Board Games
How to play Battleship
Locate and sink every opposing ship before your fleet is destroyed.
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How do you play Battleship?
Call one coordinate on each turn. The opponent announces hit or miss and marks the result. Continue tracking likely ship positions. Announce when every space of a ship has been hit and sunk.
Jump to the step-by-step rules ↓EDITOR'S TABLE NOTES
Is Battleship a good fit for your group?
This game works especially well for two players who enjoy coordinate grids, probability, and deduction. Before setting up, decide whether that matches the experience your group wants today.
Rules version covered here
This guide covers classic Battleship with horizontal or vertical ships, one called coordinate per turn, and no ship movement after setup.
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Learn Battleship in under a minute
About this video
This original mini lesson covers what you need, setup, normal play, the winning condition, and one beginner tip. Continue below for the complete written guide.
INTERACTIVE LEARN-TO-PLAY
Practice Battleship before the first round
Walk through the setup, try a sample turn, and get a quick answer when play stalls.
Secretly place every ship horizontally or vertically.
Keep ships within the grid and do not overlap them.
Playable example turn
Step 1 of 4
Call one coordinate on each turn.
What should we do now?
Start with this action: Call one coordinate on each turn.
Scoring and winning
Announce when every space of a ship has been hit and sunk.
Common dispute to prevent
Placing ships diagonally. Agree on any edition-specific variation before the first turn.
The objective
Your goal is to locate and sink every opposing ship before your fleet is destroyed. Before play begins, make sure every player can explain how the game ends and what determines the winner. That one check prevents many mid-game disagreements.
What you need
Two Battleship grids, ships, and pegs. Lay out every required item before teaching the rules. If pieces, cards, controllers, or play space are missing, resolve that before the practice turn.
How to set up
- Secretly place every ship horizontally or vertically.
- Keep ships within the grid and do not overlap them.
Setup check: Ask one player who did not arrange the game to compare the table, field, or screen with these steps. A fresh look often catches an incorrect starting position.
How to play: step by step
- Call one coordinate on each turn.
- The opponent announces hit or miss and marks the result.
- Continue tracking likely ship positions.
- Announce when every space of a ship has been hit and sunk.
Example first round
After a hit at D5, test D4, D6, C5, or E5. A second hit reveals the ship’s direction, so continue along that line until it sinks or an announced miss ends the search pattern.
How scoring and winning work
- The first player to sink every opposing ship wins.
- A ship sinks only when every occupied coordinate has been hit.
- Players should announce hit, miss, and sunk accurately after every call.
Useful variations
- Use salvo rules to call multiple shots based on surviving ships.
- For beginners, mark a small buffer around each ship only if both players do so.
- Electronic editions may include missions or special weapons not used in classic play.
Beginner strategies
- After a hit, test nearby spaces in straight lines.
- Spread ships across the board.
Choose one of these ideas for the first game instead of trying to remember every strategy at once. Afterward, identify one decision that changed the result and one move you would test next time.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Placing ships diagonally.
- Forgetting to record called coordinates.
If an illegal move is discovered, pause and agree on the least disruptive correction. For casual play, consistency and a shared understanding matter more than reconstructing many turns.
Frequently asked questions
May ships touch?
Standard editions generally allow it unless their rules say otherwise.
Can ships move?
No, not after play begins.
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