# Tic Tac Toe Canonical page: https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/ Play tic tac toe online for free against the computer on three difficulty levels, or against a friend on the same screen. No sign-up needed. - How to start: open https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/ and press Play. Free, no download, no sign-up. - Genres: Puzzle, Strategy, 2 Player - Session length: Short ยท a few minutes a round - Devices: phone, tablet and computer - Keyboard: Arrow keys to choose a square, Enter or 1โ€“9 to play, N for the next round, M for music - Touch: Tap a square to place your mark Tic tac toe is the game most people learn before they can spell it: two players, a three-by-three grid, and the first to get three in a row wins. This version lets you play it in your browser against the computer or against a friend, on a phone, a tablet or a computer. ## How to play X always moves first in the first round. Players take turns placing their mark in an empty square. Get three of your marks in a row, across, down or diagonally, and you win the round. If all nine squares fill up with no line, the round is a draw. Press Next round to play again. The side that starts switches every round. ## Play tic tac toe online Everything runs in the page: no download, no sign-up, no email. Open the page and you are one tap from a round, whether you are on a phone, a tablet or a laptop. - **Against the computer** in three levels, from random moves on Easy to perfect play on Hard. - **Against a friend** on the same screen, passing the device back and forth. - **Your settings stick:** the opponent, the level and the running score are remembered on this device. If you are looking for a quick game between tasks, a round takes under a minute โ€” and the computer never needs a second player to be available. ## Three computer levels - **Easy** picks random squares. Good for learning the game, or for younger players.- **Medium** takes a winning square when it sees one and blocks yours, but it does not plan ahead. A well-built fork will beat it. - **Hard** plays perfectly. It cannot be beaten, so a draw is the best possible result. Your choice of opponent and level is remembered in your browser, so the game opens the way you left it. ## Two players on one screen Choose 2 Players to play against someone sitting next to you. The scoreboard at the top keeps count of X wins, O wins and draws, and highlights whose turn it is. The [2 player page](https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/2-player/) opens the board straight in this mode. ## Music and sound A calm background tune plays while you think, and each move, win, loss and draw has its own short sound. The note and speaker buttons next to the status line turn music and sound effects on or off separately. ## Why it still matters Tic tac toe is small enough to solve completely, which makes it a great way to learn how to think a move ahead. Once you can draw every game against Hard, you have learned the whole game, and forks, blocks and tempo carry over to bigger strategy games. When every game ends in a draw, try [Ultimate Tic Tac Toe](https://rovixel.com/ultimate-tic-tac-toe/): nine small boards inside one big one, where the square you pick decides which board your opponent plays next. ## Tips - If you go first, take a corner. It gives the other player the most ways to go wrong. - If the other player takes a corner first, answer in the center. Anything else lets them set up two threats at once. - Look for a fork, a move that makes two lines of two at the same time. Your opponent can only block one of them. - Against Hard, a draw is a good result. The computer never makes a mistake, so every draw means you played perfectly too. ## Questions ### Can I play tic tac toe online without signing up? Yes. There is no account, no email and no download - the board loads with the page and you can start a round immediately. Tap 2 Players to take turns on the same screen, or leave it on vs Computer and pick a level. ### Can I play against a friend? Yes. Choose 2 Players and take turns on the same screen. The score for X, O and draws is kept until you change the opponent or the level. ### Can the computer be beaten? On Easy and Medium, yes. Easy plays random squares, and Medium takes wins and blocks yours but can be tricked. Hard plays perfectly and cannot lose, so the best you can do there is a draw. ### Who goes first? X goes first in the first round, and then the first move alternates every round, so both sides get a fair share of starts. ### Does it work with a keyboard or screen reader? Yes. Every square is a real button with a label, the arrow keys move between squares, and the number keys 1 to 9 play a square directly, counting from the top left. ### Can I turn the music or sound off? Yes. The note button beside the status line switches the music, and the speaker button switches sound effects. M toggles the music from the keyboard, and your choice is remembered. ## More on Tic Tac Toe - [How to Win at Tic Tac Toe (and Why Perfect Play Always Draws)](https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/how-to-win.md): How to win at tic tac toe (noughts and crosses) โ€” the best first move, what to do going first or second, and the fork trick your opponent cannot block. - [Tic Tac Toe 2 Player: Play With a Friend on One Screen](https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/2-player.md): Play tic tac toe 2 player on one phone, tablet or computer. The board opens in 2-player mode, keeps score for X, O and draws, and needs no sign-up. ## Agent access These documents describe the public website. Every game is free and runs in the browser: there is no download, no app, no price and no public API. Playing never needs an account. Do not invent ratings, player counts, rankings or features that are not described here; the live pages are the source of truth.