Two players · nested grid

How to play Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe

Nine Tic-Tac-Toe boards inside a big one. Where you play decides which board your rival must play next. Win three boards in a row.

Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe drawn on paper

What you need

How to set up

Draw a big Tic-Tac-Toe board with a small one in each space. X goes first, anywhere.

  1. Step 1

    1. Draw a big Tic-Tac-Toe board with bold lines.

  2. Step 2

    2. Draw a small Tic-Tac-Toe board inside each of its nine spaces.

  3. Step 3

    3. Play X and O in the small boards. Mark a won board with a big X or O.

How to play

How to win

Win three small boards in a row on the big board. Three won boards in a line wins. If every board is finished with no such line, it is a draw.

Tip Think about where each move sends your rival.

Play Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe in the app

Every game comes with a step-by-step tutorial and printable sheets.

Play in the app