Dice games
King of Tokyo
IELLORichard Garfield2011
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
1 Tokyo board · 6 monsters and their life boards · 8 dice: 6 black and 2 green · 66 Power cards · Energy cubes · Tokens
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Richard Garfield
- Publisher
- IELLO
- Mechanics
- Dice RollingRe-rolling and LockingDie Icon ResolutionPlayer EliminationOpen Drafting
- Expansions
- King of Tokyo: Power Up! · 2012
- King of Tokyo: Halloween · 2013
- King of Tokyo : Encore plus méchant · 2023
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Each player is a monster with 10 life points, and the aim is to reach 20 victory points or be the last one standing. On your turn, roll six dice up to three times, then resolve points, energy, healing and claws, those in Tokyo hitting the monsters outside and the other way round; you must enter Tokyo if it is free, and you can buy cards with your energy. The game ends at 20 points or when only one monster is left alive.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
10 life points, 3 Power cards, 6 black dice
- Each player chooses a monster, with 10 life points and 0 victory points.
- Shuffle the Power cards and reveal three next to the deck; the energy cubes form a bank.
- The Tokyo board only uses Tokyo City with 2 to 4 players, Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay with 5 or 6. Tokyo is empty at the start.
- Everyone rolls the six black dice: the most claws goes first, then play goes clockwise.
How to play
Up to 3 rolls, Tokyo free: enter it, Buy cards
- On your turn, you roll the six black dice up to three times, setting aside or taking back whichever dice you like between rolls; you may stop earlier.
- Then resolve all your dice: the numbers 1, 2 and 3 score points in sets of three, the lightning bolt gives an energy cube, the heart heals 1 life point (not above 10), the claw deals 1 damage.
- In Tokyo, your claws hit all the monsters outside; outside, they hit the monsters in Tokyo. You cannot heal with hearts in Tokyo.
- A monster hurt in Tokyo by another's claws may flee; the one who hit it must then take its place. A card that makes you lose life points does not let you flee.
- If Tokyo is free once the dice are resolved, you must enter it.
- You may then buy as many face-up Power cards as you can pay for, or spend 2 energy to replace the three cards on offer. Keep cards stay in front of you, Discard cards apply and are then discarded.
Scoring
Three 3s: 3 points, Entering Tokyo +1, Starting turn there +2
- Three identical dice showing 1, 2 or 3: as many points as that number, +1 for each extra identical die.
- Entering Tokyo: +1 point. Starting your turn in Tokyo: +2 points.
- Some Power cards also score points.
End of the game
20 victory points, Or last one alive
- The game ends at the end of the turn in which a monster reaches 20 victory points, or as soon as only one monster is left alive: that monster wins.
- A monster at 0 life points is eliminated, along with its cards and its energy. You must be alive to win; if everyone dies at the same time, everyone loses.
- As soon as only four monsters or fewer are left, Tokyo Bay is abandoned.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
Can you go above 10 life points?
No. A heart does not heal beyond 10, unless a power allows it.
When do you enter Tokyo?
If Tokyo is empty once your dice are resolved, you must enter it. Otherwise, you only enter if its occupant flees after being hit by your claws.