Sorry! (game) - Objective

Objective

The objective is to be the first player to get all four of his or her colour pawns from his or her Start location to his or her Home space. The pawns are normally moved in a clockwise direction, but can be moved backward if directed. Movement of pawns are directed by the drawing of a card.

The board game is laid out in a square with fifteen spaces per side, with each player assigned his or her own colored Start location and Home locations offset towards the center, one per side. Four five-square paths, one per color, lead from the common outer path towards a player's Home and are designated his or her "Safety Zone." On each side are two "Slides," grouping four or five spaces each.

Older versions of Sorry! contain a coloured "diamond space" directly one space back from each start square, with the rules stating that a pawn of the diamond's colour may not move forwards over this square. Instead, a player of that colour must diverge from the outer square towards his or her "Home." Although the diamond and corresponding rule were removed from subsequent printings of the game, the rules of player movement remained the same.