Best Chinese Checkers Games to Play Free Online
Few board games have a payoff like a perfect jump chain: one marble hopping across half the star in a single turn. The best Chinese checkers games online give you that feeling without hunting for a board or a bag of marbles. Here are the browser versions worth playing, from a quick game against the computer to online matches with friends, plus two related marble and checkers games for when you want a change.
Key takeaways
- Our own Chinese Checkers is the quickest start, with 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, any mix of people and computer opponents, and no account.
- Board Game Arena is the best place to play Chinese checkers online against real people, with a free account.
- Two indie versions on itch.io run in the browser, one built for online games with friends and one for solo play against computer opponents.
- Abalone and classic checkers are the closest cousins if you want a different marble or jumping game.
What makes a good Chinese checkers game
Chinese checkers is a race, not a battle. Nothing is captured. Each player has 10 marbles in one point of a six-pointed star and tries to move them all into the point directly opposite. You either step into a neighboring hole or jump over a single marble, and jumps can be chained into long runs across the board.
Despite the name, the game is not from China. According to its history, it was invented in Germany in 1892 as Stern-Halma, a star-shaped version of the older game Halma. The name Chinese checkers came from a US marketing push by Bill and Jack Pressman in 1928.
A good browser version gets three things right. It shows you where a marble can go, because tracing jump chains by eye is the hard part on a crowded board. It supports the real player counts, which are 2, 3, 4 and 6. And it gives you someone to play, whether that is a computer opponent that knows how to build jump ladders or friends online.
Quick picks
| If you want… | Play |
|---|---|
| Chinese checkers vs the computer, right now | Chinese Checkers (Dinogame) |
| Up to 6 players on one screen | Chinese Checkers (Dinogame) |
| Chinese checkers online against real people | Board Game Arena |
| A private online game with friends | Chinese Checkers Online (itch.io) |
| Solo play against several computer players | ChineseCheckers by huanggaole (itch.io) |
| A two-player marble game with pushing | Abalone |
| Jumps and captures on a square board | Checkers (Dinogame) |
1. Chinese Checkers (play it right here on Dinogame)
Our Chinese Checkers is the classic game on the full 121-hole star board, with 10 marbles for each player. It runs in any modern browser on a laptop, Chromebook or phone, with no download or sign-up.
How it plays: Pick 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, and each seat can be you, a friend or the computer. The default is you against one computer opponent. Each setup uses the standard points: two players race from opposite ends, three players each head into an empty point, and four players use two opposite pairs. The computer looks ahead for jump chains and keeps its back marbles moving so none get stranded. A marble that reaches its destination can move inside it but cannot leave, and in bigger games play continues until every finishing place is decided. Undo takes back your move and the computer’s reply, and your record against the computer is saved in your browser.
Controls: Tap or click a marble and every hole it can reach lights up, including the end of each multi-jump chain. Tap a lit hole or drag the marble onto it. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move a cursor and Enter selects. Best for: A quick game against the computer, or a party game for up to six people on one screen.
2. Chinese checkers on Board Game Arena
Board Game Arena is a large site for playing board games in the browser, and its Chinese checkers table is the best option for playing strangers or friends online. It is free to play with a free account, and its game page estimates about 12 minutes per game.
How it plays: The board is the usual six-pointed star, and games can have 2, 3, 4 or 6 players. You move one marble per turn, stepping to an adjacent hole or hopping over neighboring marbles, and race to fill the opposite triangle. The site’s version tracks your progress as a score, with points for each hole you move closer to the goal. Controls: Mouse or touch. Best for: Players who want to play Chinese checkers against real people.
3. Chinese Checkers Online (itch.io)
Chinese Checkers Online is an indie version by a developer who goes by Alamenium on itch.io, the independent games store. It is built in Unity, with a browser version alongside Windows and macOS downloads.
How it plays: The game is set up for two to three players, and you can play online with friends. Marbles move one hole in any direction or jump over other marbles, jumps can be chained, and jumped marbles stay on the board. The developer also lists a rule against parking marbles in your starting point near the end to block an opponent. Best for: A small online game with people you know.
4. ChineseCheckers by huanggaole (itch.io)
This is a single-player version of Chinese checkers on itch.io, made in the Godot engine by a developer called huanggaole. It runs in the browser and pits you against computer opponents.
How it plays: You take on several computer players at once, up to a full six-player board. Players in the comments note that the hard setting with five computer opponents can be slow to move. Best for: Solo players who want a full board of computer opponents and don’t mind a wait between turns.
5. Abalone (a marble game cousin)
Abalone is a two-player strategy game designed by Michel Lalet and Laurent Lévi and published in 1987. It also uses marbles on a hexagonal board, but where Chinese checkers is a race, Abalone is a pushing match. You can play it free in a browser on Board Game Arena.
How it plays: Each player starts with 14 marbles. On your turn, you move one marble or a short line of marbles one space. Two of your marbles can push one of your opponent’s, and three can push two. Push six of your opponent’s marbles off the edge and you win. Controls: Mouse or touch. Best for: Chinese checkers fans who want a marble game with more head-to-head conflict.
6. Checkers (on Dinogame)
Classic checkers is the game that lent Chinese checkers its name, and it shares the joy of a multi-jump. Our Checkers runs in the browser with no download.
How it plays: Unlike Chinese checkers, jumps capture here, and they are mandatory. Multi-jumps chain, and a piece that reaches the back row becomes a king. You can play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or play a friend as 2 players on the same device, and Undo takes back a move. Controls: Click a piece, then a square. Best for: Players who want the jumping without the race.
How to play Chinese checkers
If you are new to the star board, these are the standard rules most Chinese checkers games online follow, including ours:
- The star checkers board: 121 holes in a six-pointed star, a hexagon of 61 in the middle and six points of 10.
- The goal: move all 10 of your marbles into the point opposite your start.
- Steps: move one marble into an empty neighboring hole.
- Jumps: hop over one adjacent marble, yours or anyone else’s, into the empty hole beyond it. Keep hopping as long as you can, in any direction.
- No mixing: a turn is one step or a chain of jumps, not both.
- No captures: jumped marbles stay where they are.
Player setups
| Players | Points used | Where you race |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Two opposite points | Into your opponent’s starting point |
| 3 | Every other point | Into the empty point across from you |
| 4 | Two opposite pairs | Into the starting point across from you |
| 6 | All six points | Into the starting point across from you |
House rules differ in a few places, especially on whether marbles can leave the destination point and what happens when someone blocks a hole by never moving out. Check each game’s rules before you play.
Tips to win at Chinese checkers
- Build ladders: marbles spaced one hole apart in a line let the marbles behind them jump the whole row in one turn.
- Bring up the rear: a lone marble at the back has nothing to jump over and has to walk. Move your stragglers while the others are close enough to help.
- Borrow other marbles: any marble can be jumped, so look for chains through your opponent’s pieces in the middle.
- Fill the far tip first: marbles parked at the entrance to your destination block the holes behind them.
How we picked these Chinese checkers games
Every game on this list runs in a standard web browser today. We looked for real Chinese checkers on the star board first, then added two related games that scratch the same itch. We left out phone-only apps and the many near-identical copies found on ad-heavy game sites. Indie games on itch.io can change or disappear, so check the page if one stops loading. For more tabletop classics, see our guide to the best browser board games.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play Chinese checkers online for free?
Yes. Our Chinese Checkers runs free in your browser with no account, against the computer or friends on the same device. Board Game Arena also lets you play Chinese checkers online against other people with a free account.
Can I play Chinese checkers against the computer?
Yes. In our Chinese Checkers, any seat can be a computer player, from a one-on-one game up to five computer opponents. The huanggaole version on itch.io is also built for solo play against the computer.
How many people can play Chinese checkers?
The standard player counts are 2, 3, 4 and 6. Each player uses 10 marbles, and in a three-player game everyone races into an empty point.
Is Chinese checkers actually Chinese?
No. It was invented in Germany in 1892 as Stern-Halma, and the Chinese checkers name came from American marketing in 1928.
What is the difference between checkers and Chinese checkers?
Checkers is played on a square board, and jumping captures your opponent’s pieces. Chinese checkers is played on a star board with marbles, nothing is captured, and the goal is to move all your marbles across the board first.
Jump to it
For a fast game on the star board, start with our Chinese Checkers against the computer, then bring in friends for a six-player game. When you want real opponents online, Board Game Arena is the next stop. And if you need a break from planning jump chains, the Chrome Dino game keeps things to a single jump.
