Domino games for two, three, or four people—and for free online!

We've covered the best ways to use a domino set for in-person and online games. Those games are great for seniors and groups of various sizes. We've compiled more games you can play depending on your party size and ages.

Online domino games for one person

Almost all popular domino games are designed for more than one person. You could play "straight dominoes", the traditional domino game where players draw from the boneyard and lay them end-to-end by matching pips by yourself. But it's a bit like playing chess or checkers against yourself. You're just organizing tiles, and without opposing players, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a score based on total pip count. Instead, solo games played with a computer or tablet are your best choice. The iOS and Android App Store has loads of options for dominoes, Mexican Train dominoes, Chickenfoot dominoes, and others. Here are some of our favorites:

Domino games for two to three people

Straight dominoes

What it is: The classic domino game that hails from the south and uses a Double-six domino set.

Who it's for: At least two and as many as four players. Four players often play as partners with players opposite each other at the table on a team.

How to play: Shuffle all the dominoes, and each player draws seven dominoes. Laying one domino each turn, players play each tile to match the pip count of at least one side of an existing domino on the board. The first player can play whatever domino they wish.

Object of the game: Lay dominoes end-to-end so the touching sides match (e.g., 5|2 - 2|4). If the dots on the exposed, un-coupled ends in any multiple of 5 (so 5 or 10 on most sets), the player scores that number of points. Play ends when the first player has laid all their domino tiles, and the winner is the player with the highest score.

Chickenfoot dominoes

What it is: A game similar to Mexican Train dominoes, but players lay tiles diagonally, giving the tiles a distinctive "Chickenfoot" layout. Uses a double-nine domino set.

Who it's for: Two or more players

How to play: Each player draws a tile from the "chicken yard" (instead of the usual "boneyard"), so each player has an equal number of tiles. If three people are playing, out of a 55-tile double-nine set, each player would draw 15 tiles. The remaining tiles are left in the chicken yard.

Chickenfoot has several rules for starting to play and how play moves, but the gist is you lay tiles so one end matches another, and once six tiles are played, you have a "chicken toe". Once a player has played a double, the next three plays are added onto the double, and these three diagonal tiles are called the "chicken foot". Other doubles on the remaining line of toes repeats. The game ends when the first player is out of tiles, and the chicken yard is empty.

Object of the game: Be the player with the lowest score, which is totaled by the number of pips remaining in your pile at the end of the game. Chickenfoot tradition says to add 50 points to the player who holds the 0|0 tile at the end of the game!

Bergen dominoes

What it is: An easy-to-score game where you match tiles. Uses any standard domino set or double-nine, twelve, or other variation.

Who it's for: Three or more players

How to play: Place tiles so each open end matches another tile. Each time you make the open ends of the layout match, you score two points. Meaning you'll need both ends of a domino to match across three tiles. The first to 15 wins.

Object of the game: Be the player with the highest score. Play the game until all the tiles are played.

Domino games for four or more people

Mexican Train dominoes

What it is: A variation of dominoes using a double-twelve domino set. Players work to unload tiles only one tile at a time but get to play twice when laying doubles. It’s also fun to play Mexican Train online, Mexican Train on iOS, and Mexican Train Dominoes on Android.

Who it's for: At least three and as many as eight players, but four players is often ideal when using a double-twelve set. Great for seniors, teens, and players of all ages.

How to play: We've got all the rules and extra tips on how to play in detail here. The gist is each player plays one tile at a time matching ends of dominoes from a central station. Each player has their own private line or "Train" of dominoes, and there is a public "Mexican Train" to play on. And no, the name is not racist—it comes from its popularity among rail workers and is derived from Chinese and Cuban variations of similar games.

Object of the game: Get the lowest score, as determined by the number of pips left on your tiles at the end of the game when the first person is out of dominoes.

Bingo with dominoes

What it is: A twist on the card game of the same name, but with dominoes serving as dots.

Who it's for: At least three and as many six players, or however many can comfortably sit around a pile of dominoes at one spot.

How to play: Turn over all the tiles onto the table so you can't see the pips. One player turns over a tile, and the highest number becomes the number of pips to beat. Each player repeats, trying to hold on to the title of "highest playing score". A double-blank outranks everything, and if two tiles are played that each contains the highest side, the total number of pips on the tile wins to form the high score.

Object of the game: Play the highest-scoring tile of the game.