Tic Tac Toe

Play free online against a bot or a friend, on boards from 3×3 to 6×6.

Not just another tic tac toe

The game you know, plus three things you won't find on most tic tac toe sites.

Fade mode

Each player can only keep a few marks. Place one more and your oldest mark fades away — the faded-out piece shows you which one is next. No more dead-end draws: every game stays alive until someone finds the line.

A coach on your shoulder

Like a chess engine for tic tac toe: every move is graded Best, Good, Inaccuracy, Mistake or Blunder, you get an accuracy score at the end, and the Hint button paints the board with how good each square is.

A bot that can't lose

On 3×3, Hard plays perfectly — it searches every possible game, so the best you can do is a draw. On bigger boards it thinks ahead in the background without ever freezing the page.

How to play

Take turns placing your mark — X or O — in an empty square. X always moves first. Line up enough marks in a row, column or diagonal and you win. Fill the board with no line and it's a draw.

Board	To win	Fade keeps
3×3	3 in a row	3 marks
4×4	4 in a row	5 marks
5×5	4 in a row	5 marks
6×6	4 in a row	6 marks

Tic tac toe questions, answered

How do you play tic tac toe?

Two players take turns placing X and O on a 3×3 grid, and X goes first. The first to get three marks in a row — across, down or diagonally — wins. If all nine squares fill up with no line, the game is a draw.

What is the best first move in tic tac toe?

A corner. Every opening is a draw with perfect play, but after a corner only one of the eight replies — the centre — avoids a forced loss, so it gives your opponent the most ways to go wrong.

Can you always win at tic tac toe?

No. If both players make no mistakes, tic tac toe always ends in a draw. What you can do is never lose, and win whenever your opponent slips.

Is it better to go first or second?

First. With perfect play it makes no difference, but X has more chances to set traps: when both players move at random, X wins 58.5% of games and O only 28.8%.

What board sizes can I play here?

Classic 3×3 with three in a row, plus 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6, where you need four in a row. Play any of them against an Easy, Medium or Hard bot or a friend, with or without Fade mode.

Ways to play

Play a friend onlineNew: create a game, send the link, and play live on two devices. CLASH — everyone moves at onceNew: tic tac toe for 2–4 players. Pick the same square as someone else and it cracks. 4×4 tic tac toeFour in a row on 16 squares — only 10 ways to win. 5×5 tic tac toeFour in a row with room for traps: 28 winning lines. 6×6 tic tac toeThe big board. With perfect play, the first player wins. Infinite tic tac toeOur Fade mode on 3×3: keep three marks, lose the oldest. 2 player tic tac toePlay a friend on one screen, with Best of 3. Impossible tic tac toeA bot that plays 3×3 perfectly. Can you draw?

Guides

How to win at tic tac toe The best first move, three traps that win games, and how to never lose. Is tic tac toe solved? All 255,168 possible games, counted — plus 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6. Infinite tic tac toe, solved In Fade mode the first player wins — with a surprising first move.