Tic Tac Toe
About Tic Tac Toe
Neon Tic Tac Toe brings the classic 3-in-a-row game to your browser with glowing cyan X marks and pink O circles on a dark board. Watch each piece draw itself in with a smooth stroke animation as you play. Choose from three modes: pass-and-play with a friend, a relaxed Easy AI opponent that plays randomly, or the unbeatable Hard AI powered by minimax search with alpha-beta pruning. Scores track across rounds until you close the tab, so you can go best-of-five or best-of-ten without losing count.
How to Play Tic Tac Toe
- Pick a mode on the start screen: 2 Players (local pass-and-play), vs Easy AI, or vs Hard AI.
- Click or tap any empty square to place your piece. X always goes first.
- Get three of your pieces in a row — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — to win.
- If all 9 squares fill without a winner, the round is a draw.
- Hit Play Again to start a new round with the same mode, or Menu to change mode. Scores persist across rounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really not beat the Hard AI?
Correct — the Hard AI uses minimax search with alpha-beta pruning, which always finds the optimal move. The best you can do against it is a draw with perfect play.
Who goes first?
X always goes first. In 2-player mode, Player 1 is always X. In vs AI modes, you are always X and the AI is always O.
Do my scores reset when I go back to the menu?
No — scores persist as long as you keep the tab open. They only reset when you refresh the page.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — tap any empty square to place your piece. The board is touch-friendly and sized to fit any screen.
