Play Sea Battle Online Free with Friends

How to play Sea Battle

1. Each player hides a fleet of five ships on a ten-by-ten sea: a Carrier (5), a Battleship (4), a Cruiser (3), a Submarine (3) and a Destroyer (2). Ships lie across or down and never touch — not even at a corner — so the water round a sunk ship is known to be clear.
2. LAYING THE FLEET: a random layout is offered — press SHUFFLE for another, or pick a ship from the tray and tap the square its bow goes on (ACROSS / DOWN turns it). Tap a placed ship to lift it. READY locks your fleet in; the battle starts when both are set.
3. THE BATTLE: on your turn tap a square in the enemy waters. A dot is a miss, a cross is a hit. A HIT SHOOTS AGAIN — keep firing until you miss. A miss hands the turn over.
4. When every square of a ship has been hit it is SUNK and the whole hull is shown; the fleet line above each sea crosses it off, so you always know what is still out there.
5. The first player to sink all five enemy ships wins. Both fleets are revealed at the end.

Sea Battle strategy

The basics that turn knowing the rules into winning games — what to do first, what to keep, what to avoid.

• Hunt on a checkerboard: every ship is at least two squares long, so shooting only squares where row + column is even finds every ship in half the shots.
• After a hit, try the four neighbours; after two hits in a line, keep going along that line until it misses, then try the other end.
• Ships never touch, so the water round a sunk ship is empty — skip it, and skip the diagonals of any hit: a ship runs across or down, never through a corner.
• Late in the game, shoot where the biggest remaining ship could still fit: a Carrier needs five clear squares in a row, and most of the sea can no longer hide one.
• Laying your fleet: ships on the edge and in the corners are harder to find than a fleet spread across the middle — most people hunt the middle first.

Sea Battle FAQ

How do I place my ships?

A random fleet is offered — press Shuffle for another, or pick a ship from the tray and tap the square its bow goes on. Ships lie across or down and never touch, not even at a corner.

Do I get another shot after a hit?

Yes — a hit shoots again, until you miss. It is the rule the iMessage game plays by, and it keeps a salvo exciting.

Can I play against a bot?

Yes. The house bot hunts on a checkerboard and finishes wounded ships along their line.

Do I need an account?

No. Type a name and play — no signup, no download, nothing to install. Making an account is optional and only exists to keep your stats, nickname and preferences across devices.

Is it really free?

Yes, all of it. Every game on Board Game Universe is free to play, with no premium tier holding anything back.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. It runs in a mobile browser on phones and tablets as well as on a desktop — there is no app to download.

How do I play with my friends?

Start a table and send your friends the link. They open it, type a name, and sit down. Moves and table chat happen in real time.

Can I play against the computer?

Yes. Add a bot to any table and it plays a proper game — useful for filling a seat while you wait for a fourth.