What is it?
Tic-Tac-Toe is noughts and crosses: take turns placing X and O on a 3 × 3 grid and be first to make three in a row. Play a friend on one device or the computer at Easy, Medium or Unbeatable. The Unbeatable level checks every possible game, so the best you can do is a draw.
Who is it for?
Young children learning turn-taking and simple strategy, families killing time, and anyone who wants to prove they can always hold the computer to a draw.
How to use it
- Choose vs computer (then Easy, Medium or Unbeatable) or 2 players.
- Tap a square to place your mark; on a keyboard press 1 to 9 (laid out like a phone keypad from the top-left).
- Line up three in a row, column or diagonal to win. The score is kept below the board.
- Press New game for another round, Swap who starts to let the other side go first, and Reset score to clear the tally.
Strategy tips
- The strongest first move is a corner; against a corner, the only safe reply is the centre.
- Look for a fork: one move that threatens two lines at once, so the opponent can block only one.
- Always block an opponent’s two-in-a-row before building your own, unless you can win right now.
- Easy suits young children; Medium makes occasional mistakes you can exploit.
Errors and how to fix them
- The computer always wins or draws on Unbeatable: that is expected. Tic-tac-toe with perfect play is always a draw; choose Medium to win sometimes.
- I can’t tap a square: it is taken, the game is over (press New game), or it is the computer’s turn.
- Changing the level started a new game: switching mode or level resets the board on purpose.
- My game, best time or score has gone: it is kept only in this browser on this device. Private windows, clearing site data, or another browser or phone start fresh.
Open the tool: Tic-Tac-Toe
Still stuck?
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Questions, or an error not listed here?
Tell us in the comments: what you were doing, the exact message you saw, and your device and browser. We read every comment and add new fixes to this article.