Battleship game rules: how to play on paper
Battleships is a game for two players that needs only squared paper and a pen. Each of you hides a fleet of ships on a 10-by-10 grid. You take turns calling out squares to fire at. The first to sink the whole enemy fleet wins.
People played it on paper long before it came out as a boxed game.
These rules give the version most English speakers know. You'll find the ten-ship game played in Poland and much of Eastern Europe under Variants. Agree on any changes before you start.
- Players
- 2
- Playing time
- 15-30 min
- Age
- 7+
- What you need
- Squared or graph paper and a pen for each player
Updated: 2 November 2026
The grids and coordinates
Each player draws two 10-by-10 grids. The first is your ocean. Your ships go on it, and so do your opponent's shots. The second is your target grid, where you mark your own shots.
Write the letters A to J down the left side of each grid, one for each row. Write the numbers 1 to 10 along the top, one for each column. Every square now has a name, such as A1, C7 or J10. Always say the letter first, then the number.
The fleet
Both players have the same five ships. Each ship is a straight line of squares.
| Ship | Squares |
|---|---|
| Carrier | 5 |
| Battleship | 4 |
| Cruiser | 3 |
| Submarine | 3 |
| Destroyer | 2 |
The whole fleet takes up 17 of the 100 squares.
Placing your ships
- Draw each ship along a row or down a column. Ships never go diagonally, and they never bend.
- Ships may not overlap, and every square of a ship must be on the grid.
- Ships may touch each other, side by side or end to end.
- Place your ships in secret and keep your paper out of sight.
- Once the game starts, your ships stay where they are.
Taking turns
- Decide who goes first, for example by tossing a coin.
- On your turn, call out one square on your opponent's grid, such as D5.
- Your opponent checks that square on their ocean and tells you the result.
- Mark the result on your target grid: a dot for a miss, a cross for a hit.
- Now it is your opponent's turn. You get one shot per turn, whether you hit or not.
Your opponent marks your shots on their ocean too. That way you both know which squares have been fired at.
Don't call a square you have already fired at. If you do by mistake, the shot counts as a miss.
Hit, miss and sunk
After every shot, the player being fired at gives one of three answers.
- "Miss" - there is no ship on that square.
- "Hit" - there is a ship on that square, and some of its squares have not been hit yet.
- "Hit and sunk" - the shot hit the last unhit square of a ship. Say which ship it was, for example "Hit and sunk, my cruiser".
On a plain hit, you don't say which ship it is. The shooter has to work out how the ship lies.
Winning
The first player to sink all five enemy ships wins. Sinking the whole fleet always takes 17 hits.
When the game is over, show each other your grids. It is an easy way to check that nobody gave a wrong answer.
Variants
The ten-ship fleet (Polish rules)
This is the game most people play in Poland. Each player has ten ships: one of 4 squares, two of 3, three of 2 and four of 1. Together they take up 20 squares.
- Ships may not touch at all, not even at the corners.
- After a hit, you fire again. Your turn ends only when you miss.
- You never say which ship was hit, not even when it sinks.
- When a ship sinks, mark the squares around it with dots. No ship can be there.
No touching
Keep the five ships, but no two ships may touch, not even at a corner. Every ship then has a ring of empty squares round it.
Keep firing after a hit
After a hit, you fire again. Your turn ends only when you miss.
Name the ship on every hit
When you answer "hit", also say which ship was hit, for example "Hit, submarine". Many printed versions of the rules work this way. The shooter learns more, so the game goes faster.
Salvo
On each turn, you fire one shot for every ship you still have afloat. Call all the squares at once. Your opponent then tells you which shots hit and which missed, and names any ship that sank. Some players give only the number of hits. There is no extra shot after a hit.
Frequent questions
What are the five ships in the battleship game?
The carrier (5 squares), the battleship (4), the cruiser (3), the submarine (3) and the destroyer (2). Together they take up 17 squares.
Can ships touch in the battleship game?
Yes. Ships may touch side by side or end to end, but they may not overlap. Many players ban touching, though. See the variant "No touching".
Do you get another shot after a hit?
Not in these rules. You get one shot per turn, hit or miss. Some players keep firing until they miss, as people do in Poland. See the variant "Keep firing after a hit".
What do you say when a ship sinks?
A ship sinks when every one of its squares has been hit. Its owner then says "hit and sunk" and names the ship, for example "Hit and sunk, my destroyer".
How do you draw the grids on paper?
On squared or graph paper, draw two 10-by-10 grids. Write A to J down the side and 1 to 10 along the top of each. Draw your ships on one grid and mark your shots on the other.
Do you have to say which ship was hit?
Only when it sinks. On a plain hit you just say "hit". Some players name the ship on every hit, which makes the game quicker. See the variant "Name the ship on every hit".
Can ships go diagonally?
No. Every ship lies in a straight line along a row or down a column.
Can a ship sit on the edge of the grid?
Yes. A ship may run along the edge or sit in a corner. It just has to fit inside the grid.
Who goes first?
There is no fixed rule. Toss a coin, or let the younger player start. In the next game, the other player goes first.
What if I call the same square twice?
The shot counts as a miss, and the turn passes to your opponent. Mark every shot on your target grid so you don't repeat one.
How do you find the ships faster?
Fire at every other square, like the dark squares of a chessboard. Every ship is at least two squares long, so this pattern finds them all. After a hit, try the squares next to it to find which way the ship runs.
How is the Polish game different?
In Poland each player has ten ships of 1 to 4 squares, and ships may not touch at all. After a hit, you fire again until you miss. See the variant "The ten-ship fleet (Polish rules)".
Log your plays
Save the plays of every game you play. See who wins most often and what you play the most.