PlayRoom

Strategy game

Tic-tac-toe

Three in a row. Simple to learn, hard to beat.

Noughts and crosses with a real opponent, a best-of series, bigger boards and a bot at four levels.

2 players3×3 to 6×6 boardsBest of 1, 3 or 5Four bot levels
A tic-tac-toe grid with crosses and rings

What is Tic-tac-toe?

Two players take turns placing X and O on a grid. Get your marks in an unbroken line to win. On the classic 3×3 board perfect play is always a draw, so the fun is in catching a mistake.

The server holds the board and checks every move. Nobody can play out of turn, and a move that arrives twice is played once.

How to play

Six steps from an empty room to a rematch.

  1. 01

    Take a seat

    Two seats, X and O. Anyone else in the room watches.

  2. 02

    Pick the rules

    Classic 3×3, Big 5×5, or choose the size and the line you need. Choose a single game or a best-of series.

  3. 03

    Place a mark

    On your turn tap an empty cell. The server checks the move and tells both of you.

  4. 04

    Make a line

    Complete a row, column or diagonal of the length the rules ask for.

  5. 05

    Win or draw

    A full board with no line is a draw. In a series a draw counts for nobody.

  6. 06

    Rematch

    The host can rematch with seats swapped, or everyone can go back to the room.

Rules

What the server does.

The board
  • The board is 3×3 to 6×6. The line to win can be 3 to 6, never longer than the board.
  • Classic is 3×3 with three in a row. Big is 5×5 with four in a row.
Winning
  • The first player to complete a line of the required length wins the game.
  • If the board fills with no line, the game is a draw.
  • In a best-of series the first to win most of the games takes the match. If nobody is ahead after the last game, the match is a draw.
The clock
  • With a turn clock, if time runs out the server plays a safe move for you.
  • Miss three turns in a row and you lose the match.

Settings

The host sets these in the lobby before the game starts. They are fixed once it begins.

Rules

Classic 3×3Big 5×5Custom

Board size

3×34×45×56×6

In a row to win

3456

Match

Single gameBest of 3Best of 5

Who starts

RandomFirst seatSecond seatAlternate

Turn clock

Off15 s30 s60 s90 s2 min

Playing a bot

Play a bot at Easy, Medium, Hard or Smart. Bots sit in a normal seat and see only what you see. Games against a bot are unranked and do not count toward stats. Smart plays the 3×3 game perfectly.

Watching

Everyone else in the room watches live: the board, whose turn it is, the score and every move.

Ready to play?

Start a room, invite a friend, or play a bot.