---
title: "Battleship Rules - How to Play"
description: "The rules of Battleship explained: fleet, grid, placement, hit, miss and sunk."
canonical_url: "https://game-circle.de/games/battleship/rules"
locale: en
meta:
  author: GameCircle
  keywords: "Games, Online, Multiplayer, Browser Games"
  "og:description": "The rules of Battleship explained: fleet, grid, placement, hit, miss and sunk."
  "og:title": "Battleship Rules - How to Play"
---

> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://game-circle.de/llms.txt)

**Game Rules**

# **Battleship rules**

Battleship is a classic two-player strategy game. Each player secretly arranges their fleet on a grid and takes turns calling out coordinates to find and sink the opponent's ships.

👥**Players****2**

⬛**Grid****10 × 10**

🚢**Ships****6 per player**

🎯**Type****Strategy**

## **The Fleet**

Each player receives the same fleet of 6 ships. Ships differ in length (number of cells they occupy).

| **Ship** | **Size** | **Visual** | **Count** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Carrier** | 5 cells |  | 1 |
| **Battleship** | 4 cells |  | 1 |
| **Cruiser** | 3 cells |  | 1 |
| **Submarine** | 3 cells |  | 1 |
| **Destroyer** | 2 cells |  | 1 |
| **Patrol Boat** | 1 cells |  | 1 |

## **Setup & Placement**

### **The Grid**

Each player has their own 10×10 grid. Columns are labeled A–J, rows 1–10. A coordinate like "B3" uniquely identifies a cell.

Example: 3-cell ship (blue)

### **Placement Rules**

- **1**Ships may be placed horizontally or vertically, but never diagonally.
- **2**Ships must not overlap each other.
- **3**Ships must not touch each other, not even diagonally.
- **4**All 6 ships must be placed before the game begins.

## **How to Play**

The game proceeds in alternating turns. Each player fires exactly one shot per turn at the opponent's grid.

1. **1**### **Place Ships**

   Both players simultaneously and secretly place their 6 ships on their own grid.
2. **2**### **Call a Coordinate**

   The active player calls a coordinate (e.g. "C7"). The opponent responds with "Hit" or "Miss".
3. **3**### **Mark the Result**

   Hits are marked with ✕, misses with ○. Both players record the result on their tracking grid.
4. **4**### **Announce Sunk**

   When all cells of a ship have been hit, the opponent must announce "Sunk!" and name the ship type.

## **Hit, Miss & Sunk**

**○ **

### **Miss**

The coordinate does not hit a ship. The cell is marked with a circle (○). The turn passes to the opponent.

**✕ **

### **Hit**

The coordinate hits a ship. The cell is marked with a red cross (✕). The ship is not yet sunk.

**⚓ **

### **Sunk**

Once every cell of a ship has been hit, the ship is sunk. The opponent must confirm which ship was destroyed.

### **Example Tracking Grid (Attacker's View)**

**A**

**B**

**C**

**D**

**E**

**F**

**G**

**1**

**S**

**✕**

**S**

**2**

**○**

**3**

**○**

**4**

**✕**

**✕**

**✕**

**5**

**○**

**6**

**○**

**7**

**Legend**

**S **

Ship (own view)

**✕ **

Hit

**○ **

Miss

Unknown / not yet fired at

## **Turn Rules**

Players alternate turns. The following rules apply:

- Exactly one coordinate is called per turn.
- Cells that have already been fired at cannot be chosen again.
- A hit does not grant an extra turn. The opponent shoots next.

### ↻** House rule: shoot again after a hit**

Many families play like this: whoever hits or sinks a ship shoots again right away and keeps going until they miss. Games get faster and more exciting, but lucky hits count for more.

**Switch it on in the lobby settings under "Shoot again after a hit". In the game a badge next to the turn indicator shows that the house rule applies.**

## **Win Condition**

The first player to sink all of the opponent's ships wins. All 17 cells of the opposing fleet must be hit.

**Sink all 6 of your opponent's ships first to win!**

## **Strategy Tips**

### **Checkerboard Pattern**

Start by firing in a checkerboard pattern. Since the smallest ship is 2 cells long, no ship can hide between two checkerboard squares.

### **Follow Up on Hits**

After scoring a hit, fire at the four adjacent cells (up, down, left, right) to determine the ship's orientation and finish it off.

### **Spread Your Fleet**

Don't cluster all ships at the edge or center. An unpredictable layout makes it harder for your opponent to hunt systematically.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://game-circle.de/sitemap.md) for all pages.