How to play Tic Tac Toe

Tic Tac Toe (also called noughts and crosses) is the classic 3x3 grid strategy game. You play as X and always move first; the computer plays O. Tap or click any empty square to place your mark. The first player to line up three marks in a row — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — wins the round. If all nine squares fill up with no line, the round is a draw. Your wins, losses, and draws are tracked across rounds so you can see how you stack up against the AI.

Pick your challenge with the three difficulty settings. Easy plays random moves, perfect for kids or a quick warm-up. Medium mixes smart play with mistakes, so sharp play gets rewarded. Hard uses a perfect-play minimax algorithm, which means it can never be beaten — the best you can do is force a draw. Strategy tips: take the center square first whenever you can, since it joins four possible winning lines. Corners are the next strongest squares; edges are weakest. Always block your opponent when they have two in a row, and look for "forks" — moves that create two winning threats at once, which even a careful opponent can't block. Master the fork and you'll beat Easy and Medium consistently, and never lose on Hard.

Prefer a human opponent? Switch to 2 Players mode for free 2 player tic tac toe online — a pass-and-play hotseat game on one screen. X and O take turns tapping the board, the status line shows whose turn it is, and the tally keeps score between rounds. Perfect for a quick match with a friend on a phone, tablet, or shared computer.