Battleship

About the game

Battleship online — the classic pen-and-paper game: a 10×10 grid and a fleet of ten ships — one four-decker, two three-deckers, three two-deckers and four single-deck boats. Ships can't touch, not even at the corners. Place them by hand with rotation or in one click with Auto, then start the battle. Play the battleship game free, with no sign-up.

Three modes: battleship against the computer, two players on one phone or computer with a Pass the turn screen, and online with a friend — by room code, shared link or a random opponent. After a hit the computer finishes your ship along its line, cells around sunk ships are marked for you, and against the computer the hint shows the most likely shot. After each game you get shot and accuracy stats.

How to play:
1. Choose a mode: Vs computer, Two players or Play a friend online.
2. Classic Battleship rules: place your fleet — one 4-deck, two 3-deck, three 2-deck and four 1-deck ships. Ships never touch, not even diagonally. Rotate turns a ship, Auto places the whole fleet, Reset clears the grid and Battle starts the game.
3. Fire at the enemy grid: a hit gives you another shot, a miss passes the turn. In two-player mode a Pass the turn screen appears between turns.
4. Cells around a sunk ship are marked automatically.
5. The first to sink all 10 enemy ships (20 decks) wins.
6. To play a friend, create a room and share the code or link, join by code, or pick a random opponent.

Desktop: hovering highlights a cell and a click fires or places a ship; arrows move the frame, Enter or Space fires, R rotates, A places automatically, H gives a hint (vs computer), Esc removes a ship.
Phone: tap a cell.

Featured in: Board games online, Two-player games, Logic games

Genre: Strategy — every game of this genre in the catalog

How to play

This is the battleship game you remember from squared paper: each side gets a 10×10 grid and ten ships — one four-decker, two three-deckers, three two-deckers and four single-deck boats. Ships can't touch, not even at the corners. Place them yourself or hit Auto, then press Battle.

Take turns calling shots on the enemy grid. A hit lets you fire again; a miss hands the turn over. Once a ship goes down, the cells around it are marked for you, and you can't fire at a cell that's already been revealed. Sink all 20 enemy decks first to win.

Pick your opponent from the menu: play battleship against the computer, pass the device back and forth with a friend in two-player mode, or play battleship online with a friend by room code, shared link or a random opponent. After every game you see your stats: shots, hits, misses and accuracy.

Controls

Desktop: hover over a cell and click to place a ship or fire. Keyboard: arrow keys move the frame, Enter or Space fires, R rotates a ship, A auto-places the fleet, H shows a hint (vs the computer), Esc picks a ship back up.
Phone: tap a cell to place a ship or fire; tap a placed ship to remove it.

Features

Classic rules: 10×10 grid, ten ships, no ships touching
Three modes: vs the computer, two players on one device, and online with a friend
Online matches by room code, shared link or random opponent
Place ships by hand with rotation, or let Auto do it in one click
Sunk ships are outlined automatically, plus a best-shot hint against the computer
Post-game stats: shots, hits and accuracy
Fully in English and Russian, with sound, music and table theme settings

Tips

Open with a checkerboard pattern: firing at every other cell guarantees you'll cross any ship longer than one deck.
After a hit, probe the four neighbouring cells, then follow the line once you know which way the ship runs.
Don't waste shots next to a sunk ship — the game marks those cells, and nothing can be hiding there.
Track the enemy fleet: once the four-decker and three-deckers are gone, you can widen your pattern for the two-deckers.
Leave single-deck boats for last; they're easier to pick off in the remaining gaps once the big ships are down.
Spread your own ships out and use the edges — a tight cluster gives away its neighbours as soon as one ship sinks.
Stuck against the computer? Press the hint (H) to see the most likely cell based on the hits already on the board.

FAQ

How many ships are in Battleship?

Ten: one four-decker, two three-deckers, three two-deckers and four single-deck boats — 20 decks in total. Ships can't be placed touching each other, even diagonally.

How do I play Battleship against the computer?

Choose Vs computer in the menu, place your fleet by hand or with Auto, then press Battle. Once the computer lands a hit it tries to finish the ship, so spread yours out.

Can two players play on one device?

Yes. Two players mode shows a Pass the turn screen between moves so neither of you sees the other's fleet. If you're not in the same room, use Play a friend online.

How do I play Battleship online with a friend?

Pick Play a friend online, place your ships and tap Create room. Send your friend the room code or the copied link and they join by code. You can also get matched with a random opponent.