Battleships

How to play Battleships

Place five straight ships on your 10×10 grid: a carrier (5 squares), battleship (4), cruiser (3), submarine (3), and destroyer (2). Ships can touch, but cannot overlap or extend beyond the board.

Start with a shuffled fleet, or clear the board and place each ship yourself. Use Horizontal / Vertical to rotate the next ship. Tap a placed ship to lift it, then choose its new starting square.

Take turns firing at coordinates such as B7 on the other board. A dot means miss, an orange cross means hit, and a red outline means sunk. Every square of a ship must be hit before it sinks. Sink all five enemy ships first to win.

Play solo against three AI difficulties, create a private room and share its link, or find an online opponent. After a match, both players can place a fresh fleet for a rematch. No download or account needed.

Search widely, then follow the line

Early in the game, spread shots across the board instead of clustering them in one corner. A checkerboard search can find every straight ship because even the shortest ship covers two neighbouring squares. Once you hit, test the squares immediately above, below, left, or right to discover its direction.

For example, hits at B7 and B8 suggest a vertical ship: try B6 or B9 before unrelated squares. If one end misses, follow the other end. Ships are allowed to touch in BoomWick, so a sunk ship does not prove that its neighbouring squares are empty.

Vary your own fleet’s positions between matches. Placing every ship against an edge makes later games easier for someone who remembers your habits. Try Airplanes if you prefer finding one decisive cabin instead of every ship segment.

Questions players ask

Can ships touch each other?

Yes, including around a sunk ship. Only overlap and positions outside the grid are forbidden.

Do hits give me another shot immediately?

No. Players alternate shots; finding a hit does not grant a bonus turn.

How many squares must I hit to sink the fleet?

The five ships occupy 17 squares in total. Every segment must be hit; there is no single decisive cabin.

Keep playing and learning

For a different hidden-shape rule, play Airplanes and compare how a miss eliminates a plane placement.