Tic-Tac-Toe

How to play Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-Tac-Toe (also called noughts and crosses, or Xs and Os) is the classic three-in-a-row game on a 3×3 grid. Tap a square to place your X, and get three in a row — across, down, or diagonally — before the computer does. Play against the computer on three levels, or switch to 2 players and pass the screen to a friend.

Rules

• You are X, the computer is O. X starts the very first round.
• Take turns placing a mark in any empty square.
• Three in a row wins — across, down, or diagonally.
• All nine squares filled with no three-in-a-row is a tie.
• The loser starts the next round. After a tie, the starting player swaps.
• Stats save as you play. Ties don't break your win streak — a loss does.

Controls

• Tap or click an empty square — place your mark
• 1–9 — place a mark with the keyboard (1 is top-left, 9 is bottom-right)
• Easy Medium Hard — pick the computer's level
• 2 players — pass-and-play with a friend on one screen
• New game — start the round over

Tips & strategy

• Take the center. The middle square touches four winning lines — more than any other square. If you start, start there.
• Corners over edges. Each corner sits on three lines; each edge only two. If the center is gone, grab a corner.
• Block first, then build. Before placing your mark, check whether the other player has two in a row. Stop it now or lose next turn.
• Set up a fork. The only way to beat a careful opponent is two threats at once — two lines that each need just one more mark. They can only block one.
• Watch the diagonals. The sneakiest wins run corner to corner. If your opponent holds two opposite corners, play carefully.

About Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-tac-toe is one of the oldest games still played — the ancient Romans scratched a three-in-a-row game called terni lapilli onto stones and floors, and "noughts and crosses" has filled the margins of school notebooks for centuries. In 1952 a tic-tac-toe program called OXO became one of the first computer games ever written. The game is also famously solved: when both players make their best moves, every round ends in a tie — which is exactly how the Hard level here plays.

Frequently asked

Can you beat the Hard level? No — Hard plays perfectly and never loses; the best you can do is a tie. Tic-tac-toe is a solved game: when both sides play their best moves, every round ends in a draw. Play Easy or Medium if you want winnable games.

Is Tic-Tac-Toe free? Yes — every game on Limestone Games is completely free. No signup, no downloads.

Can two people play? Yes — switch to 2 players and share one screen. X and O take turns tapping squares, and the loser starts the next round.

Does my score save? Yes — your wins, ties, and best win streak against the computer are stored locally in your browser.

Who goes first? You do — X starts the first round. After that, the loser starts the next round, and after a tie the starting player swaps.

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