Gomoku XL is a free online version of the classic five-in-a-row strategy game, played on a big graph-paper-style board for extra room to manoeuvre. You and the computer take turns placing stones, racing to line up five in a row. Play in your browser with no download and no sign-up.
Also known as Five in a Row, Gomoku is simple to learn but deeply strategic, rewarding players who build threats while blocking their opponent. Easy, Medium and Hard settings give the computer a sharper eye for forks and forced wins, so the larger board stays a real challenge.
Gomoku — from the Japanese gomoku narabe, "five stones in a row" — has been played on Go equipment in Japan for centuries, and the same idea sprouted independently wherever squared notebook paper met bored students: schoolchildren across Europe grew up scribbling five-in-a-row during lessons, from Czech piškvorky to Swedish luffarschack. The graph-paper styling of this XL edition is a nod to that pencil-and-eraser tradition.
The game is also a landmark in computer science: in 1993 researcher Victor Allis proved that on a standard 15×15 board, the first player can force a win with perfect play. That is why the professional variant renju shackles Black with special opening restrictions. Playing on an extra-large field changes the flavour again — edges lose their bite, long diagonals stay alive, and sprawling multi-front battles become possible.
Be the first to place five of your stones in an unbroken line — horizontally, vertically or diagonally — anywhere on the large board.
Click or tap an empty intersection (or square) to place your stone there. Players alternate turns, and once placed, stones do not move. The board scrolls or zooms to fit its extra-large size on smaller screens.
There is no point score — the game is won outright by the first player to make five in a row. If the board fills with no five-in-a-row, the game is a draw.
Create "open" threats — rows of three or four with space on both ends — since a double-open four forces a win. Always check whether your opponent is one move from five and block it, and look for forks that make two threats at once so a single block cannot stop both.
How do you win Gomoku?
Be the first to line up exactly five of your stones in a row, column or diagonal.
What makes Gomoku XL different?
It uses an extra-large graph-paper board, giving more space for long-range strategy.
Can I play Gomoku XL without paying?
Absolutely — it loads straight in your browser at no cost, with no download or registration.
More classic games: Gomoku, Four in a Row, Tic-Tac-Toe, Go, Dots and Boxes, and all 100 free games.