Infinite tic tac toe
Updated October 4, 2026 by Kamal Nasir
Infinite tic tac toe is played on the usual 3x3 grid, but each player keeps only three pieces: place a fourth and your oldest one disappears. This version adds one more rule, that no move may recreate a position that has already happened with the same player to move, so a game cannot go round in circles and always ends with a winner. Play the computer at Easy, Normal or Hard, or pass the device between two players.
Loading the board.
- Faded with a dot: the piece that leaves on that player's next move
- Lock: placing there would repeat an earlier position
X starts the first game, then the first move alternates. Keyboard: arrow keys move between squares, Enter or Space places a piece.
How to play infinite tic tac toe
The board above plays by these rules. The piece that leaves on the next move is faded and marked with a dot, and a lock marks any square the no-repeat rule closes.
- X and O take turns placing pieces on a 3x3 grid. X starts the first game, and after that the first move alternates.
- Each player has at most three pieces on the board. When you place a fourth, your oldest piece is removed first, and you cannot place your new piece on the square it is leaving.
- Three of your pieces in a row wins. Once you have three down, a two in a row that includes your oldest piece cannot be completed, because completing it removes that piece.
- No repeats: a move may not recreate a position that has already happened with the same player to move. A position means where every piece sits plus whose turn it is. A move that wins is always allowed.
- A player who has no allowed move loses.
Why a game always ends with a winner
Classic tic tac toe ends in a draw when the board fills with no line, and between two players who make no mistakes it always does. Here the board never fills, because there are never more than six pieces on nine squares.
Disappearing pieces alone do not settle it, since two careful players could keep cycling through the same few positions. The no-repeat rule closes that gap. With at most three pieces each there are only so many ways to arrange the board, and each arrangement can occur only once with each player to move, so the game has to stop. It stops with three in a row, or with a player who has no allowed move left, and that player loses.
Tips for beating the computer
- Track ages, not just positions. The dot shows which of your pieces leaves next, and your opponent's oldest piece leaves on their next move.
- Only a line through your two newest pieces can win next turn. The same goes for your opponent, so a two in a row that includes their oldest piece does not need blocking.
- Aim at your opponent's oldest piece. Once they have three pieces down, if your two newest pieces line up with the square their oldest piece holds, they cannot stop you: their next move removes that piece, they may not place on the square it leaves, and your winning move is always allowed. Their only way out is to win on that move.
- Turn that around in defense. If your own oldest piece is the only thing blocking the line through your opponent's two newest pieces, that line opens on your next move, so block it with a newer piece a move earlier.
- Easy plays mostly at random. Normal takes a win when it sees one and blocks an immediate threat, but it judges the board as it stands, so it does not notice a line forming toward its own oldest piece. Hard plans eight moves ahead with a minimax search and sets the same trap for you.
Infinite tic tac toe on iPhone and iPad
Jolt: Tic Tac Toe plays by the same two rules: each player has only three pieces on the board, and no move may put the board back exactly as it already was, so a game cannot stall into a tie. Its maker simulated 40,000 games and every one ended in a win.
In Jolt you can play the computer at Easy, Normal or Hard, where Hard runs a full minimax search, pass one iPhone or iPad between two players, or create an online room and send the six-character code to a friend. Creating a room needs Jolt Pro; joining with a code, and the 1 Player and 2 Player modes, need no subscription. The piece you are about to lose is faded and marked with a red dot, and each player has a profile with wins, losses, win rate and a head to head record. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.
Questions people ask
How do you play infinite tic tac toe?
Take turns placing X and O on a 3x3 grid. Each player keeps at most three pieces: when you place a fourth, your oldest one disappears, and you cannot place on the square it leaves. Three in a row wins.
Can infinite tic tac toe end in a draw?
Not in this version. The board never fills, and a second rule stops endless cycling: no move may recreate a position that has already happened with the same player to move. A game cannot go on forever, so it ends with a winner, and a player left with no allowed move loses.
Is there an infinite tic tac toe app for iPhone?
Jolt: Tic Tac Toe uses the same two rules: three pieces each and no repeated positions. Its maker simulated 40,000 games and every one ended in a win. It has a computer opponent at three levels, two player mode on one device, and online rooms with a six-character code.