Featured: ChessTic Tac Toe Online: Play Free vs Computer or a Friend
Get three in a row before your rival. Four computer levels up to Impossible, bigger 4x4 and 5x5 boards, and best of 3 or 5 matches.
Tap a square to place your mark. X always moves first.
How to play Tic Tac Toe
Pick a mode
Play the computer on Easy, Medium, Hard or Impossible, or create a room and invite a friend online.
Place your mark
Tap or click an empty square. X always moves first, then the players take turns, one mark at a time.
Block and attack
Stop every line your rival is building, and look for a move that makes two threats at once.
Get a line
Three in a row wins on 3x3, four in a row on 4x4 and 5x5. A full board with no line is a draw.
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Tic Tac Toe rules
Tic Tac Toe, also called noughts and crosses or XOXO, is played on a square grid. One player uses X and the other uses O. X always moves first, then the players take turns placing one mark in any empty square. Marks never move once they are placed.
On the classic 3x3 board you win the moment you have three marks in a row: across, up and down, or diagonally. On the 4x4 and 5x5 boards you need four in a row. If every square is filled and nobody has a line, the game is a draw, which players often call a cat's game.
Matches can be a single game, best of 3 or best of 5. A win scores one point and a drawn round scores nothing. The players take turns starting each round, and whoever starts plays X. The match ends early when one player can no longer be caught, and a level score after the last round is a tied match.
Computer levels and boards
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Easy | Plays loosely and often misses your threats. Great for kids and a first game. |
| Medium | Always takes a win and blocks your line, but misses traps and forks. |
| Hard | Thinks ahead and plays well, yet slips now and then. You can beat it. |
| Impossible | Perfect play on 3x3, so a draw is your best result. Deep search on bigger boards. |
| Board | 3x3 with three in a row, or 4x4 and 5x5 with four in a row. |
| Match | A single game, best of 3 or best of 5 rounds. |
Your wins, losses and draws are saved for every level and board on this device.
How to win at Tic Tac Toe: strategy tips
Start in the centre or a corner. The centre square belongs to four winning lines, more than any other square, and each corner belongs to three. Edge squares belong to only two. If you move first, a corner opening sets the most traps for a beginner, while the centre is the safest choice.
Always check for a win, then for a block. Before every move, look for a square that completes your own line. If there is none, look for a line where your rival has two marks and an empty square, and block it at once.
Make a fork. A fork is a move that creates two threats at the same time. Your rival can only block one of them, so the other wins. A classic fork starts with X in a corner. If O answers on an edge, X takes the centre or another corner and soon has two lines open.
Stop forks before they happen. When you play O against a corner opening, take the centre. If X then holds two opposite corners, answer on an edge, not in a corner, to force X to block you instead of building a fork.
Bigger boards need a plan. On 4x4 one block kills a whole row, so most games are draws and patience wins. On 5x5 you have room to build: place marks in the middle that point at several lines and aim for two open threats at once.
Playing the computer
Pick a level, a board and the match length, then press Play. Against Impossible on 3x3 the game is solved: perfect play from both sides always ends in a draw, so holding it to a draw means you played perfectly too.
Playing a friend online
Choose Play a friend online and create a room, then share the 6 character code or the invite link. Your friend joins from any phone, tablet or computer. The host chooses the board and the match length. The players take turns starting each round, every move is checked by the host, the score stays in sync on both screens, and after the match a rematch is one tap away.
Why play Tic Tac Toe
It is a quick way to practise thinking ahead and spotting patterns. A round takes less than a minute, and the bigger boards and the Impossible level keep it fresh for adults too.
Tic Tac Toe FAQ
Is this Tic Tac Toe game free to play online?
Yes. Tic Tac Toe on OnlineGames2Play is completely free and runs in your browser on any phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download, no account and no sign up. Pick a mode and the board is ready at once.
How do you win at Tic Tac Toe?
Be the first player to get three of your marks in a row across, down or diagonally. On the bigger 4x4 and 5x5 boards you need four in a row. If every square is filled and nobody has a line, the game is a draw.
Who goes first in Tic Tac Toe?
X always moves first. In a best of 3 or best of 5 match the players take turns starting: whoever starts a round plays X, so both players get the first move equally often. In a single game the first move swaps each time you press Play again.
Can you beat the Impossible computer?
Not on the classic 3x3 board. Impossible plays perfectly, so the best you can get is a draw, and it punishes every mistake. Hard plays very well but slips now and then, so it can be beaten. Easy and Medium are good for learning and for kids.
How does a best of 3 or best of 5 match work?
A win scores one point and a drawn round scores nothing. The starting player swaps every round. The match ends when one player can no longer be caught or after the last round. If the score is level after the last round, the match is tied.
What are the 4x4 and 5x5 boards?
They are bigger versions of the game that need four in a row. The 4x4 board is very tight and many games end in a draw. The 5x5 board has more room, so attacks with two threats at once decide most games.
How do I play Tic Tac Toe with a friend online?
Choose Play a friend online, enter your name and create a room. Share the 6 character room code or the invite link. Your friend opens it on their own device, enters a name and joins. The host picks the board size and the match length and starts the match.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Use the arrow keys to move between squares and press Enter or Space to place your mark. On the 3x3 board the keys 1 to 9 pick a square directly, counted from the top left like a phone keypad. Escape opens the leave menu.
More board games to play online
See all free board games, read the Mastermind strategy guide or browse the OnlineGames2Play blog.