Skillmatics' Magnetic Snakes & Ladders (item SKILL1374CSL), the box our link goes toPhoto: Skillmatics
What's in the box: the board, snakes, ladders, pawns and dicePhoto: Skillmatics
Place the snakes and ladders wherever you likePhoto: Skillmatics
The first player to reach 100 winsPhoto: Skillmatics
Roll a 6 and the special die can change the boardPhoto: Skillmatics
A board that changes every gamePhoto: Skillmatics
Video

Family game

Magnetic Snakes & Ladders

Snakes and Ladders where you place the snakes and ladders yourself

2–5players · best with 2-4
15–30 minplaying time
4+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
More luck than skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children of about 4 to 8 who already know Snakes and Ladders and are ready for a twist

Think twice if You want a big board for a crowd of cousins: this one is 8.5 inches square

How we rate it

Learning curve. Classic Snakes and Ladders plus one extra rule for the Special Die; a child who can count the dots on a die is ready. 1 on our scale, with UNO and Connect 4.

Luck & skill. Still mostly the dice. Where the pieces go at the start, and how you use the Special Die after a 6, are the only real choices.

Interaction. You can't touch other players' pawns, but the Special Die lets you put a snake in someone's way or take away a ladder they were heading for.

Set-up. Choose a side of the board and place the snakes and ladders. A couple of minutes, or longer if the children like to plan every snake.

Reading. Just the board's numbers, 1 to 100; the manual is in English.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is Magnetic Snakes & Ladders right for you?

Great if

  • Children of about 4 to 8 who already know Snakes and Ladders and are ready for a twist
  • Parents and grandparents who find the classic samey: the board changes every game
  • Train journeys and holidays, since the magnetic pieces stay where you put them
  • A Diwali or birthday present for a 4- to 7-year-old, made by an Indian company

Skip it if

  • You want a big board for a crowd of cousins: this one is 8.5 inches square
  • Toddlers are around: the snakes, ladders, pawns and dice are small, and the box warns about small parts
  • You want a game of skill; the dice still decide most of what happens

How Magnetic Snakes & Ladders plays

In the Snakes and Ladders most of us grew up with, the snakes and ladders are printed on the board, so every game on that board follows the same map. In Skillmatics' version they are separate magnetic pieces: 8 snakes and 6 ladders that you stick onto a numbered board from 1 to 100, wherever you like. The basic moves stay exactly as you remember them. For the standard rules, house rules and the game's Indian history, see our Snakes and Ladders page.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read while playing: the board carries the numbers 1 to 100 and the rest is pictures and dice. The manual is in English, and the rules are easy to explain in Hindi or any language at home.
Place the snakes and ladders wherever you like · Photo: Skillmatics

Snakes & Ladders | Magnetic & Customizable Board Game | Ages 4+ | Skillmatics · Skillmatics · Official

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A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Build

    Pick a side of the board and stick the magnetic snakes and ladders wherever you like.

  2. 2
    Roll

    Roll the numbered die and move: climb any ladder you land at the foot of, slide down any snake whose head you land on.

  3. 3
    Twist

    Roll a 6 and you take another turn and roll the Special Die, to move ahead or add or remove a snake or ladder.

  4. 4
    Win

    Whoever gets to 100 first wins.

Read the official rulesSnakes & Ladders: how to play (Skillmatics India product page) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Magnetic Snakes & Ladders goes

Set-up: choose one side of the double-sided board, then place the snakes and ladders. You can take turns placing them, or let a child design the board. A snake's head still sends you down to its tail, and the foot of a ladder still lifts you to its top, so think about where each one starts and ends.

On your turn, roll the numbered die and move your pawn. The twist comes when you roll a 6: you get an extra turn, and you also roll the Special Die, which Skillmatics also calls the wild die. Skillmatics says it lets you move ahead, or add or remove a snake or ladder. That is your chance to drop a ladder just in front of your own pawn, take away a snake that is waiting for you, or set a long snake in front of a rival. The first player to reach 100 wins.

With younger children, start by leaving the Special Die in the box and playing the plain game on a board they built themselves, then add it once they are comfortable. Skillmatics' online rules only say the first to reach 100 wins, so agree before you start whether you need an exact roll to land on 100.

There are five pawns, so up to five can play, one more than the four counters most printed sets come with. The board is 8.5 inches square, about the width of an A4 sheet: easy to carry to a cousin's place or on a train, but a little crowded with five players around it.

What's in the box

What's in the box: the board, snakes, ladders, pawns and dice · Photo: Skillmatics
  • 1Double-sided magnetic game board
    8.5 x 8.5 inches (about 21.5 cm square), numbered 1 to 100
  • 8Magnetic snakes
  • 6Magnetic ladders
  • 5Magnetic pawns
  • 2Wooden dice
    a numbered die and, going by the rules, the Special Die
  • 1Instruction manual

Box: 23.5 × 23.5 × 3.5 cm, 0.44 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

We took the contents from Skillmatics India's product page and its picture of the back of the box (item SKILL1374CSL); the listing we link gives the same list. Skillmatics' contents picture labels the board 8.75 x 8.75 inches, while its product page and the listing say 8.5 x 8.5 inches. There is one Indian edition, also sold in two Skillmatics bundles with Sizzle or Boxed.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Skillmatics, a Mumbai company, makes this game, and its own product page gives India as the country of origin, so buyers here have nothing imported to weigh up. Abroad, Skillmatics' global shop sells it under a different item code. Our Amazon.in link goes to the Indian box, item SKILL1374CSL.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Skillmatics name and the Skillmatics Classics label on the box front, with 4-99 years and 2-5 players printed on it.
  • Check the contents: a double-sided magnetic board, 8 magnetic snakes, 6 magnetic ladders, 5 magnetic pawns, 2 wooden dice and an instruction manual.
  • Skillmatics' Indian item code for this box is SKILL1374CSL.
  • Small magnetic travel sets with movable snakes but no Special Die are different products, even if they look alike.

What reviewers and players say

Nobody outside Skillmatics seems to have reviewed this version yet: our searches found no independent review, forum thread or third-party video since it reached Skillmatics' Indian site in mid-2025. Customer reviews on Skillmatics' own site are all very positive, but the site is the maker's and none of the reviews shown is marked as a verified purchase. Those reviewers like designing their own board, the Special Die's chances for comebacks and mischief, and pieces that stay put on trains and in hotel rooms. Underneath, it is still Snakes and Ladders, so the dice decide most games.

What people love

  • A new board every game, so it doesn't feel the same each time
  • The Special Die brings comebacks and playful sabotage
  • Magnetic pieces stay in place, handy for travel
  • Children enjoy planning where the snakes and ladders go

Common complaints

  • Every review we could read is on the maker's own site, and none of those shown is marked as a verified purchase
  • A compact board that gets crowded with five players
  • Online, Skillmatics doesn't say what the two sides of the board are or what each face of the Special Die shows
Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Best with2-42-424
Play time15–30 min15–30 min10–20 min30–60 min
Age4+5+5+5+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailable
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Questions people ask about Magnetic Snakes & Ladders

How is Skillmatics' Magnetic Snakes & Ladders different from the normal game?

The aim and the basic moves are the same: roll, climb ladders, slide down snakes and race to 100. The difference is that the 8 snakes and 6 ladders are magnetic pieces you place yourself, so the board changes every game, and rolling a 6 brings in a Special Die that can move you ahead or add or remove a snake or ladder.

What does the Special Die do in Skillmatics Snakes & Ladders?

You roll it only after rolling a 6, along with your extra turn. Skillmatics says it lets you move ahead, or add or remove a snake or a ladder. This is where the game's small bit of strategy comes in: help yourself with a ladder or put a snake in a rival's way.

How many players and what age is Skillmatics Snakes & Ladders for?

Two to five players, from age 4; the box reads 4-99. There are five magnetic pawns. The pieces and dice are small, and the box carries a small-parts warning for children under 3.

Is Skillmatics Snakes & Ladders made in India?

Skillmatics says so: its Indian product page lists India as the country of origin, with Grasper Global Private Limited of Mumbai, the company behind Skillmatics, as manufacturer.

Can you play ordinary Snakes and Ladders on the magnetic board?

Yes. Place the snakes and ladders, leave the Special Die out and play the usual rules. It is a gentle way to start with younger children, adding the Special Die once they know the game.

Game facts

Publisher
Skillmatics (Grasper Global Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India)
In India
Skillmatics, an Indian company (parent company Grasper Global Pvt Ltd, Mumbai), which makes and sells the game in India
First published
2025
Players
2–5
Barcode
8904279511644
Language
No reading – Nothing to read while playing: the board carries the numbers 1 to 100 and the rest is pictures and dice. The manual is in English, and the rules are easy to explain in Hindi or any language at home.
Box size and weight
23.5 × 23.5 × 3.5 cm, 0.44 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.