Sea Battle online

The aim

Sink all ten enemy ships before yours are sunk.

The fleet

Each player has a 10×10 grid and ten ships: one of four squares, two of three, three of two and four single squares. Ships lie in a straight line, across or down, and may not touch each other, not even at the corners.

Your fleet is arranged for you. Drag ships to move them, tap one to turn it, or press Shuffle for a new arrangement. Press Ready when you like it.

Taking shots

Players take turns firing at one square of the enemy grid. A hit gives you another shot; a miss passes the turn.

When every square of a ship is hit, it sinks. Because ships can't touch, the squares around a sunk ship are marked as empty water for you.

The fleet at a glance

One ship of four squares, two of three squares, three of two squares and four single squares: ten ships covering twenty squares out of a hundred. So four shots in five hit water, and the way you search matters more than luck.

The single squares are the hardest to find. Most games are decided by who finds the last one or two of them first.

How to find ships faster

Don't fire at random. While the four-square ship is afloat, shoot every fourth square along the diagonals: it can't hide between your shots. When it is sunk, tighten the pattern to every third square, then to every second.

After a hit, try the four neighbouring squares. A second hit shows which way the ship lies; follow that line to both ends.

Count what is left. If only single squares remain, every unmarked square is as likely as the next, so start with the largest untouched areas.

Where to put your own ships

Ships along the edge leave fewer safe squares around them when they sink, which tells your opponent less. A fleet that sits entirely on the edge is easy to guess, though, so mix it up.

Keep the single squares far apart and away from the big ships. Press Shuffle a few times and move one or two ships by hand: an arrangement nobody planned is the hardest to read.

With a friend or against the computer

Against the computer the game starts at once. There are three levels: Easy fires mostly at random, Normal works out where ships are likely to be, Hard always aims at the most likely square.

To play a friend, press Play with friends and send the link in any chat. Both of you arrange your fleet and the first shot goes when both are ready. It works on a phone, a tablet and a computer, and nobody needs an account.

Is this the same game as Battleship?

It is the classic pen-and-paper game known as Sea Battle, also sold in a boxed version under other names. These are the traditional rules: a 10×10 grid, ten ships, and another shot after every hit.

Can I play against a friend?

Yes. Press Play with friends and send the link. Your friend opens it and you both arrange your fleets.

Can ships touch?

No. In the classic rules ships may not touch, even diagonally. That is why the squares around a sunk ship are safe to skip.

Does the computer cheat?

No. The computer only knows what a human player would know: its own hits and misses.

How many ships are there in Sea Battle?

Ten: one of four squares, two of three, three of two and four single squares. Together they cover 20 of the 100 squares.

Do I shoot again after a hit?

Yes. Every hit gives you another shot, and so does sinking a ship. Your turn ends with the first miss.

Is Sea Battle online free?

Yes. The game is free, there is nothing to buy and no account to create. Open the page and play.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. The grids are sized for a phone screen: tap a square to shoot, drag a ship to move it, tap it to turn it.