A cross-and-circle race game to play on your PC

Race Home is a free cross-and-circle race game in Games by Zaweba, and it's what you're looking for. You have four red tokens, need a 6 to get each one out, and race three computer players round the board and up your home column to the centre. It runs offline on Windows, with no adverts or account.

The cross-and-circle race game has been a family favourite for generations because it mixes luck with just enough choice. Which token to move, and when to knock someone home, makes each roll a small decision.

The rules of Race Home

You are red. Roll a 6 to bring a token out onto your start square, and a 6 also earns you another roll. Race clockwise round the board and then up your own coloured home column to the centre. Getting into the centre needs an exact roll.

Land on an opponent's token and you send it back to its yard, unless it's sitting on a starred square or a start square, which are safe. The first player to get all four tokens home wins.

To play, roll the dice, then click one of your glowing tokens. Space or R rolls. Race Home is on the Board games shelf of Games by Zaweba.

Choosing which token to move

Get tokens out when you can. A 6 is your only way to bring a new token onto the board. Having two or three tokens out gives you more choice with every roll, which makes it easier to use each number well.

Knock opponents home when the chance comes. Sending a computer player's token back to its yard costs them a lot of ground, and it's often worth more than moving your own token a few squares.

Keep an eye on what's behind you. A token sitting just in front of an opponent's token is at risk. If you can, move it on or leave it on a starred or start square, where it's safe.

Don't rush one token while the others wait. One token far ahead can't win the game alone, and the others still need 6s to come out.

Plan the finish. Because the centre needs an exact roll, a token close to home can get stuck waiting for the right number. Having other tokens to move in the meantime means no roll is wasted.

A family game with the computer

Race Home suits a family PC well. The computer fills three seats, so a child can enjoy a full four-player game alone, and the rules on the title card are short enough to read together. Esc pauses, the game pauses itself when the window loses focus, and F11 makes the board fill the screen.

Games by Zaweba keeps your plays, wins and best score on each tile. Those records are stored in a file on your own PC and never leave it.

Similar games on the shelf

Serpents & Ladders is another race against three computer players, from 1 to 100, and it's even simpler for young children. Tables, the app's backgammon, is a race game with more strategy, where fifteen checkers race home and a lone checker can be hit. Star Marbles is a different kind of race, hopping ten glass marbles across a six-pointed star.