Isto — Ahmedabad Baji

The 2,000-year-old Gujarati game of shells, now in your group chats. Toss cowries, cut your rivals, race your kooks home. Free to play with 2–4 friends in Messages.

Play Isto — the classic Ahmedabad Baji / Chowka Bhara — right inside iMessage.

Toss four cowrie shells, race your four kooks around the board, and be the first to bring them all home. The game your ba taught you, rebuilt beautifully for your family group chat.

HOW IT WORKS • Start a game in any chat — head-to-head, or 3–4 players in a group • Take your turn, send the bubble, and the board travels with the message • Friends tap to join and play — no account, no sign-up, nothing to configure

THE RULES OF THE COURTYARD • Shells up count 1 each — all four down is the mighty BARA (8) • Chowka (4) and Bara (8) earn you another toss • Land on a rival to cut them back to the start — but watch the crossed safe squares • You must cut at least once before your kooks may turn into the inner loop • Exit through the centre by exact count. First to pull all four kooks off the board wins

MADE WITH CARE • Hand-drawn cowrie shells that hop, flip, and settle with real physics • A carved sandalwood board with chalk crosses and a lotus medallion • Toss rattles, cuts, chimes and a victory flourish — sounds for every moment • Optional style packs: marble and Diwali boards, brass and gemstone coins, gilded shells, velvet backdrops

No ads. No subscriptions. No data collected — the whole game lives inside your messages.

Known across India as Chowka Bhara, Ashta Chamma, Chomal Isto, and Ahmedabad Baji.