Santorini rules: how to play and how to win
Reviewed on 20 October 2026 against the publisher’s rulebook. How we check
Santorini plays 2 to 4 players on an island of 25 spaces: each player controls two Workers, and the first to move up onto a third level wins. Here are the essential rules, setup and how to win, based on the official rules.
- Players
- 2 to 4 (teams with 4)
- Play time
- About 20 minutes
- Winner
- The first to move up onto a third level
Santorini quick rules
- The goal
- Each player controls two Workers on an island of 5 by 5 spaces. Together, you build towers three levels high. The first player to move one of their Workers up onto the third level of a tower wins at once.
- A turn: move, then build
- On your turn, choose one of your Workers. Move it one space, diagonals included, onto an unoccupied space. It moves up one level at most, but down any number of levels. Then it builds on an unoccupied neighboring space.
- Building
- Place the block for the next level: level 1 on the ground, then 2, then 3. On a third level, place a dome: the tower is complete and nobody can move onto it. You can build on any tower, even an opponent’s.
- Winning and losing
- You win as soon as one of your Workers moves up onto a third level during your turn. Moving from one third level to another doesn’t count. And if you can’t move and then build, you lose: trapping your opponent is another way to win.
- God Powers
- After a few games, each player gets a God Power that changes a rule for them alone. All other rules still apply. Breaking a “must” or “cannot” on your card makes you lose, and some Powers add another win condition.
- With three or four players
- God Powers are required, showing the icon for your player count. With 3, a player who loses is out, and the last one standing wins. With 4, two teams of two share their Workers; if any player wins, their team wins.
- Beginner traps
- Don’t build a third level next to an opponent’s Worker on a second level. Remember to close a dangerous tower with a dome. Keep both your Workers free to move, and always build with the one that just moved.
How to win Santorini
- No points
- Santorini has no points: the first player to move up onto a third level during their turn wins at once.
- Losing
- A player who can’t move and then build loses. With Powers, breaking a “must” or “cannot” on your card also makes you lose.
- With 3 and 4 players
- With 3, the loser is out and the last player standing wins. With 4, if any player wins, their team wins: the Ludingo sheet then marks both teammates.
- Victory by
- For the record, the Ludingo sheet can note how the game was won: moving up, opponent trapped, a Power’s win condition, or a broken Power.
Example ending
Emma has a Worker on a second level. Jake builds a third level right next to it, planning to dome it next turn. Emma moves up onto it on her turn: she wins the game by moving up onto a third level.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a Worker forced onto a third level by an opponent’s Power wins: it must move up during your turn.
- Thinking you win by moving from one third level to another: you must move up.
- Forgetting that a trapped player loses: with 3 players, they’re out of the game.
How to set up Santorini
Setup takes about 2 minutes. For your first 2-player game, play without God Powers; with 3 or 4 players, they are required.
The island
- Assemble the Cliff Pedestal and place the Island Board on top.In the Roxley edition, the pedestal sits on the Ocean Board.
- Sort the blocks by size and keep the domes within reach.If you run out of a block, remove a complete tower and leave a dome on the ground in its place.
God Powers
- With 2 players, for a first game, leave the God Power cards in the box.
- With Powers, the Challenger, the most “god-like” player, chooses as many cards as there are players.To start, use the Simple God Powers, marked with a hibiscus flower.
- With 3 players, only choose Powers showing the 3-player icon.
- With 4 players, only choose Powers showing the 4-player icon, and form two teams of two, teammates facing each other.Teammates share the same Workers, but each has their own Power.
- The Challenger reads each Power aloud, then everyone takes one, clockwise.The Challenger receives the last one.
- Perform your Power’s additional setup, if it has one.In turn order, before placing Workers.
- With Golden Fleece, 2 players: no individual Powers, but a single Power showing the Golden Fleece icon, beside the board.Each turn, it belongs to the player with a Worker neighboring the Ram.
The Workers
- Each player takes the two Workers of one color.With 4 players, one color per team.
- The Start Player places their two Workers on any two unoccupied spaces.Without Powers, the youngest player starts; with Powers, the Challenger chooses the Start Player.
- Clockwise, each other player places their two Workers.With 4 players, each team’s first player places the Workers, and their teammate takes the team’s first turn.
- With Golden Fleece: the player who placed Workers first places the Ram on an unoccupied space, then the other player starts.In this variant, the oldest player places Workers first.
Frequently asked questions
Who goes first in Santorini?
Without God Powers, the youngest player. With Powers, the Challenger chooses the Start Player.
Can you move up two levels in Santorini?
No: a Worker moves up one level at a time, unless a Power says otherwise. It can move down any number of levels.
How do you play Santorini with 4 players?
In two teams of two, teammates facing each other, with God Powers showing the 4-player icon. Each team shares two Workers, and each player keeps their own Power.
Ludingo’s Santorini sheet was last reviewed on 20 October 2026, based on: rulebook (PDF), salsify.com, BoardGameGeek.