How to play Sea Battle
- Each player has a secret fleet on an 8×8 sea: a Carrier (4 squares), a Cruiser and a Submarine (3 each), and a Destroyer and a Patrol boat (2 each).
- Fleets are placed for you. Ships are straight and never touch, not even at the corners. Don't like yours? Tap Shuffle before your first shot.
- On your turn, tap a square of the enemy sea to fire. A splash means a miss; a flame means you hit a ship.
- When every square of a ship has been hit, it sinks and its name is announced.
- Sink the whole enemy fleet before they sink yours to win.
Strategy tips
- Search in a checkerboard pattern. Every ship covers at least two squares in a row, so firing at every other square is enough to find them all.
- Finish wounded ships first. After a hit, try the four squares around it; after two hits in a line, keep going along that line.
- Ships never touch, so the squares around a sunk ship are always empty. They're marked with little dots, so don't waste shots there.
- Squares diagonal to a hit are empty too, because ships are straight and can't touch each other.
- Mind the edges. The middle of the sea fits the most ships, so search there first, but the last ship is often hiding along an edge or in a corner.
Three ways to play
Solo: sink the fleet — a fresh challenge every day, the same for everyone. vs Computer: four characters from Rookie Robo (easy) to Grandmaster Owl (expert); beat each one to earn its star. vs Friend: pass the device, or send an invite link and play online — no account needed.
Variants
Hit = fire again (the default) gives you another shot every time you hit, so games are fast and exciting for kids. Classic is strict turn-taking: one shot each, hit or miss. In the daily Sink the fleet challenge everyone hunts the same hidden fleet; sink all five ships in as few shots as you can. 14 shots is perfect!
About Sea Battle
Sea Battle is a pencil-and-paper game that has been played since the early 20th century. Each player drew two grids, secretly marked their ships on one and called out shots like "C5!" to find the other fleet. It was a classroom and rainy-day favourite for generations before boxed and electronic versions appeared. It's still a great way for children to practise grid coordinates, logical thinking and a first taste of probability.
FAQ
Does the computer cheat?
No. The computer only knows where it has fired and what it hit, exactly like you. Rookie Robo fires almost at random, while Grandmaster Owl works out every place a ship could still be hiding.
Can two people play on one phone or tablet?
Yes. Choose vs Friend and take turns on the same device. Fleets stay secret: you only see where shots landed and which ships have sunk. You can also send a link to play on two devices.
Can I move my own ships?
To keep games quick, fleets are placed for you. If you don't like yours, shuffle it as often as you like before your first shot (as long as none of your ships has been hit yet).
What is a good score in the daily challenge?
14 shots is perfect: every shot a hit! Grandmaster Owl needs about 29 shots on average, so anything under 30 is excellent.