Stratego

Stratego is a multiplayer adaptation of the original strategic board game known for its tactical depth. Command an army and capture the enemy’s flag while protecting your own. Make guesses as to the positioning of your enemy’s strongest and weakest pieces, calculate, conceal, bluff, and set traps to win!

You can play together with your friends by sharing a room code, or train against AI opponents to hone your tactical skills.

How to play Stratego?

Each player controls an army of 40 pieces on a 10x10 board. In the middle of the board, two impassable lakes create three narrow avenues for confrontation. Move your pieces forward to advance against the enemy. There are two ways to win the game: you can either capture your opponent’s flag, or eliminate all of their movable pieces.

Each piece represents a soldier or officer rank in the army. In most cases, the stronger pieces will defeat the weaker ones in a skirmish (see below for the exceptions). When two soldiers or officers of equal rank clash, both will die.

You cannot see the identity of your opponent’s pieces, and they cannot see yours. Only when a piece is attacked can both players briefly view the ranks of both pieces. After this, the identity of the surviving piece will be concealed again.

The Classic Stratego Pieces and their Special Abilities

• BOMB - These are immovable pieces. Any piece attacking a bomb will be eliminated, with the exception of Miners. Each player has 6 Bombs.
• FLAG - This piece is also immovable. Capturing the flag is the aim of the game. Each player has 1 Flag.
• SPY - Ranked 1, the Spy is the weakest piece. However, the Spy has one formidable strength: it can attack and eliminate the Marshal. Each player has 1 Spy.
• SCOUT - Ranked 2, the Scout can cover any number of open squares in a horizontal or vertical line, and attack within the same turn. Each player has 8 Scouts.
• MINER - Ranked 3, the Miner is the only piece that can defuse bombs. Each player has 5 Miners.
• SERGEANT - Ranked 4, each player has 4 Sergeants.
• LIEUTENANT - Ranked 5, each player has 4 Lieutenants.
• CAPTAIN - Ranked 6, each player has 4 Captains.
• MAJOR - Ranked 7, each player has 3 Majors.
• COLONEL - Ranked 8, each player has 2 Colonels.
• GENERAL - Ranked 9, each player has 1 Colonel.
• MARSHAL - Ranked 10, the Marshal is the most powerful piece, but can still be eliminated by a Bomb and by the opponent’s Spy. 

(Please note that the old US rankings for the pieces are inverted, with the lowest number being the strongest. Here, the Marshal ranks 1, and the Scout ranks 9. In the “classic” US ranking, the Spy is designated S.) 

Play more free online games like Stratego

If you like this strategic board game, check out our full collection of strategy games such as tower defense and chess. Or try one of our other multiplayer strategy games.

Who created Stratego?

Stratego was created by Wanted5Games. 

When was Stratego first released?

This game was first released in December 2022 and was updated in 2024. The Android version was first released on October 16, 2023, and the iOS version followed soon after on October 31, 2023.