Play Tic Tac Toe Online
Beat the computer or a friend · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Tic Tac Toe (also called Noughts and Crosses) is the quick classic where two players take turns marking X and O on a 3×3 grid. Get three in a row and you win. Play against an Easy computer to learn, try to beat the unbeatable Hard computer (a draw is a great result!), or challenge a friend.
Tic Tac Toe is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Get three in a row: across, down or diagonal. On Hard, the computer never makes a mistake. Can you force a draw?
How to Play Tic Tac Toe
- Pick Easy or Hard computer, or 2 Players on one device.
- You are X. Take turns placing your mark on the 3×3 grid.
- Get three in a row across, down or diagonally to win.
- On Hard the computer never makes a mistake. Can you force a draw?
- Players take turns going first each round.
Controls
Click an empty square to place your mark.
Tap an empty square to place your mark.
Tips to Win
- If you go first, take the centre or a corner.
- Always block your opponent when they have two in a row.
- Try to create two winning threats at the same time.
- Against Hard, perfect play always ends in a draw.
Tic Tac Toe Rules at a Glance
Tic Tac Toe is a two player game on a 3 by 3 grid. Players take turns placing their own mark in an empty square, and the first player to place three marks in a row wins the game.
| Players | 2, or 1 against the computer |
|---|---|
| Marks | The first player uses X, the second player uses O |
| Turns | One mark per turn, always in an empty square |
| Winning lines | 8 in total: 3 rows, 3 columns and 2 diagonals |
| Draw | All 9 squares are filled and nobody has three in a row |
| First move | X always moves first |
A game lasts nine moves at most, so a full round usually takes under a minute.
How to Win at Tic Tac Toe
You win at Tic Tac Toe by punishing mistakes: the game is a draw when both players are careful, so winning play means taking every chance in the right order and never missing a line.
Strong players check the same list on every turn:
- Take the win: if you have two in a row with an empty third square, complete the line at once.
- Block the loss: if your opponent has two in a row, fill the empty square before anything else.
- Make a fork: play a square that gives you two lines of two at once, so only one can be blocked.
- Stop their fork: if the next move hands your opponent a fork, block it now or force them to block you.
- Take the centre and corners: the centre joins four lines and corners join three.
Open in a corner to start this plan: the centre is the only reply that keeps the second player safe.
How to Never Lose at Tic Tac Toe
Nobody can beat a careful player at Tic Tac Toe. Take the centre when it is free, block every pair at once, and treat two opposite corners as a trap, and the worst result you can get is a draw.
- Answer a corner with the centre: if your opponent opens in a corner, take the centre. Every other reply lets a sharp opponent force a win.
- Answer the centre with a corner: if your opponent opens in the centre, play any corner. An edge reply loses against correct follow up play.
- Never answer opposite corners with a corner: when your opponent holds two opposite corners and you hold the centre, play an edge. A corner lets them take the last corner and fork you.
- Block pairs before building: two enemy marks with an empty third square is a loss next turn if you ignore it, so block it even when your own attack looks close.
The Fork: How to Win Against a Person
A fork is a move that makes two lines of two at the same time. Your opponent can only block one, so you win with the other. A classic way to set one up as X is: take a corner, then the opposite corner if O plays an edge, then a third corner. Watch for forks against you too, and block the square that would create one.
Tic Tac Toe Around the World
The game is known as Noughts and Crosses in the United Kingdom and Ireland and as Tic Tac Toe in the United States. Games with three in a row on a small grid go back thousands of years, and Tic Tac Toe was one of the first games ever played on a computer, in 1952, on a machine called EDSAC.
Good to Know
Can you beat the Hard computer in Tic Tac Toe?
No, you cannot beat the Hard computer, because it plays perfectly and perfect play at Tic Tac Toe always ends in a draw. A draw against Hard is the best result anyone can get, and it means you made no mistakes either.
What is the best first move in Tic Tac Toe?
A corner is the best first move in Tic Tac Toe. Seven of the eight replies to a corner opening lose against correct play, and only the centre saves the second player, while opening in the centre is the safest start of all.
What is the difference between Easy and Hard in Tic Tac Toe?
The difference is how often the computer makes mistakes. The Easy computer misses chances and leaves lines open, so you can beat it while you learn, while the Hard computer plays perfectly, never misses a block or a win, and can only be drawn.
Can two players play Tic Tac Toe on one device?
Yes, two players can play Tic Tac Toe on one device here by choosing the 2 Players mode. You take turns placing X and O on the same phone, tablet or computer, passing the device between moves, with no account and nothing to install.
Does the first player have an advantage in Tic Tac Toe?
Yes, the first player has a real advantage, because X sets the traps and O spends the game answering them. The edge is not a guaranteed win: if O replies with the centre and defends carefully, perfect play from both sides still ends in a draw.
Is my Tic Tac Toe progress saved?
Your best scores are saved in your own browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.