Board & classics
Play Tic Tac Toe online
Three in a row is the first strategy game almost everyone learns – and the last one you truly solve. Play on 3×3 or on the far more open 4×4 board, optionally with an unlocked motif instead of the cross. Depending on the level, the opponent looks a few moves ahead, or all of them.
Play Tic Tac Toe nowFree · no download · no ads
Where Tic Tac Toe comes from
Three in a row is one of the oldest games there is: the Romans played a variant called terni lapilli on a three-by-three grid, and scratched boards survive in ancient buildings. It is known as noughts and crosses in Britain and as tick-tack-toe in America. In 1952 Alexander Douglas built OXO, one of the very first computer games ever written – and it was tic tac toe.
How it works
Get three (or four) marks in a row – across, down or diagonally. You are X and start.
Three tips for better results
- 1On 3×3 the centre is the strongest square – take it and you can almost always force at least a draw.
- 2Look for double threats: two open pairs at once cannot both be blocked.
- 3On 4×4 the diagonals matter far more, because they are longer and get blocked less often.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tic Tac Toe free to play?
Yes. Tic Tac Toe runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There are no ads and no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought.
Do I need an account to play Tic Tac Toe?
You create a profile with a name and a PIN, but no account is created on anybody else's server. Scores, chips, achievements and unlocked motifs live only in your own browser.
How do you play Tic Tac Toe?
Get three (or four) marks in a row – across, down or diagonally. You are X and start.
Where does Tic Tac Toe come from?
Three in a row is one of the oldest games there is: the Romans played a variant called terni lapilli on a three-by-three grid, and scratched boards survive in ancient buildings. It is known as noughts and crosses in Britain and as tick-tack-toe in America. In 1952 Alexander Douglas built OXO, one of the very first computer games ever written – and it was tic tac toe.
Does Tic Tac Toe work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Tic Tac Toe.
- tic tac toe online
- noughts and crosses
- three in a row
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- xo game
- classic strategy game
- tick tack toe
- two player logic game