Play Dots and Boxes online — free
Close the box. Keep the turn.
- 1 or 2 players
- Play the computer — 5 levels
- Play friends or other players online
- Phone, tablet or computer — right in your browser
- Free — no sign-up, no download
About Dots and Boxes
The classic pencil-and-paper game dots and boxes. Take turns drawing a line between two dots; close the fourth side of a box to claim it and take another turn. Most boxes wins.
Pick a grid from 3×3 to 6×6 boxes and play the computer or a friend online.
How to play Dots and Boxes
Goal
Claim more boxes than your opponent. A box is yours when you draw its fourth side.
Setup
The board is a square grid of dots — 3×3 up to 6×6 boxes (5×5 boxes is 6×6 dots). No lines are drawn yet. Blue moves first.
On your turn
- Draw one line between two dots that are next to each other, across or down (never diagonally).
- Tap anywhere near a line to draw it — the nearest undrawn line is picked. On a computer, hover to preview.
Claiming boxes
- If your line completes the fourth side of a box, the box is yours and is coloured in.
- One line can complete two boxes at once.
- Whenever you complete a box you must move again. If your line completes nothing, the turn passes.
How the game ends
- The game ends when every line has been drawn.
- Whoever owns more boxes wins. With 4×4 or 6×6 boxes the score can finish level — that's a draw.
Tips
- Don't draw the third side of a box while you have any other choice — your opponent simply takes it and moves again.
- Late in the game every line gives something away. Boxes link up into chains (and closed loops): whoever opens a chain hands all of it over, so open the shortest one.
- The double-cross: when taking a long chain, stop two boxes short and draw the line at the far end instead. You give up those two boxes, but your opponent must then open the next chain for you. (For a loop, leave four.)
- Counting chains early decides big games: try to make sure your opponent is the one who runs out of safe lines first.
Dots and Boxes: questions and answers
Is Dots and Boxes free to play?
Yes. Dots and Boxes on Neon Game Cave is completely free — there's nothing to download and you don't need to sign up.
Can I play Dots and Boxes against the computer?
Yes. Choose "Play the computer" and pick one of 5 levels — from a gentle beginner to a tough opponent.
How do I play Dots and Boxes with a friend online?
Open the Game Cave and challenge your friend from the Players online list in the lobby. To be sure you find each other, share a chat room code first — friends in a chat room also get free text chat during the game.
Can I play Dots and Boxes on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Dots and Boxes runs in the web browser on phones, tablets and computers, so there's no app to install. You can add Neon Game Cave to your home screen to open it like an app.
Do I need an account to play Dots and Boxes?
No. You can play straight away as a guest. Signing in with Google is optional — it keeps your games safe in the cloud and, in games with leaderboards, puts your best scores on them.