Tic Tac Twist is a two-player strategy game inspired by Tic-Tac-Toe, with a twist. Players place pieces on the board to create lines of five — but after each turn, one section of the board is rotated, changing the game state.

What you’ll need

• A Tic Tac Twist board made up of four 3×3 sections
• Two sets of playing pieces in different colors
• 2 players

The board

The board forms a 6×6 grid made up of four smaller 3×3 sections. Each section can be rotated independently during play.

Set up

• Place the board between the two players.
• Choose which player goes first.
• Start with an empty board.

Objective

Be the first player to create a line of five of your pieces in a row — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — anywhere on the board.

Taking a turn

Each turn has two required steps, completed in this order:

1. Place one piece on any empty space on the board.
2. Rotate one section of the board 90°, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

You must rotate a section every turn, even if the rotation benefits your opponent.

Rotating sections

• Any of the four sections may be rotated.
• Sections may be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise.
• The rotation happens immediately after placing a piece.

Winning the game

• A player wins immediately when they have five in a row after the rotation step.
• If both players create five in a row as a result of a rotation, the game is a draw.

If nobody wins

If the board fills completely and no player has five in a row, the game ends in a draw.

Strategy tip

Because the board rotates every turn, blocking your opponent is just as important as building your own lines.