The King of Tokyo box with giant monsters fighting over a city — The King of Tokyo box (IELLO)Photo: IELLO

The Tokyo board with monster figures, power cards, green energy cubes and black dice on a wooden table — A game in progressPhoto: IELLO

King of Tokyo's board, monster boards and figures, dice, energy cubes and power cards laid out — What's in the boxPhoto: Gameistry

Six monster figures lined up behind black dice and green energy cubes — Six monsters to choose fromPhoto: IELLO

Monster figures, dice and energy cubes in front of the King of Tokyo box — Monsters, dice and energy cubesPhoto: IELLO

Power cards and a monster board next to the card deck — Power cards you buy with energyPhoto: IELLO

The Space Penguin monster board with its figure — Each monster has its own boardPhoto: IELLO

Video

Party game

King of Tokyo

Roll dice as a giant monster and fight to rule Tokyo.

Dice rolling Push your luck Take that

2–6best with 4-6
30 minper game
About 5 minto set up
8+years
Easy
Somereading

The official edition, on Amazon.in

Imported

Buy on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

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The game in a nutshell

King of Tokyo is a loud, fast dice game for 2 to 6 players aged 8 and up. Each player is a giant monster: you roll six dice up to three times, then use them to score points, heal, collect energy or punch the other monsters, and the first to 20 points (or the last one standing) wins. It suits families with children of 8 to 12, cousins at a get-together and friends who want a 30-minute game full of cheering rather than careful planning. Every copy in India is imported, as there is no Indian edition.

Is King of Tokyo right for you?

Great if

Families with children aged 8 to 12 who enjoy dice and monsters
A group of four to six at a family function or festival night, when you want noise and laughter more than deep thinking
Newcomers to board games – a turn is simply roll, keep some dice, reroll, then act
A gift for a child who has outgrown Ludo and Snakes & Ladders

Skip it if

Your group dislikes luck – the dice decide a lot, and one bad roll can hurt
Someone hates being knocked out early – a monster that runs out of life sits out until the game ends
You mostly play as a couple – two players can play, but the fight over Tokyo is livelier with more monsters, and King of Tokyo: Duel is made for two

THE BOARDGAMES.IN TAKE

Our ratings

How hard to learnEasy

2 / 5

Luck or skillMore luck than skill

LuckSkill

Set-up~5 min

ReadingSome

Behind the ratings

How hard to learnA turn is roll, keep, reroll, then act, which anyone who has played Yahtzee will pick up at once. The Power cards add a few extra rules to read, so it sits with Ticket to Ride and Kingdomino rather than with UNO.

Luck or skillThe dice drive almost everything, and a lucky roll can swing a game. You still choose which dice to keep, when to leave Tokyo and which Power cards to buy, so good choices help.

Player interactionMonsters attack each other directly: whoever is in Tokyo hits everyone outside, and everyone outside hits the monster in Tokyo. Players can be knocked out.

Set-up timeEveryone takes a monster and sets its dials to 10 life and 0 points. Put the Tokyo board in the middle, shuffle the Power cards and turn three face up, and pile the energy cubes nearby. Use Tokyo Bay only with 5 or 6 players.

Reading neededThe dice and monster boards use only symbols, but every Power card has a short English text. Younger children may need someone to read the cards out.

Difficulty uses our 1–5 scale: 1 is UNO or Connect 4, 3 is Catan, 5 is a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

As d'Or, Jeu de l'Année (France), 2012 (Nominated)

Lys Grand Public (Quebec), 2011 (Finalist)

How King of Tokyo plays

Everyone picks a monster and sets its board to 10 life and 0 Victory Points. The Tokyo board sits in the middle of the table. With 2 to 4 players only one spot, Tokyo City, is used; with 5 or 6 players a second spot, Tokyo Bay, opens up.

Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
Reading and language: The dice and monster boards use only symbols, but every Power card has a short English text explaining its effect, and the rulebook is in English. Children who don't yet read English comfortably will need someone to read the cards aloud.

King of Tokyo - How To Play · IELLO Games · Official

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

Your turn, step by step

1
Roll
Roll the six black dice. You may set any aside and reroll the rest, up to three rolls in all, much like Yahtzee.
2
Resolve
Use what you rolled: three or more of the same number score points, hearts heal you (but not in Tokyo), bolts give energy cubes, and claws hit other monsters. If Tokyo is empty you must move in; you score for being there but everyone outside attacks you, and you may leave when hit.
3
Buy
Spend energy on any of the three face-up Power cards. Some give a lasting ability, others a one-off effect, and you can pay 2 energy to replace all three.
4
Win
The first monster to reach 20 Victory Points wins, or the last monster still standing if everyone else is knocked out.

Read the official rules (PDF)King of Tokyo rules (English, November 2023) · English

The full explanation: how a game of King of Tokyo goes

On your turn you roll six black dice. Much like Yahtzee, you can set some aside and reroll the rest, up to three rolls in all. The faces show the numbers 1, 2 and 3, an energy bolt, a heart and a claw.

Then you use what you rolled. Three of the same number scores that many points, plus one point for each extra matching die. Each claw wounds monsters: if you are in Tokyo you hit everyone outside, and if you are outside you hit whoever is in Tokyo. Hearts heal you, but not while you are in Tokyo, and energy cubes are saved for later.

Tokyo is the hot seat. If it is empty you must move in. You get 1 point for entering and 2 more each time you start your turn there, but you cannot heal and everyone outside is aiming at you. When another monster hits you, you may give up Tokyo and let the attacker take your place.

Three Power cards lie face up, and you can spend energy on them: 'keep' cards give lasting powers, while 'discard' cards have a one-time effect. You can also pay 2 energy to clear all three and reveal new ones. The game ends when a monster reaches 20 points or is the only one still standing.

What's in the box

1Tokyo board
with two spaces, Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay; Tokyo Bay is used only with 5 or 6 players
6Monster boards
each with two dials, one for life and one for Victory Points
6Monster figures
cardboard, with plastic stands
6Black dice
symbols engraved on the faces: 1, 2, 3, claw, heart and energy bolt
2Green dice
extra dice that only some Power cards let you roll
66Power cards
each with a cost in energy and a short English effect
50Energy cubes
green
28Tokens
12 Shrink, 12 Poison, 3 Smoke and 1 Mimic, used by certain Power cards
1Rulebook
8 pages, English

Box: 25 × 25 × 8 cm. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Dice, tokens and the Tokyo board are from IELLO's current English rulebook. The card, energy cube and figure counts come from an Indian listing and a US listing for the same IELLO box (item 51314); a US library record for the 2015 printing lists the same numbers. The 2016 edition sold today has new artwork and swaps two of the six monsters compared with the 2011 original.

Where to buy

Amazon.inImported edition

The official edition, on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

There is no Indian edition, and no official Indian distributor for IELLO turned up, so every copy here is an imported English box. Look for IELLO's 2016 edition, with 'Richard Garfield' on the front and six monsters around the logo. Our Amazon.in link goes to IELLO's imported 2016 English edition.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.

The box should carry the IELLO logo and 'Richard Garfield' on the front. The current box shows six monsters in slanted panels around a large 'King of Tokyo' logo.
Inside you should find six black dice and two green dice with the symbols printed or engraved, monster boards with two turning dials (life and points), cardboard monster figures with stands, a Tokyo board, Power cards, green energy cubes and tokens. Stickers on blank dice or flimsy dials are warning signs.
Check the price: be wary of a 'King of Tokyo' that costs a fraction of the usual price, because much cheaper sets sold under the name come from other makers.
An imported box sold in India should carry a sticker with the importer's name and address. The English 2016 edition is listed abroad with barcode 3760175513145.
Buy listings that name IELLO as the brand, and check the photos against the publisher's box art; a missing rulebook or blurry card art suggests a copy.

We link to one Amazon.in listing that we've checked against the maker's own information. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

King of Tokyo is a loud, quick dice game that reviewers recommend for families and mixed groups. They like that the rules take minutes, that the fight over Tokyo keeps everyone involved, and that each roll gives you several useful options, so bad luck rarely feels unfair. The main complaint is player elimination: a monster knocked out early has to sit and watch. Some also find it shallow, with every monster playing the same in the base game and some fiddly components.

What people love

Rules take minutes to learn, and the Yahtzee-style rolling is familiar to almost everyone
The fight over Tokyo means constant interaction, with lots of cheering and groaning around the table
Every roll offers something (points, energy, healing or attacks), so the dice rarely leave you with nothing to do
Big chunky dice and colourful, silly monster art that children enjoy

Common complaints

A monster that runs out of life is out of the game and has to wait for the others to finish
In the base game all six monsters play exactly the same, and the game is light on depth
The figures are cardboard, the dials can slip, and some Power card combinations need a rules check

Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Review King of Tokyo review (Tyler Nichols, June 2013) · Board Game Quest
Review King of Tokyo review (Robin Curtis, August 2017) · Zatu Games blog
Players Do dead monsters really have to leave the game? (December 2015) · Board & Card Games Stack Exchange
Players What's the difference between King of Tokyo and King of New York? (June 2016) · Board & Card Games Stack Exchange
Reference King of Tokyo · Wikipedia

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like King of Tokyo

Our picks if King of Tokyo isn't quite right

Feature	King of Tokyo	Exploding Kittens	Catan	Sushi Go!
Players	2–6	2–5	3–4	2–5
Best with	4-6	4-5	4	3-5
Play time	30 min	15–20 min	60–90 min	15–20 min
Age	8+	7+	10+	8+
Rules	Easy	Easy	Medium	Easy
Indian edition	Import	Yes	Yes	Import
Why look at it	This page	Another loud, quick party game where players get knocked out	Dice drive this one too, but you trade and build instead of fight	Equally light and quick for family tables, with cards instead of dice

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Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): King of Tokyo: Duel – The same monster brawl, redesigned for exactly two players.

Questions people ask about King of Tokyo

Is King of Tokyo good for kids?

The box says 8 and up, and children can follow the dice easily because they use symbols. The Power cards have English text, so younger players may need someone to read them. A monster can be knocked out before the game ends, which upsets some children, so tell them about it before you start.

Which King of Tokyo should I buy in India?

Buy the standard IELLO King of Tokyo, the 2016 edition sold today; our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to that edition. The Monster Box adds expansions at a higher price, Origins is a simpler cut-down version, and Duel is a separate two-player game. The Dark Edition was a limited print.

Can you play King of Tokyo with 2 players?

Yes. The base game is for 2 to 6 players, and with fewer than five only Tokyo City is used. It feels much livelier with four or more, though. If you mostly play as two, King of Tokyo: Duel is designed for exactly two players.

Is there an Indian edition of King of Tokyo?

No. There is no Indian edition and no official Indian distributor for IELLO, so every copy is an imported English box. Our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to IELLO's 2016 English edition; make sure the brand is IELLO.

Game facts

Designed by: Richard Garfield
Publisher: IELLO
First published: 2011
Players: 2–6
Barcode: 3760175513145
Language: Some English – The dice and monster boards use only symbols, but every Power card has a short English text explaining its effect, and the rulebook is in English. Children who don't yet read English comfortably will need someone to read the cards aloud.
Box size and weight: 25 × 25 × 8 cm
Awards: As d'Or, Jeu de l'Année (France), 2012 (Nominated); Lys Grand Public (Quebec), 2011 (Finalist)

Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.