Mongolian traditional games can be grouped into two categories, depending on whether they use simple and readily available materials such as stones, sticks or animal bones, and games using crafted objects, notably painted or carved objects.

Games in the first category are symbolically connected to nature or nomadic lifestyle, mimicking a rite and characterized by the simplicity of their rules. The simplest of these games is Ail Ger ("The Family Hearth"). The most atypical Mongolian game is Shagai, or "knucklebones," which as its name suggests is played with cleaned and polished sheep knucklebones. One of the most common games played with shagai is "horse racing." Alag Malkhii, or "the multicolored turtle," is considered the game that best symbolizes wealth in Mongolia. Beyond entertainment, this game, if played for the new year, is supposed to bring luck and prosperity to the family and fertility to its animals.

Games in the second category—which includes cards, Mongolian chess, dominoes, and puzzles—are associated with social or artistic activities, and are normally more sophisticated, requiring greater intellectual skills. Games using painted or carved pieces include cards, chess, dominoes, and khorol (a game similar to dominoes, using the twelve zodiac animals and Buddhist symbols). The pieces used in these games were traditionally created by people themselves, thus constituting an important part of Mongolian folk art. Of these games, chess remains one of the most popular, as well as one of the oldest traditional games—some Mongolian scholars argue that chess actually originated in Mongolia.

Mongolian society also places great importance on sports, with competitions in the "three manly sports"—archery, horse racing, and wrestling—held primarily during the Naadam festival. The skills and attributes required in these sports are those expected of Mongolian men in the Middle Ages. It was important to shoot a bow well in the art of hunting and warfare; horsemanship par excellence was essential in military campaigns and in the daily life of herders; finally, wrestling was a test of strength, speed, and size—the most important masculine qualities at a time when success was measured by physical power and dexterity.

Ail Ger

The game of Ail Ger is a traditional Mongolian game played with stones, somewhat in the same way that Western children play "house" with dolls: a small circle of stones representing the ger is created; other stones are placed inside to represent furniture and household items; stones of different shapes and colors are assembled outside the "house" and represent the family's herds. Ail Ger has an important symbolic aspect and a traveler coming upon such a game should add a stone representing a new animal, symbolically increasing the size of the family's herd and thus bringing good fortune. Some stone groupings are supposed to exist for several centuries, with the arrangement of stones not left intact but renewed by each passer-by.

Shagai

Shagai, or "knucklebones," is the most atypical Mongolian game. It is played with cleaned and polished sheep knucklebones. Each of the four sides of the knucklebone represents a different animal—the horse, the sheep, the camel, and the goat—and although there are many games that can be played with the bones, generally the objective is to collect the most knucklebones by throwing or flicking them, with different consequences depending on the side they land on. In addition to being a pastime for herding families, shagai has significant symbolic value. A large family with many animals will have gradually collected a large number of knucklebones, so the possession of several knucklebones symbolizes the family's prosperity. Formerly, families that had collected more knucklebones than they needed would choose a favorable day and go to play the "multicolored turtle" game on a mountain summit, afterwards leaving the bones as an offering to the mountain or to heaven.

Horse Racing

One of the most common games in Mongolia with shagai is horse racing. Several knucklebones are lined up to represent the racetrack, and other bones are placed beside to represent the player's horse. Players throw the knucklebones and can move their horse one space for each knucklebone landing on the "horse" side. The first player to reach the end of the track and return is the winner.

The Multicolored Turtle

Alag Malkhii, or the multicolored turtle, is considered the game that best symbolizes wealth in Mongolia. Beyond entertainment, this game, if played for the New Year, is supposed to bring luck and prosperity to the family and fertility to its animals. It is played with several bones corresponding to one of the lucky numbers of Buddhist faith—normally 81 or 108. The positioning of the bones symbolizes the five elements and colors as well as the body of the turtle, which itself represents the cosmos in traditional Mongolian iconography. The bones, from different parts of the turtle or the five elements, are taken by the players on each turn corresponding to the throw of a die. The game ends once all parts of the turtle's body have been collected; the player who has collected the most knucklebones is designated the winner.

Chess

Chess is one of the most popular traditional Mongolian games, as well as one of the oldest—some Mongolian scholars argue that chess actually originated in Mongolia. The pieces of Mongolian chess depict nobles, horses, camels, ox carts, and other elements characteristic of Mongolian life. Mongolian chess resembles the Western version more than Chinese chess. However, there are notable differences in the rules. For example, only the pawn in front of the Queen can move two spaces on its first move, and the Queen can move only one space when moving diagonally.