Board games for two to play online
Three games with a board, pieces and a live opponent: how they differ, how to invite someone, and what is awkward on a phone. With honest downsides and short answers to common questions.
Short answer: three board games for two open in a browser here: checkers, battleship and tic tac toe. All three use a board, take turns, and need no install. Checkers has nine rule sets and a game of ten to twenty minutes. Battleship is built on a hidden fleet. Tic tac toe finishes in five minutes and suits a short break.
What makes a game a board game
A board game starts with a board and pieces both players can see. You take turns, the position is open, and the result depends on how you read it. Card games hide part of the information in a hand; puzzles often have no opponent. Here the opponent is real, and their moves are visible.
For two people this is a comfortable format: no group needed, and the rules take a minute.
Checkers: the board, the capture and nine rule sets
Russian checkers are played on an 8 by 8 board. A simple piece moves diagonally forward, captures forward and backward, and continues capturing while a capture is available. A king moves any distance along a diagonal. Capturing is compulsory: you cannot skip it.
In Checkers: Towers there are nine rule sets: Russian, international on 100 squares, Brazilian on 8 by 8, Canadian on 144, English, giveaway, column Towers, Wolf and Sheep, and Corners. For a pair this is handy: start with the rules both of you know, then switch to giveaway or Towers without installing another game.
There are three ways to play: against a computer with three levels, two people on one screen, or online. Online you can search for an opponent by rule set, or open a room for a friend. The room shows a code, a link and a QR code, so a friend joins in a couple of taps. Against a live person there are no hints and no undo.
Eighty puzzles and a school of ten lessons round it out. Puzzles work well for two people taking turns; the school suits anyone at the board for the first time.
Battleship: a hidden fleet and three ways online
Battleship uses a 10 by 10 board and ten ships: one of four squares, two of three, three of two and four of one. Ships may not touch, even at the corners, and a hit gives you another shot. The board can be eight, ten or twelve squares.
The fleet is hidden, which is the big difference from checkers. You cannot see the opponent's ships until you shoot, so the game runs on probability and deduction rather than on an open position.
Two people play online. The Online menu offers a random opponent, your own room with a six-character code, or joining a friend's room by code. The room shows only the code: no link or QR code, so pass it on in words. Both fleets are placed by lot. If no random opponent shows up, a bot takes the seat, and a dropped connection returns you to the same battle.
There is no local two-player mode: two live players meet only online. The campaign adds five battles with a growing board and weather: fog hides part of the map, and a storm can push a shot into a neighbouring square.
Tic tac toe: short rounds and thirty seconds
Tic tac toe here is nine games. Classic 3 by 3 is a draw if both play carefully, and the master computer never loses. The relatives are more interesting for a pair: Vanishing marks, where the fourth mark erases the oldest; Nine boards, where your move inside a small board sends the opponent to a particular board; Five in a row on 11 by 11; and misère, where three in a row loses.
A round takes a minute in classic and up to ten in Nine boards. Two people can share one screen or open a room with a code, a link and a QR code, as in checkers. Online each move has a thirty-second limit, so a game does not stall.
This is the easiest entry for a pair: the rules are clear from the first screen, and nine variants keep it fresh for an evening. The downside is clear: classic tic tac toe is a draw quickly.
Choosing for a pair
| What matters | Checkers | Battleship | Tic tac toe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rules | many know them, nine sets available | simple, but the fleet is hidden | the simplest |
| Game length | ten to twenty minutes | ten to fifteen minutes | one to ten minutes |
| Two on one screen | yes | no | yes |
| Friend room | code, link, QR code | code only | code, link, QR code |
| What decides it | calculation and memory | probability and deduction | quick reading of the position |
| Best for | planners | guessers | beginners and short breaks |
If you are new, start with tic tac toe. If you both like thinking several moves ahead, take checkers. If you want hidden information and a bit of luck, take battleship.
The hub also lists two more studio games: Wolf and Sheep, and Chapaevka.
Inviting a friend
In checkers and tic tac toe the steps are the same.
- Open the game and choose the online game with a friend.
- The game creates a room and shows a code, a link and a QR code.
- Send the link, or let your friend point a camera at the screen.
- Your friend opens the link in their browser and takes a seat.
Battleship works differently: open Online, press Invite a friend, and the game shows a six-character code. Send it, and your friend presses Join by code and types it. There is no link or QR code.
If you are together, skip the room: in checkers and tic tac toe choose two players on one screen. Battleship does not offer that, so two live players need two devices and a connection.
Decide in advance who creates the room: only that person sees the code.
On a phone
- Small squares. In tic tac toe the first tap shows the mark and the second places it, so a slip of the finger does not cost a move. In checkers, tapping a piece and then a square is easier than dragging.
- QR codes. Phone to phone, a camera is awkward, so send the link in a message.
- The clock. Online tic tac toe limits each move to thirty seconds, which feels shorter on a phone.
- Battleship. One tap, the same controls as on a computer, so it is the easiest of the three on a small screen.
Honest downsides
- In online battleship the fleet is placed by lot, and the room code has to be passed on in words.
- Checkers against a live person has no hints and no undo.
- Classic tic tac toe is almost always a draw.
- Battleship has no local two-player mode.
- All three need two devices and a connection when you are apart.
- A game runs in real time, so both players have to be at the screen at once.
Common questions
Can two people play on one phone?
In checkers and tic tac toe, yes: choose two players on one screen and pass the phone. In battleship, no: two live players meet only online, so you need two devices.
Do I need to install anything?
No. All three games open in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
How do I invite a friend to each game?
In checkers and tic tac toe, create a room and send the link, code or QR code. In battleship, open Online, press Invite a friend and send the six-character code.
Are there bots?
Yes, all three have three opponent levels. In checkers and tic tac toe the master plays seriously; in battleship the strongest bot calculates probabilities.
How long does a game take?
Tic tac toe takes one to ten minutes, checkers ten to twenty, battleship ten to fifteen.
Can we play from different cities?
Yes, all three work online. In checkers and tic tac toe send a link; in battleship send a code.
If you want to refresh the rules first, start with checkers rules or battleship rules. More two-player games are in two player games, and all the studio's board games are on the board games hub.
