Edition: The original Ticket to Ride with a map of the USA and Canada. Last checked October 25, 2026
Ticket to Ride Rules: How to Play Ticket to Ride
In Ticket to Ride you collect colored train cards and use them to claim railroad routes between cities across North America. Here are the rules in short, plus answers to the points that most often cause confusion.
- Players
- 2 to 5
- Age
- 8 and up
- Playing time
- 30 to 60 minutes
How to win: Score the most points by claiming routes, completing your destination tickets and possibly having the longest continuous path.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Ticket to Ride.
Can you take a face up locomotive and one more card?
No.
If you take a locomotive from the face up cards, it is the only card you get that turn. You also cannot take a face up locomotive as your second card. A locomotive drawn blind from the deck counts as a normal card.
Some families with young kids let a face up locomotive count as one of two cards.
What happens if three locomotives are face up?
All five face up cards are discarded.
If 3 of the 5 face up cards are locomotives, all 5 are discarded and 5 new ones are laid out.
Some forget the rule and leave the locomotives out. That makes it easy for the next player to grab one.
Can both tracks of a double route be used?
It depends on the number of players.
With 2 or 3 players, only one of the two tracks may be claimed. With 4 or 5 players, both may be claimed, but not by the same player.
Some open both tracks with 3 players to make the map less cramped.
Do you lose points for tickets you did not finish?
Yes.
Each ticket not completed at the end is subtracted for the number of points shown on it.
Some families with kids do not count unfinished tickets as negative.
What you need
- Game board with the route map
- 45 trains in each player's color
- Train cards in eight colors plus locomotives
- Destination tickets
- Scoring markers
- Longest Path bonus card
Setup
- 1Each player takes 45 trains and a scoring marker in their color.
- 2Shuffle the train cards. Deal 4 to each player and lay 5 cards face up next to the deck.
- 3Deal each player 3 destination tickets. Keep at least 2 and put the rest at the bottom of the ticket deck.
- 4Keep your tickets secret until the end of the game.
How to play
- 1On your turn, do exactly one of three things: draw train cards, claim a route, or draw new destination tickets.
- 2If you draw train cards, you get 2 cards. You may take them from the 5 face up cards or from the top of the deck.
- 3When you take a face up card, replace it right away from the deck.
- 4To claim a route, play as many cards of the route's color as the route has spaces. Gray routes can be claimed with any color, as long as all the cards are the same color.
- 5Locomotives are wild and can be used as any color.
- 6When you claim a route, place your trains on it and score points immediately.
- 7If you draw new tickets, take 3 and keep at least 1.
- 8When a player has 2 or fewer trains left at the end of their turn, every player, including that one, gets one final turn.
Points for routes
- 1 space: 1 point
- 2 spaces: 2 points
- 3 spaces: 4 points
- 4 spaces: 7 points
- 5 spaces: 10 points
- 6 spaces: 15 points
Final scoring
- Completed tickets score the points shown on the ticket.
- Tickets you did not complete are subtracted for the same number of points.
- The longest continuous path scores 10 bonus points.
- If there is a tie, the player who completed the most tickets wins.
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Ticket to Ride rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ticket to Ride end?
When a player has 2 or fewer trains left at the end of their turn. Then every player gets one final turn, including the one who triggered the end.
Do routes have to connect or be built in a certain order?
No. You may claim any open route on the board, even one that does not connect to your other routes.
Are the rules the same in Ticket to Ride Europe?
The core rules are the same, but Europe adds tunnels, ferries and stations. It also has longer routes than the USA map, so check the scoring table in the rulebook for your edition.
Source: The publisher's rulebook for the base game and common family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.