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King of Tokyo box
Box image: Gameistry

Party game

King of Tokyo

Roll dice as a giant monster and fight to rule Tokyo.

Players
2–6
Best with
4-6
Play time
30 min
Age
8+
Rules
Easy
Language
Some English

King of Tokyo is a loud, fast dice game for 2 to 6 players aged 8 and up. Each player is a giant monster: you roll six dice up to three times, then use them to score points, heal, collect energy or punch the other monsters, and the first to 20 points (or the last one standing) wins. It suits families with children of 8 to 12, cousins at a get-together and friends who want a 30-minute game full of cheering rather than careful planning. On 5 October 2026 the current IELLO edition was listed at ₹4,400 at Gameistry (out of stock), and Amazon.in had only imported copies, priced well above that.

Is King of Tokyo right for your table?

A good pick for

  • Families with children aged 8 to 12 who enjoy dice and monsters
  • A group of four to six at a family function or festival night, when you want noise and laughter more than deep thinking
  • Newcomers to board games – a turn is simply roll, keep some dice, reroll, then act
  • A gift for a child who has outgrown Ludo and Snakes & Ladders

Skip it if

  • Your group dislikes luck – the dice decide a lot, and one bad roll can hurt
  • Someone hates being knocked out early – a monster that runs out of life sits out until the game ends
  • You mostly play as a couple – two players can play, but the fight over Tokyo is livelier with more monsters, and King of Tokyo: Duel is made for two

How King of Tokyo plays

Everyone picks a monster and sets its board to 10 life and 0 Victory Points. The Tokyo board sits in the middle of the table. With 2 to 4 players only one spot, Tokyo City, is used; with 5 or 6 players a second spot, Tokyo Bay, opens up.

On your turn you roll six black dice. Much like Yahtzee, you can set some aside and reroll the rest, up to three rolls in all. The faces show the numbers 1, 2 and 3, an energy bolt, a heart and a claw.

Then you use what you rolled. Three of the same number scores that many points, plus one point for each extra matching die. Each claw wounds monsters: if you are in Tokyo you hit everyone outside, and if you are outside you hit whoever is in Tokyo. Hearts heal you, but not while you are in Tokyo, and energy cubes are saved for later.

Tokyo is the hot seat. If it is empty you must move in. You get 1 point for entering and 2 more each time you start your turn there, but you cannot heal and everyone outside is aiming at you. When another monster hits you, you may give up Tokyo and let the attacker take your place.

Three Power cards lie face up, and you can spend energy on them: 'keep' cards give lasting powers, while 'discard' cards have a one-time effect. You can also pay 2 energy to clear all three and reveal new ones. The game ends when a monster reaches 20 points or is the only one still standing.

Takes about 10 minutes to teach. The dice and monster boards use only symbols, but every Power card has a short English text explaining its effect, and the rulebook is in English. Children who don't yet read English comfortably will need someone to read the cards aloud.

Buying King of Tokyo in India

There is no Indian edition, and no official Indian distributor for IELLO turned up, so every copy here is an imported English box. On 5 October 2026 Gameistry (Chennai) listed it at ₹4,400 but was out of stock. The Amazon.in listing was priced above Indian stores. Bored Game Company, Toycra, Tabletop Universe, Crossword and Funskool did not list the base game, and Board Games India could not be checked. If you can wait, ask a specialist store when stock is due rather than paying the import premium.

IELLO first published King of Tokyo in 2011 and released the current edition in June 2016, with all-new artwork and some new monsters. Buy that one, and make sure any expansion you add fits the 2016 edition (Power Up! comes in a 'New Edition' version). King of Tokyo: Dark Edition (2020) was a limited reprint with the original six monsters, new art and an extra 'wickedness' rule. The Monster Box (2021) bundles the 2016 game with the Power Up! expansion, the Halloween pack and extras. King of Tokyo: Origins (2024) is a smaller, simpler version for up to four players. King of Tokyo: Duel (2024) is a separate game for exactly two players. On 5 October 2026 Gameistry listed Duel at ₹3,690 and the Monster Box at ₹4,900, both out of stock; Duel is also sold on Amazon.in, while the Monster Box appeared there only as an expensive import. Toycra listed an IELLO 'King of Tokyo Power Up Expansion' at ₹900, out of stock.

How to make sure you get a genuine copy

Clone risk: Medium
  • The box should carry the IELLO logo and 'Richard Garfield' on the front. The current box shows six monsters in slanted panels around a large 'King of Tokyo' logo.
  • Inside you should find six black dice and two green dice with the symbols printed or engraved, monster boards with two turning dials (life and points), cardboard monster figures with stands, a Tokyo board, Power cards, green energy cubes and tokens. Stickers on blank dice or flimsy dials are warning signs.
  • Price check: on 5 October 2026 new copies cost ₹4,400 at Gameistry, and Amazon.in had only imported copies, priced well above that. A 'King of Tokyo' far below about ₹3,000 should make you suspicious.
  • An imported box sold in India should carry an MRP sticker with the importer's name and address. The English 2016 edition is listed abroad with barcode 3760175513145.
  • Buy listings that name IELLO as the brand, and check the photos against the publisher's box art; a missing rulebook or blurry card art suggests a copy.

No listings copying the King of Tokyo name turned up in Amazon.in searches on 5 October 2026; every result was IELLO-branded. Because the base game is expensive and often out of stock, check the brand and contents before buying an unusually cheap copy.

If King of Tokyo isn't quite right

Exploding Kittens box

Exploding Kittens

2–5 players15–20 min7+
from ₹936 genuine

Another loud, quick party game where players get knocked out

Catan box

Catan

3–4 players60–90 min10+
from ₹3,299 genuine

Dice drive this one too, but you trade and build instead of fight

Sushi Go! box

Sushi Go!

2–5 players15–20 min8+
from ₹1,300 genuine

Equally light and quick for family tables, with cards instead of dice

Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): King of Tokyo: Duel – The same monster brawl, redesigned for exactly two players.

Questions people ask about King of Tokyo

Is King of Tokyo good for kids?

The box says 8 and up, and children can follow the dice easily because they use symbols. The Power cards have English text, so younger players may need someone to read them. A monster can be knocked out before the game ends, which upsets some children, so tell them about it before you start.

Which King of Tokyo should I buy in India?

Buy the standard IELLO King of Tokyo, the 2016 edition sold today. The Monster Box adds expansions at a higher price, Origins is a simpler cut-down version, and Duel is a separate two-player game. The Dark Edition was a limited print and is hard to find.

Can you play King of Tokyo with 2 players?

Yes. The base game is for 2 to 6 players, and with fewer than five only Tokyo City is used. It feels much livelier with four or more, though. If you mostly play as two, King of Tokyo: Duel is designed for exactly two players.

Why is King of Tokyo so expensive on Amazon India?

Every copy in India is imported, and the Amazon.in listing seen on 5 October 2026 was priced above Indian stores. Gameistry's ₹4,400 for the same edition was lower, though Gameistry was out of stock that day. Compare prices and ask specialist stores about restocks before you pay the higher price.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the publisher, Indian distributors and the store listings below. Prices were checked on 5 October 2026.

Prototype notes for review (won't appear on the live site)
  • Amazon match: exact link, high confidence. Listing title seen: "IELLO Child Strategy King of Tokyo Robots Board Game".
  • How it was found: COMPOSIO_SEARCH_AMAZON on amazon.in, 5 Oct 2026: the queries 'King of Tokyo board game', 'king of tokyo game', 'King of Tokyo IELLO board game' and 'IELLO King of Tokyo new edition dice game Richard Garfield' all returned B01F46RPS4 (positions 1-6) at ₹7,777 with a listed MRP of ₹18,899, 4.8 stars and 3,900 reviews. No other base-game listing appeared; the other results were expansions, King of Tokyo: Duel (B0D5DMJ6XG, ₹4,232) and the Monster Box (B09FY921Z8, ₹16,029). The garbled title ('Child Strategy ... Robots') is odd, but the ASIN is the New Edition listing on other Amazon sites. The price is well above Indian store pricing.
  • Gameistry's page doesn't name the edition; its box photo shows the 2016 artwork.
  • The barcode 3760175513145 comes from overseas retailer listings (Blackwell's, LVLUP Games) for the 2016 English edition. It was not checked on a box sold in India.
  • The Amazon.in seller, and whether that listing ships from abroad, were not seen.
  • No authorised Indian distributor for IELLO was found.
  • Board Games India could not be checked because of its bot check. A Flipkart listing ('Iello King of Tokyo New Edition') was unavailable and showed no seller, so it was left out. No King of Tokyo listing was found for Hamleys, FirstCry or Crossword.
  • The Toycra Power Up expansion's barcode (3760175510731) was not matched to an edition, so it is unclear whether it is the 2016-compatible 'New Edition' version.
  • best_players and teach_time are editorial estimates based on the rules, not measured.