Sea Battle online, with a friend
The classic hidden-fleet grid game, also known as Battleships. Hide your ships, send the link, and take turns firing until one fleet is on the bottom. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.
- 2 players
- About 10 min
- Watchable live
- Free, no sign-up
The ship-hunting game everyone played on paper
Long before it came in a plastic box, this was a pencil-and-paper game: two grids, a handful of ships, and calling out squares like "B7". Many people know it as Battleships or the battleship game. On BeatMe it is Sea Battle, and it is made for playing over a link.
You hide your fleet on your own grid, send the link, and your friend hides theirs. Then you take turns firing at each other's waters. Your ships are kept secret on the server: your friend cannot see them, the link preview cannot see them, and neither can anyone watching. A ship only shows up once it is sunk.
How to play Sea Battle
Hide your fleet
Start a challenge and place your five ships on the grid: a carrier (5 squares), a battleship (4), a cruiser (3), a submarine (3) and a destroyer (2). Tap Shuffle for a random layout, or tap a ship to move or turn it.
Send the link
Lock in your fleet and send the short beatme.link link. Your friend accepts, hides their own fleet, and the battle begins.
Take turns firing
Tap a square on their grid to aim, then fire. A splash means a miss, a burst means a hit. When every square of a ship is hit, it sinks and everyone sees it.
Sink the whole fleet
The first player to sink all five enemy ships wins. Choose "A hit earns another shot" when you start for a faster, streakier game.
Sea Battle strategy: how to find ships faster
- Hunt in a checkerboard. Every ship is at least two squares long, so firing only at squares of one colour on a checkerboard pattern will still find every ship, with half the shots.
- After a hit, go around it. Fire at the four squares next to a hit until you find the direction of the ship, then follow the line.
- Count what is left. If only the destroyer is still afloat, you can rule out every gap smaller than two squares.
- Do not cluster your fleet. Ships that touch each other are easier to find: one hit often leads to two ships. Spread them out and use the edges.
- Avoid obvious patterns. Many players put ships along the edges or in neat rows. A mix of horizontal and vertical ships in unexpected spots lasts longest.
Why play Sea Battle on BeatMe?
No app, no account, no waiting room full of strangers. You play the people you know, in whatever chat you already use, and you do not have to be online together: fire a shot, put the phone down, and come back when it is your turn again. When it is over, both fleets are revealed, you get a result card to post, and the replay shows every shot in order.
Sea Battle FAQ
Can I play Sea Battle online with a friend for free?
Yes. Start a game on this page, hide your fleet and send the link. Your friend plays in their browser on any phone, tablet or computer. Free, no app, no account.
Is this the same as Battleships?
Yes, Sea Battle is the classic grid game many people know as Battleships: two hidden fleets on ten by ten grids, players take turns calling out squares, and the first to sink every enemy ship wins.
Can my friend see where my ships are?
No. Your fleet never leaves the server until a ship is sunk or the game is over. Your friend, the link preview and anyone watching only see the shots and the ships that have gone down.
Do we have to play at the same time?
No. Each player fires whenever they like, and the link stays open for 48 hours after the last shot. If you are both online, every shot appears live.
Which ships are in the fleet?
Five ships: a carrier (5 squares), a battleship (4), a cruiser (3), a submarine (3) and a destroyer (2), on a ten by ten grid. Ships go in straight lines, across or down, and may not overlap.
What does "A hit earns another shot" mean?
With this rule, whenever you hit a ship you fire again right away. A miss passes the turn. Without it, players simply take turns.
Sea Battle is an independent version of the traditional pencil-and-paper grid game. BeatMe Games is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Hasbro. Battleship is a trademark of Hasbro.
