🚢 Naval Battle
Hunt and sink the hidden fleet before yours goes down.
Click a cell on Enemy Waters to fire.
How to play
- Your 5 ships are placed automatically. Click Randomize Fleet to reshuffle.
- Click a cell on Enemy Waters to fire a shot.
- Red means a hit, white means a miss.
- Sink all 5 enemy ships first to win.
A real hunt, not just a coin flip
Naval Battle is the classic hidden-fleet grid guessing game, the one many people know as Battleship: place a fleet of 5 ships on your own 8x8 board, then trade shots with your opponent's hidden grid until one whole fleet is sunk. Every shot lands as a clean hit or miss marker, and sinking a ship reveals its full outline so you always know exactly how the battle stands.
The AI opponent genuinely hunts rather than guessing blind. Hard difficulty fires in a checkerboard pattern to cover the board efficiently, then switches into line-following mode the instant it lands a hit, tracking the ship's orientation to finish it off fast, the same technique a strong human player uses. Switch to 2 Player mode for local pass-and-play, with a hide-the-screen prompt between turns so neither player can see the other's fleet.
How to play
Each player has a fleet of five ships hidden on an 8 by 8 grid: one ship 4 squares long, two ships 3 squares long and two ships 2 squares long. Ships sit in straight lines, across or down. Your fleet is placed for you at the start; press Randomize Fleet as often as you like until you are happy with the layout. Then take turns firing at the enemy waters grid, one square per shot. A hit is marked in red and a miss in white. When every square of a ship has been hit, it is sunk and its outline appears. The first player to sink the entire enemy fleet wins.
Battleship strategy that works
Start by hunting. The smallest ships are 2 squares long, so every ship must cover at least one square of a checkerboard pattern: fire only at every other square and you will find every ship without wasting shots on squares that cannot hold one. When you score a hit, switch to targeting: try the four squares around it, and once you have two hits in a row you know which way the ship lies, so keep firing along that line until it sinks. After a sinking, go back to the checkerboard. When you place your own fleet, avoid putting ships right next to each other, because one hit-and-target run could find both.
Three AI levels and a two-player mode
Easy fires completely at random, which makes it a gentle opponent for younger players. Medium hunts at random but closes in on any hit. Hard plays the way experts do, with a checkerboard search and line-following attacks. In 2 Player mode, two people share one device: a screen appears between turns so each player can pass it over without seeing the other's ships.
Why it is a great game for kids
Naval Battle is a brilliant introduction to grids and coordinates, to logical deduction (if there is a hit here, where can the rest of the ship be?) and to thinking about probability. It is quick to learn, every game is different, and the computer opponent is always ready for a rematch.
More sea battle games
Like hunting for ships? Solve the logic puzzle version in Battleship Solitaire, where number clues reveal the hidden fleet. Take command of a 3D destroyer and fire real salvos in Warship Sea Battle 3D, or fire broadsides from a pirate ship in Pirate Ship Battles 3D. Every boat and ship game is on our Boat Games page.
Naval Battle is part of the Classic Board Games collection alongside Four in a Row and Kings Row (checkers), sharing the same difficulty system and sound design. Free, no download, no account, and your win record saves locally in your own browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play Naval Battle?
Your 5-ship fleet is placed automatically on your own grid (use Randomize Fleet to reshuffle before starting). Click any cell on the enemy waters grid to fire. A hit is marked red, a miss white. Sink all 5 of your opponent's ships before they sink yours.
Is Naval Battle the same as Battleship?
Yes, it is the same classic game of hiding a fleet on a grid and taking turns to fire at the other player's ships, played here on an 8x8 grid with a fleet of five ships.
Which ships are in the fleet?
Five ships: one 4 squares long, two 3 squares long and two 2 squares long, each placed in a straight line across or down.
Can I play against a friend?
Yes, switch Mode to 2 Player. Each turn shows a pass-the-device screen so the other player can't see where your ships are hidden before it's their turn to fire.
How does the AI find my ships?
Easy fires completely at random. Medium hunts randomly but targets the tiles next to any hit. Hard uses a checkerboard search pattern to find ships faster, then follows a confirmed line of hits to sink the whole ship efficiently.
Is Naval Battle free with no account needed?
Yes. It's completely free with no download and no account, and your win record saves only in your own browser.