Battleship brings the classic naval warfare strategy game to your browser — completely free, no download required. Place your fleet on a 10×10 grid, then take turns firing shots at the enemy waters to locate and sink their ships before they sink yours. The game features all five classic ships: Carrier (5 cells), Battleship (4 cells), Cruiser (3 cells), Submarine (3 cells), and Destroyer (2 cells). During the placement phase, position your ships strategically across the grid — horizontally or vertically. Then the battle begins: click on the enemy grid to fire a shot and discover whether it's a hit or a miss. The AI opponent plays smart — once it lands a hit, it hunts adjacent cells to finish off your ship. You'll need to think carefully about both your ship placement and your firing patterns. The game tracks hits, misses, and sunk ships for both sides, building tension as fleets shrink and the endgame approaches.
How to Play Battleship
The game starts in the placement phase. Click on your grid to place ships one at a time, starting with the largest (Carrier, 5 cells). Use the Rotate button to toggle between horizontal and vertical placement. A preview shows where the ship will be placed — green means valid, red means invalid. You can also click Auto-Place to randomly position all ships instantly.
Once all ships are placed, the battle begins. Click any cell on the enemy grid to fire a shot. Red marks indicate hits, blue marks indicate misses. When all cells of an enemy ship are hit, it sinks and is revealed on the grid. After your shot, the AI fires back at your grid.
The game ends when one side's entire fleet is sunk. Pay attention to hit patterns — when you score a hit, fire at adjacent cells to find the rest of the ship. Ships cannot overlap or extend beyond the grid edges.
Battleship Tips & Strategies
- Spread your ships across the entire grid rather than clustering them together — it forces the enemy to search more area.
- After scoring a hit, fire at the four adjacent cells (up, down, left, right) to find the ship's orientation.
- Use a checkerboard firing pattern early on — since the smallest ship is 2 cells, you can skip every other cell.
- Place ships away from edges and corners where they are easier to find by systematic scanning.
- Once you determine a ship's direction from two hits, keep firing along that line until it sinks.
- Track which enemy ships remain to know what sizes you are still looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ships does each player have?
Each player has 5 ships: Carrier (5 cells), Battleship (4 cells), Cruiser (3 cells), Submarine (3 cells), and Destroyer (2 cells). That is 17 total cells per fleet on a 10×10 grid.
How does the AI decide where to shoot?
The AI uses a hunt-and-target strategy. It fires at random positions (favoring a checkerboard pattern for efficiency) until it scores a hit. Then it targets adjacent cells to find the rest of the ship, following the ship's orientation once two hits are aligned.
Can ships be placed diagonally?
No. Ships can only be placed horizontally or vertically, and they cannot overlap each other or extend beyond the grid. This follows the standard Battleship rules.
Can I play Battleship on my phone?
Yes! The grids stack vertically on mobile screens for easy viewing. Tap to place ships and tap enemy cells to fire. The game is fully touch-optimized and works on any mobile browser.
