Mancala UkooThe curious
You know mancala as Kalah – or not at all. The introduction starts from scratch, and Kalah and Oware put the familiar and the best-known traditional game side by side, for free.
Mancala Ukoo
Mancala is not one game but a family. Eleven of its games under their real names – with rules that are documented, not smoothed over.
- Kalah and Oware free
- No ads
- No subscription
- No account, offline
For Android phones and tablets running Android 8 or later.
Top0Bottom0
Kalah to try out, in your browser, for two players. In the app you can also play against the computer.
How it works
Sow, count, capture: seeds travel pit by pit around the board. Each game decides the winner in its own way – usually it’s whoever has gathered more seeds; in Bao, Omweso and Igisoro, the last player still able to move wins.
From scratch
A five-step introduction on the Kalah board takes you through your first game – watch first, then make your own moves. The practice board is a shortened Kalah for a game that takes just a few minutes.
Against the computer or two players
Three difficulty levels, or two players on one device. No online play: there is nobody at the other end, and the app does not pretend otherwise.
Further into the family
For every other game, the app shows how it differs from Kalah – with hands-on tasks to try before your first game.
The family
For every game, the app states where it comes from, which tradition it follows and which source the rules are based on. Where traditions disagree, it tells you which one you are playing.
- KalahUSA
free - OwareGhana, Côte d’Ivoire (Akan)
free - AyoayoNigeria (Yoruba)
in the purchase - Bao la kujifunzaSwahili coast: Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya
in the purchase - BaoSwahili coast: Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya
in the purchase - OmwesoUganda (Baganda)
in the purchase - CongkakMalaysia, Indonesia
in the purchase - SungkaPhilippines
in the purchase - DakonJava, Indonesia
in the purchase - EndodoiKenya, Tanzania (Maasai)
in the purchase - IgisoroRwanda, Burundi
in the purchase
Kalah was patented in the USA in 1955 and is a simplification made for Western players. The app labels it as exactly that: an entry point, not mancala itself. Oware follows the Abapa tournament rules – including the duty to feed: if your opponent can no longer move, you must give them seeds. You win by gathering, never by starving them out.
Seeds never overlap: how many lie in a pit is the most important information in the game – which is why the number is also shown under every pit.
Your path through the family
Every win against a new computer level earns a seed – one per game and level. Your tree rings grow with them:
- Seedto begin with
- Sproutfrom 1 seed
- Seedlingfrom 3 seeds
- Shrubfrom 6 seeds – reachable with Kalah and Oware alone
- Treefrom 12 seeds
- Baobabfrom 21 seeds
Daily position: every day, one position in Kalah or Oware, one best move, the same for everyone. No streaks, no reminders – play whenever you like. A rank, once reached, stays.
Screenshots
Path, daily position, first steps 
Kalah against the computer 
A new seed, a new rank 
One position every day 
The family and where it comes from 
A five-step introduction
Who is it for?
Board game connoisseurs
You want to play Bao with its two phases, Omweso on four rows or Igisoro from Rwanda – following a named source instead of invented rules.
Two at the table
One device, two players: the phone or tablet as the board between you, with no stones to hunt for and no miscounting.
What’s free – and what costs
No banners, no videos, no energy, no chests. No subscription. The only cost is a single one-time purchase.
Free
- Kalah and Oware – against the computer at three levels or with two players
- Five-step introduction and practice board
- A new daily position every day
- Your path up to the rank of Shrub
- Rules with sources for all eleven games
Unlock all variants
$3.49
One-time. Opens the nine other games: Ayoayo, Bao la kujifunza, Bao, Omweso, Congkak, Sungka, Dakon, Endodoi and Igisoro.
Price in the USA as of October 2026 (Germany: €2.99). The price shown by Google Play at checkout is binding.
FAQ
Do I need an internet connection?
No. You play entirely offline. The app uses internet access only for purchases through Google Play – outside of a purchase, it transmits nothing.
Can I play online against other people?
No, and that is deliberate. You play against the computer or with two players on one device. We never pass off a computer opponent as a person.
Is Mancala Ukoo available for iPhone?
Not yet. The app is available for Android phones and tablets.
Does the app collect data?
No. No user account, no ads, no trackers. What you play stays on your device. The details are in the privacy policy (German).
I have a new device. Is my purchase gone?
No. The purchase is tied to your Google account. If the same account is signed in on the new device, the app picks it up automatically when it starts.
Which languages does the app support?
German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Polish and Russian. The translations are machine-made and not checked by native speakers – the app says so itself.
A rule doesn’t match the tradition I know.
That happens: regional traditions sometimes contradict each other. The app names its source for every game. If you know a different one, write to us at kontakt@wunderkammer-apps.de.
Eleven games, one family.
Kalah and Oware free, no ads, no account.