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5x5 Tic Tac Toe

Four in a row on a 25-square board — room to plan, room to set traps.

Opponent
Difficulty
YouX · moves first
BotO · Medium

Your move

How to play 5×5 tic tac toe

X moves first and players take turns placing one mark. Get four in a row — horizontally, vertically or diagonally — to win. Fill all 25 squares without a line and it's a draw. Some versions ask for five in a row on 5×5; we use four, which leaves room to attack.

Because a line is shorter than the board, there are 28 ways to win: two in every row, two in every column and eight on the diagonals. The lines overlap heavily, and that overlap is what makes double threats possible.

Tips

  • Take the centre. It lies on 8 winning lines, more than any other square; a corner lies on just 3.
  • Watch for open threes: three in a row with an empty square at both ends is two threats at once. Block it while it's still two.
  • Perfect play is a draw, as on 4×4. Against the Hard bot a draw is a solid result — press Hint and the Coach shades the strongest squares.

The theory behind bigger boards is in Is tic tac toe solved?, and the fork ideas from How to win at tic tac toe carry straight over to 5×5.

Questions people ask

How do you win 5x5 tic tac toe?

Get four in a row — across, down or diagonally. A 5×5 board has 28 winning lines, and the centre square sits on 8 of them, more than any other square.

Is 5x5 tic tac toe a draw?

With four in a row and perfect play, yes. In real games, the usual winner is an open three: three in a row with both ends empty, which is two threats at once.

Can I play 5x5 tic tac toe against the computer?

Yes. Choose Easy, Medium or Hard above, or switch the opponent to Friend to play on one device.

More ways to play

Play a friend onlineNew: create a game, send the link, and play live on two devices. CLASH — everyone moves at onceNew: tic tac toe for 2–4 players. Pick the same square as someone else and it cracks. Classic tic tac toeThree in a row on the board everyone knows. 4×4 tic tac toeFour in a row on 16 squares — only 10 ways to win. 6×6 tic tac toeThe big board. With perfect play, the first player wins. Infinite tic tac toeOur Fade mode on 3×3: keep three marks, lose the oldest. 2 player tic tac toePlay a friend on one screen, with Best of 3. Impossible tic tac toeA bot that plays 3×3 perfectly. Can you draw?