About Tic Tac Toe
Tic Tac Toe, also called noughts and crosses, is the quick-fire game of X and O. Here you can play tic tac toe online free against the computer or a friend, on any phone, tablet or computer. Take turns marking squares on a 3×3 grid and be the first to get three in a row.
Want a real challenge? Try the Unbeatable computer. It plays perfectly, so a draw is the best anyone can do, and one slip means a loss. The Easy and Medium levels are friendlier and great for kids.
When you know the classic game inside out, switch to Ultimate Tic Tac Toe: nine small boards inside one big board. Every move you make decides where your opponent plays next, which turns a simple game into a real strategy puzzle. You can play Ultimate against a thinking computer opponent or with a friend on the same device.
How to play Tic Tac Toe
- 1
Pick a game and an opponent
Choose Classic or Ultimate, then pick Easy, Medium, Unbeatable (Hard in Ultimate) or 2 Players for pass-and-play. Against the computer you play X in one game and O in the next, and X always moves first.
- 2
Place your mark
Click or tap an empty square. In Classic you can also press 1–9, with the keys laid out like the grid starting from the top left, or use the arrow keys and Enter.
- 3
Make three in a row
Three of your marks in a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins. If all nine squares fill up with no winner, it's a draw, sometimes called a cat's game.
- 4
Ultimate: go where you're sent
In Ultimate, the square you pick inside a small board sends your opponent to the matching board on the big grid. Play the top-right square and they must play in the top-right board. The board you have to play in glows.
- 5
Ultimate: capture boards
Win a small board with three in a row to claim it for your mark. Three claimed boards in a row wins the game. If you're sent to a board that is already won or full, you can play in any open board.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Click / tap a square | Place your mark |
| 1 – 9 | Classic: place a mark (1 = top left, 9 = bottom right) |
| Arrow keys + Enter | Move the cursor and place a mark (Classic and Ultimate) |
| U or Backspace | Undo your last move |
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Tic Tac Toe tips and strategy
Start in a corner
Against a less careful opponent, a corner opening sets the most traps. If they answer anywhere but the center, you can usually force a win with a fork.
Answer a corner with the center
If your opponent opens in a corner, take the center. Any other reply loses against perfect play. This single rule is the key to never losing at tic tac toe.
Win with a fork
A fork is a move that creates two lines of two at once. Your opponent can block only one, so the other gives you three in a row. Corner squares are the best places to set up forks.
Block forks before they happen
When you're defending, don't only block lines of two. Look for the square your opponent needs to create a fork, and take it, or force them to respond somewhere harmless.
Ultimate: think about where you send them
Every move in Ultimate is also a move for your opponent: it picks the board they must play in. Avoid sending them to a board where they can win immediately, or where they could complete a line on the big board.
Ultimate: sending them to a finished board is a gift
If your move points to a board that's already won or full, your opponent may play anywhere. Only allow that on purpose, because a free choice is a big advantage.
Ultimate: the center board matters most
Just like the center square in Classic, the center board takes part in four possible lines on the big board. Winning it gives you the most ways to finish three in a row.
Can you beat the Unbeatable computer?
No, and that's the point. Tic tac toe is a solved game: if both players make no mistakes, every game ends in a draw. Our Unbeatable computer checks every possible continuation (there are only 255,168 possible games), so it never loses. Hold it to a draw every time and you've mastered the game.
Easy plays mostly at random and sometimes spots a win or a block. Medium always takes a winning move and usually blocks yours, but it can be caught by a well-set fork.
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe explained
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe became popular online in 2013 after a widely shared article by math teacher Ben Orlin. It keeps the familiar three-in-a-row goal but adds one twist: where you play decides where your opponent plays next. That single rule means you're always balancing two boards at once, the small board you're playing in and the big board it points to.
Our Ultimate computer uses Monte Carlo tree search. It plays out thousands of possible futures and chooses the move that wins most often. Easy makes plenty of mistakes, Medium thinks briefly, and Hard uses a full second of search for every move and punishes careless sends.
A game with a long history
Three-in-a-row games have been played for centuries, and the pencil-and-paper version is known around the world as tic tac toe, noughts and crosses, or Xs and Os. In 1952, Alexander S. Douglas programmed a version called OXO on the EDSAC computer in Cambridge, one of the earliest video games ever made.
It's still a perfect first strategy game for kids: it teaches taking turns, spotting patterns and thinking one move ahead. For the next step up, try Connect 4 or Checkers, train your recall with Memory Match, or explore more board games.
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to win tic tac toe every time?
Not against a perfect opponent: with best play from both sides, tic tac toe always ends in a draw. You can win often against players who make mistakes, especially by opening in a corner and setting up a fork.
What is the best first move in tic tac toe?
A corner is the strongest practical opening because it gives your opponent the most chances to go wrong. The center is also completely safe. With perfect play, every first move leads to a draw.
Why is it called noughts and crosses?
Noughts and crosses is the British name for the same game: a nought is a zero (O) and a cross is an X. In the US and Canada it's usually called tic tac toe.
How do you play Ultimate Tic Tac Toe?
The board is nine small tic tac toe boards arranged in a 3×3 grid. The square you play in a small board sends your opponent to the matching small board. Win small boards to claim them, and claim three boards in a row to win the game.
What happens in Ultimate if I'm sent to a full board?
If the board you're sent to is already won or completely full, you may play in any open board. That freedom is a big advantage, so good players try not to give it away.
Can I play tic tac toe with a friend?
Yes. Pick 2 Players from the opponent menu to play pass-and-play on one device, in either Classic or Ultimate. The session score tracks wins for X, wins for O and draws.
Is this tic tac toe game free?
Yes. It's completely free, with no download or sign-up needed. Your stats are saved on your device, and an unfinished game is waiting for you if you leave the page.