Last updated on December 1st, 2025 at 11:32 am
20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur – Education Game Review
20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur is a Education/Board/Strategy game from Ooh La Banana Games Inc., first launched in 17th May 2017.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 17+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes 20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur Stand Out
Twenty Squares, or the Royal Game of Ur, a strategy/race board game. dating from at least 2600BCE. The oldest game boards were found in the tombs of Ur in Iraq in the 1920s. While the ancient rules are still fuzzy, two players race around the board to see who can bring all their stones home before the other, with some surprises along the way.
- No ads and no in-app purchases!
- 1 or 2 players
This version currently implements the simple route and rules of the game, perfect for kids and beginners to the game.
Some reviewers have suggested that the dice rolls are rigged when playing the AI. The dice rolls are not fudged in any way! Part of the allure of Twenty Squares is that you can't predict the winner until the very end of the game, as one bad roll can change the outcome completely.
Feedback/reviews are welcome to help future development. Some things on the go:
- GameCenter support to play with people around the world
- better AI
- more race routes and special squares
This Education game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, 20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 16th September 2025
Recent improvements include:
Rebuilt for modern devices.
Download & Availability
20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get 20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
First off, thanks, developer, for pricing this so fairly as a premium game with no ads or IAP. We heartily support developers like you who do that right. The game plays awesome! The rolls are fair. The graphics are good. The interface is intuitive. The rules were simple to learn. Thank you for giving us a great new (very old, LOL) game to play while Im having coffee or taking a break.
We only wish the difficulty was higher. We havent lost to the virtual opponent ever. However this is a delight to play. Well done.
We wish it had a harder level. And PLEASE add a option to turn off volume. Last request leaderboard and show number of moves to help with learning the game.
We have been playing this for a long time. Its fun and to think it is from way back when, is amazing. We are an older person, probably like most that are enjoying this game. (Not enough violence for younger kids) But, anyway, the 3 new black triangles are very small. We can not tell what is printed in white on them. And now our turn number is much a lighter color, and not as easy to see. Minor things in this world of big problems, but our 2 cents worth. Still a great game ….. Linda.
We learned about 20 Squares, the Royal Game of Ur, from the British Museum on YouTube, with cuneiform expert (and gaming expert) Irving Finkel. This is a great implementation of the game, but sometimes when a "O" has been rolled (we think), the game displays a "-. If it weren't for that one tiny bug, we'd have given this game a full 5 Stars. We play the game on our iPad. When set to the hardest level it is very difficult, and we're looking forward to the version which connects it to the Game Center. Thanks! P.S. Changed our review from 4 star to 5 star, because the "- means you can't move based on what you just rolled. Wonderful game, this precursor to backgammon.
The designer has done a wonderful job of implementing Dr. Irving Finkle of The British Museums ruleset. We do wish it had some sort of graphic representation of the tetrahedral dice and the ability to roll your own dice. We have to objection which keep our rating T Four. Our biggest objection is THE AI CHEATS! On the highest difficulty level it almost ALWAYS gets exactly what it needs to knock you out, get a second roll, or to score… Almost always. Its even noticeable on difficulty II, but it is much more balanced. Our second biggest objection is the amateurish graphic design. While this has no bearing on the game interface or playability, the visual appeal of the original source game Ur, or many other versions available as tabletop editions, just isnt there. As a graphic designer ourselves, we look forward playing games that are pleasing to the eye. When Im playing this it makes us wish we could help bring this best-of-the-ur-apps-so-far to the next level. Ultimately the gameplay is relatively intuitive(except the ~), smooth and enjoyable, which we suppose is most important.
We have to agree with swhellweg on this. Our enjoyment of the game is lessened because the ai cheats. When we play level 3, the ai almost ALWAYS gets the move it needs. So much so, we can predict, 9 times out of 10, how many moves it will get after we move our piece. We really enjoy this game, but that joy is short lived when we play.
This is a fun implementation of the game. Plays the way it should, and everything is accurate. The ai logic is pretty good over all. It does use some catch-up logic that was obvious. We were one role from winning, and way out ahead. It must have given us 8 zeroes in a row until it got closer and let us finish. Dont tell us you havent fiddled with it. Give us a break.
We thought that the extra turn square in the choke point of the board was protected and pieces were not allowed to be attacked in the rules stated by the British Royal Museum.
This game follows the most common piece movement flow pattern. There is an issue with the dice rolling, occasionally instead of a 0-4 coming up, a squiggly line appears which seems to be the same as a 0 roll. This appears to be a bug. Also, it would be better if the game allowed you to rotate the board 90 degrees and play from one side as we understand the game is meant to be played, as opposed to vertical. Lastly, it would be nice to see the pieces that you have completed bearing off.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 2.0
- Size: 10.83 MB
- iOS: 15.6 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: [Ooh La Banana Games Inc.]()
Last updated: 16th September 2025 | Genre: Education, Board | Developer: Ooh La Banana Games Inc.