King of Tokyo rules: how to play and how to score

King of Tokyo quick rules

The goal

Each player is a giant Monster who wants to rule Tokyo. You win if you are the first to 20 Victory Points, or the last Monster standing. Everyone starts with 10 Life Points and 0 Victory Points.

Your turn

Your turn has five steps: roll dice, resolve dice, enter Tokyo if the city is empty, buy Power cards, then end your turn. The dice then go to the player on your left.

Rolling the dice

You roll the six black dice, up to three times. Between rolls, you set aside the dice you like and reroll the others; you can also take back dice you set aside. You can stop whenever you want.

The die faces

You resolve all your dice. Three of a kind scores that number in Victory Points, plus one per extra matching die. Lightning gives one Energy cube, the heart heals one Life Point (never above 10, never in Tokyo), and the claw is a Smash.

Smashing and Tokyo

Your Smashes hit every Monster not in the same place as you: in Tokyo, you hit those outside; outside, you hit those in Tokyo. A Monster smashed in Tokyo can Yield, still losing its Life Points, and its attacker takes its place. At 0 Life Points, a Monster is eliminated.

Entering Tokyo

If Tokyo is empty, you must enter. Entering scores 1 Victory Point, and starting your turn in Tokyo scores 2. But in Tokyo, hearts no longer heal, and you only leave by Yielding after a Smash.

Tokyo Bay with 5 or 6 players

With 5 or 6 players, Tokyo has two places: Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay. The two Monsters in Tokyo don’t smash each other. As soon as only 4 Monsters remain, Tokyo Bay empties.

Power cards

You can buy one or more of the three face-up cards with your Energy cubes; each card bought is replaced. For 2 cubes, you can sweep all three. A Keep card stays in front of you; a Discard card takes effect right away.

End of the game

The game ends at the end of the turn in which a Monster reaches 20 Victory Points, or when only one is left. You must be alive to win; if all Monsters are eliminated at once, everyone loses.

Beginner traps

You need at least three of a kind to score. Hearts don’t heal in Tokyo. Don’t forget your 2 points at the start of your turn in Tokyo. And a card that makes you lose Life Points doesn’t let you Yield Tokyo.

With Power Up!

Each Monster has its own deck of Evolution cards. After resolving your dice, if you rolled three hearts, you draw two Evolutions and keep one, even in Tokyo. You play them whenever you want, even on another player’s turn.

With Even More Wicked!

Each three of a kind of 1s scores two Wickedness points, and each three of a kind of 2s scores one. At levels 3, 6 and 10 of the Wickedness Gauge, you take a tile with a permanent power, one per level.

How to score King of Tokyo

Victory Points

The points on your Monster board: three of a kind scores its number, plus 1 per extra matching die; 1 point for entering Tokyo, 2 for starting your turn there; and Power cards. The first to 20 wins, if still alive.

Life Points left

Optional, for the record: 0 for an eliminated Monster.

Won by

Optional, for the record: 20 Victory Points, or last Monster standing.

Won with Tokyo Tower (Monster Pack – King Kong)

Optional, for the record: a Monster who owns all three levels of Tokyo Tower wins instantly.

Worked example

Mia starts her turn in Tokyo with 15 Victory Points: she takes 2, so 17. She ends with three 3s and a claw: 3 more points, 17 + 3 = 20. At the end of her turn, she is still alive: she wins.

Common mistakes

• Scoring a pair: you need at least three of a kind.
• Forgetting the 2 points for starting your turn in Tokyo, or the point for entering.
• Declaring a Monster at 20 points the winner when it dies that same turn: you must be alive.
• Stopping mid-turn: you finish the turn in which 20 points is reached.

How to set up King of Tokyo

Setup takes about 5 minutes. With 2 to 4 players, only Tokyo City is used; with 5 or 6, Tokyo Bay too.