Local multiplayer
Two-player tic tac toe
Play tic tac toe with a friend on one screen. Take turns as X and O on the same phone, tablet or laptop — no second device, no connection and no account.
Last updated
Two players, one screen
Medium takes any win it sees and blocks yours.
Your turn (X)
How two-player tic tac toe works
Two-player tic tac toe is played by two people sharing one board. The player using X moves first, then the players alternate, each placing a single mark in an empty square. The first to make a line of three wins the round. Here, both players tap the same screen and the game handles the turn order for you.
Taking turns
The status line above the board always names whose turn it is — "X's turn" or "O's turn" — and updates the moment a mark is placed. There is nothing to hand over or confirm: one person taps, the label changes, the other person taps.
Keeping score across rounds
The scoreboard counts three things: rounds won by X, rounds won by O, and draws. Choosing "New round" clears the grid but keeps the running total, so you can play a long series without writing anything down. "Reset score" clears both the grid and the totals.
On this page the score is saved in your own browser, so refreshing the tab will not lose it. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, and clearing your browser data clears the score.
Who should go first?
X always moves first — that is the standard convention and it is a real advantage, since X makes five of the nine marks and has more opportunities to build a fork. If you are playing a series, the fair approach is to swap who plays X between rounds so the advantage evens out.
Playing well against another person
Two people who both know what they are doing will draw almost every round — tic tac toe is a solved game, and correct play from both sides ends level. Wins come from noticing what your opponent missed.
- Open in the centre. It sits on four of the eight winning lines.
- If the centre is gone, take a corner. Corners sit on three lines, edges on two.
- Scan for your own win first, their threat second. In that order, every turn.
- Build a fork. A move that opens two lines at once cannot be answered — your opponent blocks one and you take the other.
- Watch for their fork. The counter is usually to force them to respond to a threat of your own.
Two players on Android
The Android app has the same mode under "Two Players — offline on the same device". It works with no connection at all, which makes it useful for exactly the situations where you would pass a phone back and forth: a queue, a car journey, a flight.
The app also adds a short vibration on each move, so the person waiting can tell the turn has changed without watching the screen.
Pass. Play. Repeat.
A local match in progress on Android — one device, two players, the current turn shown above the board and the shared score above that.
FAQ
Questions about two-player games
Turn order, draws and playing on one device.
Is there a two-player mode?
Yes. "Two Players" mode lets two people play on the same screen, taking turns on one device. X always goes first, then turns alternate automatically. The scoreboard counts wins for both players and draws, so you can play a long series and keep track without writing anything down.
Who goes first in tic tac toe?
X always moves first, in both the browser game and the Android app. This is the standard convention and it matters: with perfect play from both sides the game is a draw, but X has more chances to force a mistake. Against the computer you always play as X.
What happens if nobody wins?
The round is a draw, sometimes called a "cat's game". A draw happens when all nine squares are filled and no line of three has been completed. Draws are common — between two players who both know what they are doing, almost every game of tic tac toe ends this way.