BattleTabs is a turn-based 1v1 naval combat game: classic Battleship, except your ships have abilities. Here's how a match goes, from picking a battle to the last shot.
Ranked battles come in two speeds. Normal gives you 30 seconds a turn, and most matches are over in 3–8 minutes. Long gives you up to 24 hours a turn, so you can make your move and get on with your day; a match usually wraps up in 2–3 days, and you can have several running at once. Both pay the same trophies and rewards. To play someone you know instead, start a friendly battle and send them the link.
Your fleet is four ships. You start with a handful and unlock more as you play, and completing a starting fleet such as Rogue, Big & Tough or Reveal & Snipe gives you a whole batch at once. For a change from your usual fleet, switch on Draft Mode before a Normal battle: if your opponent has it on too, you'll both pick ships one at a time before the battle starts.
Before the first shot, drag your ships into position on your own grid. Your opponent can't see where you put them, and you can't see theirs.
On your turn, pick a square on your opponent's grid to attack. You'll see straight away whether it's a miss, a hit or a sunk ship. The old Battleship habits still work: chase a hit along a line, and switch direction when the line runs dry.
Every ship except the passive ones has an ability on a cooldown. Some scout the enemy grid, some protect yours, and some hit several squares at once. Passive ships work without you pressing anything: the Mermaid, for example, reveals tiles on your opponent's board when it gets hit. Choosing four ships whose abilities work together is most of the strategy.
Sink all four of your opponent's ships before they sink yours. In ranked, a win earns trophies and pushes your BTN (BattleTabs Number) rating up, and a loss pushes it down.
Ready to play? Jump in at battletabs.io, or read play Battleship online free for where to play, playing with friends, and how BattleTabs differs from the classic board game.