Clay Tic-Tac-Toe: three in a row against the gang or anyone you like

About Tic-Tac-Toe

It's the tic-tac-toe you know, on a 3×3 board: get three in a row — across, down or diagonally — to win, and a full board with no row is a cat's game, a tie. Everything is made of clay: the board is a stone slab in Challenge Square, X is pink and O is blue, and every piece squishes a little as it lands. Across the table sits someone from the Backyard Town gang, animated like a stop-motion movie: they wait, think on their turn, cheer when they win and pout when they lose. Against the computer, you pick your opponent: Scribble, the crayon puppy, is more about play than strategy (easy); Nino, the gang's board game whiz, blocks your rows almost every time but falls for a double threat (medium); and Granny Quelonia, who carries the world's games on her shell, plays perfectly and never loses — the best you can get from her is a tie (hard). Who goes first switches every game, and your running score (wins, cat's games and losses) stays on your opponent's card until you stop. To play with someone, pick your character and create an invite: the game makes a link; whoever opens it picks a character from the ones left, enters a name and plays O. The game is saved on the site, so you don't both need to be online: each of you plays your turn when you can, and the game lets you know when the other player moved. When it's over, you both decide whether to play again in the same room. Anyone who opens the link to a full room can watch. No points and no leaderboard: you win, you lose or it's a cat's game.

In Selminha's words

“Tic-tac-toe is the first board game almost everyone learns — on a notebook, a napkin, in the sand. I wanted to start the franchise with it: made of clay, with the Backyard Town gang across the table and a link to invite anyone you want, no sign-up and no app.”

How to play Tic-Tac-Toe and tips to beat the computer

1. Tap or click an empty square to place your piece. On a computer you can also use the arrow keys or WASD and J or Enter, or the keys 1 to 9 (1 is the top-left square); on a gamepad, the d-pad and A or X.
2. Against the computer, pick your opponent: 1 Scribble (easy), 2 Nino (medium) or 3 Granny Quelonia (hard). You play X; who goes first switches every game. After each one, PLAY AGAIN keeps your streak going and STOP shows your score.
3. Play a friend: tap PLAY A FRIEND, pick your character, enter your name, then copy the link and send it. Whoever opens the link picks one of the characters left, enters a name and joins as O.
4. An invite game is saved: close it and come back anytime through the same link. The game tells you when the other player joined or moved; if they haven't played in over 2 days and it's their turn, you can end the game as the winner.
5. Tip: make a move that threatens two rows at once — your opponent can only block one. That's how you beat Nino.

The rules

Three in a row

Line up three of your pieces across, down or diagonally to win.

Cat's game

A full board and nobody got a row: it's a tie.

Who goes first

Switches every game: you go first in one, your opponent in the next.

The three opponents

Scribble (easy)

The crayon puppy is more about play than strategy: finishes a row only once in a while and doesn't block yours.

Nino (medium)

Almost always finishes his rows and blocks yours, but he can't see a double threat coming — two threats at once.

Granny Quelonia (hard)

Plays perfectly and never loses; among equally good moves, she picks the one that sets the most traps. The best you can get from her is a tie.

The levels were measured over thousands of simulated games: against a careful player, Scribble loses almost 8 out of 10, Nino loses 3 out of 10 and Granny Quelonia loses none.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Tap or click an empty square · arrow keys or WASD move the cursor, J or Enter place your piece · 1 to 9 pick a square by number · P or Esc pause · M sound · F full screen · compatible gamepad: d-pad moves the cursor, A or X place your piece, Start pauses, Back toggles sound.

Touch

Phone upright and in full screen; on a tablet, the game follows the way you hold it. Tap an empty square to play. Invite with the COPY button: paste the link anywhere (a text, a chat app…).

Invite games

Invite

One link per game. Whoever opens it picks a character (yours stays reserved), enters a name and plays O. The room is saved on the site and each of you plays your turn when you can.

Rematch

When the game ends, you both decide whether to play again in the same room — and who goes first switches.

Watching

Anyone who opens the link to a full room can watch, up to 50 people per game.

No-shows

If the other player hasn't moved in over 2 days and it's their turn, you can end the game as the winner. A room with no moves for 7 days closes on its own.