Zero Kaata: Tic Tac Toe

Play Zero Kaata: Tic Tac Toe

Players

Two: you against the computer, or two people on one device

Modes

Classic rules, or Vanishing mode with three marks each

Levels

Easy, Medium and Unbeatable

Hints

Hint shows the best squares, and Undo takes moves back

Developer

Classic Games

Works on

Phone, tablet and computer browsers. Nothing to install.

Released

October 2026

• Board
• Puzzle
• Board
• Strategy
• Puzzle
• Two player
• Pass and play

Zero Kaata is the classic game of tic tac toe, called zero kaata or X and O in many Indian homes and noughts and crosses in the UK. Two players take turns marking a 3x3 grid, and the first to get three in a row, column or diagonal wins. Play it free in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no sign up.

Play the computer at three honest levels. Easy picks a random open square, Medium wins when it can and blocks your lines, and Unbeatable plays perfectly, so in classic rules the best you can do against it is a draw. No level cheats or sees anything you cannot. Or play a friend on the same device, with the score of wins and draws kept as you play again.

When careful games keep ending in draws, switch on Vanishing mode. Each of you keeps only your three newest marks: place a fourth and your oldest one disappears. The mark about to go is drawn faded, so both players can plan around it. Undo takes back a misclick, Hint lights up the best squares, and your game is saved on your device, so a reload picks up where you left off.

How to play Tic Tac Toe

1. Choose to play the computer or a friend on the same device, and pick Easy, Medium or Unbeatable if you face the computer.
2. Switch on Vanishing mode if you want each player to keep only their three newest marks, then press Start game.
3. X always moves first: who plays X in the first game is picked at random, and the players swap X and O after every game.
4. On your turn, place your mark in any empty square; you cannot skip a turn or use a square that is already taken.
5. Get three of your marks in a row, column or diagonal to win at once, and the winning line is highlighted.
6. In classic rules a full board with no line is a draw; in Vanishing mode the game is a draw after 30 marks with no line.
7. Press Play again for a rematch, with the score of wins and draws kept until you go back to the menu.

Controls

Click a square with the mouse or tap it on a touch screen to place your mark. With a keyboard, press Tab to move between the open squares and buttons, then Enter or Space to play. Undo and Hint sit under the board, Play again appears when a game ends, and the speaker button turns sound on or off.

Vanishing mode

Vanishing mode is a popular twist that stops tic tac toe from ending in a draw every time. Each player keeps only their three newest marks, and placing a fourth removes the oldest. The mark that will vanish next is shown faded for both players. If 30 marks go by with no line, the game is a draw. With perfect play the player who starts can always force a win, so X and O swap after every game.

An honest Unbeatable level

Unbeatable plays perfect tic tac toe, found by solving the whole game. In classic rules it never loses, as X or as O, so holding it to a draw is a real result. In Vanishing mode it always wins when it plays X, and when it plays O you need perfect play to beat it. It sees only the board you see and never cheats.

Undo and hints to learn

In pass and play, Undo takes back the last move. Against the computer it takes back your move and its reply, so a misclick costs nothing and you can try another line. It works back to the first move, but never after a game ends, so the score stays honest. Hint lights up the best squares for the player to move, chosen by the same solver as Unbeatable.

Tips to win at Tic Tac Toe

• Before every move, ask two questions in order: can I win right now, and does my opponent have two in a row I must block?
• Playing X, start in the centre or a corner. The centre sits on four of the eight lines, more than any other square.
• Look for a fork, one move that makes two lines of two at once. Your opponent can block only one of them.
• Playing O, answer a centre opening with a corner, never an edge, and answer a corner opening by taking the centre.
• In Vanishing mode, watch the faded marks. A line that needs your oldest mark breaks on your next move, and you cannot place a mark on the square it is leaving.
• When a game against Medium or Unbeatable starts going wrong, use Undo to step back and try another line, or press Hint to see the best squares and work out why.

Frequently asked questions