Play tic tac toe online for free against the computer or with a friend: three in a row wins on a 3×3 grid, in the classic game also called noughts and crosses. Choose Easy, Medium or Unbeatable against the computer, or two players on one screen, and the game keeps score of wins, draws and losses. This tic tac toe game works on phones and tablets, needs no sign-up, and comes with 12 printable boards and a strategy card showing the best squares.
Tic tac toe online: play and print
Play tic tac toe above, then print the boards and strategy card: a page of 12 boards with a score line, and a picture showing how many winning lines pass through each square. The pictures show a draw against the unbeatable computer, a two-player win and a game against the easy computer.
How to play tic tac toe
- Take turns: you are X, and the computer or your friend is O. Tap an empty square to place your mark.
- Make three in a row: across, down or diagonally. There are 8 winning lines on the board.
- Block your opponent when they have two in a row with the third square empty.
- A full board is a draw. The starting player changes each game, and the scores stay on the screen.
Tic tac toe against computer: the four levels
The levels differ in how smartly the computer plays, which makes it fair for every age. The table describes what each one does:
| Level | How the computer plays | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Plays a random square 3 times out of 4. The other times it wins if it can, or blocks you. | Young children and a first win |
| Medium | Always takes a winning move and always blocks yours. Otherwise it takes the center, or picks at random. | Children who know the basic rules |
| Unbeatable | Searches every possible game and never makes a mistake. The best you can do is a draw. | Anyone who wants a challenge |
| 2 players | Two people take turns on one device. X goes first in the first game and the starting player swaps each game. | Friends and family |
The unbeatable level is a perfect player, because the game is small enough for a computer to check every possible move. With perfect play from both sides, tic tac toe always ends in a draw, so the best result against it is a tie.
Tic tac toe in numbers
A 3×3 board looks simple, but there are 255,168 different games that can be played from an empty board to a finish. Of those, 131,184 are won by X, the player who goes first, 77,904 are won by O and 46,080 are draws. Counting boards that are the same after turning or flipping, there are only 765 essentially different positions. Wikipedia’s tic-tac-toe article explains how these numbers are found.
| Result | Number of possible games | Share |
|---|---|---|
| X (first player) wins | 131,184 | 51.4% |
| O (second player) wins | 77,904 | 30.5% |
| Draw | 46,080 | 18.1% |
| Total | 255,168 | 100% |
Tic tac toe strategy: which squares matter most
Each square sits on a different number of winning lines, and the more lines a square has, the more useful it is. The center is on four lines, each corner on three and each edge on two:
| Square | Winning lines through it | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Center (1 square) | 4 | Best |
| Corners (4 squares) | 3 each | Good |
| Edges (4 squares) | 2 each | Weakest |
- As X, start in the center or a corner.
- As O, take the center if X starts in a corner, and take a corner if X starts in the center.
- Look for a fork: a move that creates two threats at once, so your opponent can only block one.
- Block first, then attack when you cannot do both.
Unbeatable tic tac toe: how the computer thinks
The unbeatable level looks ahead at every possible continuation of the game, from the current board to a win, a loss or a draw, and picks the move with the best worst-case result. A full game has at most nine moves, and there are only 362,880 ways to order them, so the search is instant. That is why the computer never makes a mistake, and why the strategy is the same one a careful person would use: take the center, block threats and create forks.
Tic tac toe printable: 12 boards and a strategy card
The printable page has twelve blank boards, a picture of the board with the number of winning lines in each square, and a score line. Cut the boards up for a tournament, or use one page for a long car journey. Children who play on paper learn to draw the grid and to keep score, and the strategy card turns each game into a small lesson.
Noughts and crosses and two player tic tac toe
In the United Kingdom and many other countries the game is called noughts and crosses, with O as the nought and X as the cross. The rules are the same. In the two player tic tac toe mode, the game does not need a computer: pass the device back and forth, and use the printable boards for games on paper. Writing a score line under the boards, with wins for X and O, makes a tournament easy.
Why tic tac toe is good for kids
Tic tac toe is often a child’s first strategy game. It teaches turn taking, planning one or two moves ahead, and the idea that you must think about your opponent’s plan as well as your own. Try the harder connect four next, and for single-player logic try the sliding puzzle and tower of Hanoi.
Tic tac toe: frequently asked questions
Can you always win?
No. With perfect play from both players, tic tac toe is a draw. You can only win if your opponent makes a mistake, which the unbeatable level never does.
Who wins at tic tac toe if both play well?
Nobody. Both players can always force at least a draw, so a game between two good players ends in a tie.
What is the best first move in tic tac toe?
The center or a corner. The center is on the most winning lines, but a corner gives a careless opponent more chances to make a mistake.
Is it noughts and crosses or tic-tac-toe?
They are the same game. Noughts and crosses is the common name in the UK, and tic tac toe is used in the US.
Is it free, and do kids need an account?
Yes, it is free, and no account is needed. Best scores are saved only in the browser on this device.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. It is built for touch first and also works with a mouse on a computer.