# Tic Tac Toe 2 Player: Play With a Friend on One Screen

Canonical page: https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/2-player/

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.

Part of [Tic Tac Toe](https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe.md).
The page includes a playable Tic Tac Toe game: press Play on https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/2-player/.

Tic tac toe was made for two people and a scrap of paper, and this version keeps it that way: one screen, two
players, and nothing to install. Press Play above and the board opens in 2-player mode, so you can start a round
right away with a friend, a child or whoever is sitting next to you.

## How to play with two players

Player X taps a square, then hands the phone over, or just lets the other person reach across the laptop. Player
O taps a square, and you keep taking turns. The first player to get three marks in a row, across, down or
diagonally, wins the round. If all nine squares fill up with no line, it is a draw. Press **Next round** to play
again.

- **The first move switches every round.** X starts round one, O starts round two, and so on, so nobody keeps
  the advantage of going first.
- **The scoreboard keeps count.** Wins for X, wins for O and draws are tallied at the top, with the player whose
  turn it is highlighted.
- **Keyboard works too.** The arrow keys move between squares and the number keys 1 to 9 play a square directly,
  counting from the top left.

## Make it a contest

A single round of tic tac toe is over in seconds, so play a match instead: first to five wins, or the best of nine
rounds. When both players know the basics, most rounds end in a draw, and the player who spots a fork first takes
the match. Our guide on [how to win tic tac toe](https://rovixel.com/tic-tac-toe/how-to-win/) explains the corner opening and the fork
in plain terms, so it is a fair way for a newer player to catch up.

## When tic tac toe gets too easy

If every round ends in a draw, try [Ultimate Tic Tac Toe](https://rovixel.com/ultimate-tic-tac-toe/), where each square holds a whole
board of its own, or a classic like [Dots and Boxes](https://rovixel.com/dots-and-boxes/) or [Checkers](https://rovixel.com/checkers/). All of them have a
2 Players mode on the same screen.

## Questions

### Can we play on two different devices?

No. This version is for two people sharing one screen, which also means there is no link to send, no waiting for the other player to join, and nothing to sign up for.

### Who goes first?

X starts the first round. After that the first move switches every round, so both players get the same number of starts.

### Does the game keep score?

Yes. The scoreboard counts wins for X, wins for O and draws until you switch back to playing the computer.

### Can I switch to playing the computer?

Yes. Tap vs Computer above the board and pick Easy, Medium or Hard. The game remembers your choice on this device.

## 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.