Tic Tac Toe is the pencil and paper game you played in the back of the class, now free in your browser. Play against an easy computer, try the hard mode that never loses, or share one screen with a friend. It needs no download or sign up, works on phone and desktop, and keeps working offline once loaded.
Inspired by: Noughts and crosses, the paper and pencil game.
How to play Tic Tac Toe
- Choose Easy, Hard or 2 players on the first screen.
- You are X and you take turns with O. Tap or click a square to draw your mark.
- Get three of your marks in a row, across, down or corner to corner, to win.
- If all nine squares fill up with no line, the round is a draw.
- Points add up across rounds. A win gives 3 points and a draw gives 1.
Controls
- Keyboard: Arrow keys move the highlight, Space or Enter draws a mark. Keys 1 to 9 pick a square directly, from top left to bottom right.
- Mouse: Click any empty square.
- Touch screen: Tap any empty square.
Tips to score higher
- Take the centre square if you can. It sits on four of the eight winning lines.
- If the other side holds a corner, take the opposite corner or the centre.
- Try to make a fork, where one move creates two threats at once.
- Against Hard mode, aim for a draw. Every mistake you make will be punished.
The story behind Tic Tac Toe
Games of three in a row are very old. A similar game called terni lapilli was played in the Roman Empire, and boards have been found carved into stone. The paper version with X and O became popular in English speaking countries and is often called noughts and crosses. In 1952 a computer program at the University of Cambridge played the game on an early machine, one of the first computer games ever made. For many of us in India, the 3 by 3 grid drawn on the last page of a notebook was the first game we ever played, usually while the teacher was not looking.
Questions players ask
Is this tic tac toe game free?
Yes. It is free to play with no sign up, no download and no in-game purchases.
Can I beat the Hard computer?
No. Hard mode plays perfectly, so the best result you can get is a draw. Easy mode makes mistakes, so you can win there.
Can I play tic tac toe with a friend on the same screen?
Yes. Choose 2 players and take turns on the same phone, tablet or computer.
Who goes first?
The first move changes every round, so both sides get the advantage of starting.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. After the page has loaded once, the game keeps working offline.