How to Play Candy Land: Easy Gameplay Guide & Rules

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau

Candy Land is a fantastic game to share with little kids, especially those who haven’t learned to read. It’s a game of bright colors and pictures for 2 to 4 players, simple to learn and play. Whether you want to know the rules of Candy Land, teach a youngster how to play, or look up a few fun, optional rules to incorporate into the game, you’ve come to the right place! Read on for a full guide to playing Candy Land, from setup to completion.

Things You Should Know

Set up the game by laying the board on a flat surface, shuffling the cards, and picking a gingerbread pawn. Have the youngest player start the game.
Draw a card on your turn and move your pawn according to the color on the card. Lose a turn if you land on a licorice space, or jump forward on a shortcut.
Win the game by reaching the candy castle first. Add optional rules to simplify the game for young kids and add a challenge for older players.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Setting Up the Game

1
Play with 2 to 4 players in each game of Candy Land. This game is designed to accommodate a small group of players, with 2 being the minimum and 4 being the maximum. It’s also recommended for kids ages 3 to 6, although older kids and adults can join in on the fun. Be sure to explain the rules to young first-time players before the game begins.^{[1]
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2
Unfold the Candy Land board and lay it on a flat surface. Find a flat surface (like a dining table or coffee table) and lay out the game board, placing it within reach of every player. If you’d rather not play at the table, you could also set up the Candy Land game on a carpeted floor where it’s easy to spread out.^{[2]
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- The Candy Land board consists of brightly-colored squares in alternating shades of yellow, red, orange, blue, purple, and green. It also has special pink picture squares and shortcut spaces.
- There are also different illustrated locations around the board, like the Peppermint Stick Forest, Gumdrop Mountain, and the Peanut Brittle House.
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3
Select a colored gingerbread pawn and place it at the starting area. Pick the gingerbread pawn you want to use for the game, and have each player do the same. Candy Land comes with 4 pawns, each a different color and shaped like a gingerbread man. Once you all select pawns, place them in the labeled starting area at the bottom of the game board.^{[3]
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- The gingerbread pawns come in blue, green, red, and yellow.
4
Shuffle the cards and place them face-down within reach of players. Start by shuffling the deck of cards, then stack them neatly and ensure that every card is facing down so players can’t see what they’re picking when they draw from the top of the deck. Place the deck somewhere that each player can easily reach when it’s their turn to draw a card.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Candy Land Rules & Gameplay

1
Have the youngest player go first, then play clockwise around the group. Go around in a circle and let each player announce their birthday to determine who is the youngest player. That player gets to go first, and then play passes to the left, continuing around until everyone gets a turn. Keep the turns moving clockwise throughout the game until there’s a winner.^{[5]
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2
Draw a card on your turn and move to the closest corresponding color. At the start of your turn, draw a card from the top of the face-down pile. Each card will either have 1 colored square, 2 colored squares, or a picture, which will tell you what to do on your turn. Place your card in a separate discard pile after finishing your turn.^{[6]
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- If your card has 1 colored square, move your pawn forward to the first color space on the board that matches the color of the square on your card.
- If you draw a card with 2 colored squares, move your pawn to the second matching color space on the board that matches the color on your card.
- Multiple player pawns can be on the same color space simultaneously.
- For example, if you draw a card with 2 purple squares, look at the path ahead of your pawn on the board. Find the first purple square in front of you, then the second one, and move your pawn to that square.
3
Move to the corresponding space on the board if you draw a picture card. Most cards have solid colors, but a few have pink squares with pictures. When you draw one of these pink picture cards, move your pawn forward or backward (depending on where you are) to the matching picture space on the board.^{[7]
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- For example, if you draw a card with a pink square with a candy cane on it, move your pawn to the candy cane square in the Peppermint Stick Forest section of the board.
- Candy Land’s movement is simple: always keep moving forward (in the direction of the signposts illustrated on the board) unless a picture card directs you to move backward.
4
Take a shortcut if you land on a space with an arrow that leads up a path. The Candy Land board features 2 shortcuts that let you skip sections of the board to get to the end of the path faster (and hopefully pull ahead of your opponents). If your pawn lands on a shortcut space, follow the shortcut up to the space it connects to.^{[8]
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- The board’s shortcuts are Rainbow Trail and Gumdrop Pass. If you land on a shortcut space for either path, you’ll see an arrow on the space showing you which direction to go.
- Remember that you need to land directly on a shortcut space to use it. Unfortunately, you can’t use a shortcut if you’re just passing by it.
5
Skip your next turn if you land on a licorice “X” space. The Candy Land board has a couple of differently-colored spaces with licorice on them, where the licorice is crossed and shaped like an X. If you take your current turn and draw a card that lands you on a licorice space, it means your character has gotten stuck and can’t move—and therefore, you’ll have to skip your next turn.^{[9]
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- You only have to skip 1 turn if you land on a licorice space; draw a card as usual on the turn after that.
- Keep in mind that you won’t lose a turn if you’re just passing by a licorice space. You must land on the exact space to lose a turn.
6
Reshuffle the discard pile into a new draw deck if you run out of cards. In some games, you might end up drawing every card in the deck without reaching the end of the game yet. If that happens, just grab the entire discard pile and reshuffle it, then place it face-dawn as the new draw pile.
7
Win the game by reaching the rainbow space closest to the candy castle. The main objective of Candy Land is simple: make it to the candy castle before anyone else. The first player who reaches the multi-colored rainbow space at the end of the board has made it to the candy castle and therefore wins the game. After the winner lands on the rainbow square, gameplay stops.^{[10]
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- Once a winner is declared, you can always reset the board and play again!
- Playing a game of Candy Land helps teach preschool-age kids valuable skills, including color recognition, counting, following rules, taking turns, and being a gracious winner or loser.

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Community Q&A

Question

What are the brown dots?

Community Answer

Brown dots are sticky. If you land there, you must remain there for an extra turn.
Question

If two players land on the same spot do they get sent back to start?

Community Answer

No, in the rules it says that two people can be on the same spot.
Question

How many game cards should there be?

Community Answer

66 cards. There are 6 cards representing special locations, and 60 cards split into six different colors.