Board Games
How to play Candy Land
Follow colors and pictures along the path to the castle. This guide teaches the A4813 spinner edition and identifies where card editions differ.
What you need
Candy Land A4813 board, character movers and assembled spinner
Set up the game
- Put each mover on Start. The youngest player begins; turns proceed to the left.
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Playing Candy Land
- Spin once. A single color moves you to the next space of that color; a double color moves you to the second matching space ahead.
- A picture moves you to its matching picture space, forward or backward. In this spinner edition, an occupied color space sends you to the next space of that color; an occupied picture space means spin again.
- Landing on a shortcut entrance takes you across the shortcut. Landing on a licorice square makes you miss your next turn.
- Reach the castle first to win. The final rainbow entry accepts any color when that move reaches it.
Count colors, not all the spaces
Your mover is before a sequence of yellow, green, red, blue, green. A double-green spin takes you to the second green in that sequence. Point to the first green, skip the intervening red and blue, and stop at the next green. This makes the difference between a single and double result visible.
Beginner decisions
- Let a child point to each matching space before moving. With double colors, saying 'first, second' helps separate matching from counting every square.
- Treat a backward move as part of the story rather than a mistake. The spinner decides progress; encouragement matters more than tactical advice.
Common rule mix-ups
- Moving two total squares for a double-color result instead of finding the second matching color.
- Combining occupancy or finish rules from a different edition.
Questions about this game
Is there a younger-player option?
A4813 permits ignoring a backward picture result and spinning again. Agree to use that option for everyone before play.
What if my box has cards?
Use its card instructions. Several Candy Land editions use different finish spaces and special-space rules; the spinner rules here are not universal.
Sources and edition notes
Hasbro A4813 spinner instructions (2013). Card-based, retro and newer token editions need their own sheets.
Sources and stated format checked October 13, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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