennsylvania (Map Collection 5)

France & Old West France & Old West (Map Collection 6)

Poland Poland (Map Collection 6½)

Japan & Italy Japan & Italy (Map Collection 7)

Iberia & South Korea Iberia & South Korea (Map Collection 8)

Warehouses & Depots Warehouses & Depots

Alvin & Dexter Alvin & Dexter

Dice Expansion Dice Expansion

Mystery Train Mystery Train

All Ticket to Ride rules (62)

General

Clarification

Scoring

USA 1910 expansion

Asia (Map Collection 1) expansion

India & Switzerland (Map Collection 2) expansion

The Heart of Africa (Map Collection 3) expansion

Nederland (Map Collection 4) expansion

United Kingdom & Pennsylvania (Map Collection 5) expansion

France & Old West (Map Collection 6) expansion

Poland (Map Collection 6½) expansion

Japan & Italy (Map Collection 7) expansion

Iberia & South Korea (Map Collection 8) expansion

Warehouses & Depots expansion

Alvin & Dexter expansion

Dice Expansion expansion

Mystery Train expansion

Expansions covered

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