CozyWorld guide
Pencil and Paper Games: 6 Classics to Play Free
Tic tac toe, hangman, dots and boxes, four in a row, sudoku and word search: how to play each with a pencil, and a free browser version of every one.
Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes gameplay screenshot: a dots and boxes game on a spiral notepad in a mountain fire lookout.
The best pencil and paper games are tic tac toe, hangman and dots and boxes for two players, four in a row on a drawn grid, and sudoku and word search on your own. All six need nothing more than a pencil and a sheet of paper, and each one also has a free browser version on CozyWorld for when there is no paper to hand.
Below, each game gets the short version of its rules for paper, then what its CozyWorld version adds. The table compares how many play and how long a game takes.
The six pencil and paper games compared
How many play and what the free CozyWorld version adds. Game lengths come from each game’s page.
| Game | Players on paper | Free version on CozyWorld | What the browser adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dots and boxes | 2 | Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes | Boards from 3x3 to 6x6 boxes, a computer opponent, hints that explain chains |
| Tic tac toe | 2 | Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe | Ultimate tic tac toe, a computer opponent, saved tallies |
| Hangman | 2 | Sorrel Row Hangman | Seven word categories, six or eight misses, a daily word |
| Four in a row | 2 | Peach Lane Four in a Row | A computer opponent at three levels, hints and undo |
| Sudoku | 1 | Sprout Sudoku | 600 puzzles at five difficulties, hints that explain each step |
| Word search | 1 | Cottage Word Search | 48 themed puzzles, each with a hidden saying |
Every CozyWorld version is free in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no download or account.
Featured CozyWorld Games
Start with these free browser games if you want a cozy session without a download or an account. Each card says what kind of play it is, so you can pick the one that fits your mood.
The pencil-and-paper classic for two
Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes
Take turns drawing a line between two dots side by side. Close the fourth side of a box and it is yours, and you draw again; when every line is drawn, the most boxes wins. Play Pebble the pika at three levels, or a friend on the same device, on boards from 3x3 to 6x6 boxes.
A one-minute game of X and O
Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe
Classic tic tac toe on a 3 by 3 grid and ultimate tic tac toe, nine small boards in one, against Percival the crane at three levels or a friend on the same device.
Guessing a word one letter at a time
Sorrel Row Hangman
Classic hangman with a garden scarecrow in place of the gallows: guess the word on the slate one letter at a time, with single words or phrases in seven categories, six or eight misses, and a daily word.
Lining up four on a 7 by 6 rack
Peach Lane Four in a Row
Drop peaches into a 7 by 6 rack and line up four across, up and down or on a slant before Tansy the hen does, at three levels, or play a friend on one device.
A solo logic puzzle
Sprout Sudoku
Classic 9x9 sudoku with 600 puzzles, 120 at each of five difficulties from Gentle to Expert. Hints explain the next logical step in plain words, and every solved puzzle plants a flower.
A gentle solo word hunt
Cottage Word Search
Forty-eight themed word searches in four seasonal books. Find every word, and the letters left over spell a hidden saying.
How to play each one on paper
Tic tac toe: draw a 3 by 3 grid. One player writes X and the other O, taking turns to mark an empty square, and the first to get three in a row across, down or diagonally wins. A full grid with no line is a draw.
Dots and boxes: draw a rectangle of dots, such as 4 by 4 dots for nine boxes. Players take turns drawing a line between two dots side by side. Whoever closes the fourth side of a box writes their initial in it and draws again, and when every line is drawn the player with the most boxes wins.
Hangman: one player thinks of a word and draws a blank for each letter. The other guesses one letter at a time; a right guess fills in every place that letter appears, and a wrong guess adds a piece to the drawing. Solve the word before the drawing is finished.
Four in a row: it is usually played on an upright rack, but it works on paper too. Draw a grid 7 columns wide and 6 rows high. Players take turns choosing a column and marking the lowest empty square in it, and the first to line up four of their own across, up and down or on a slant wins. If all 42 squares fill first, it is a draw.
Sudoku and word search are puzzles for one. A sudoku grid is 9 by 9, and every row, column and 3 by 3 box must hold each digit from 1 to 9 once. A word search hides a list of words in a grid of letters, and you circle each one where it reads in a straight line.
Pencil and paper games for two
Tic tac toe, dots and boxes, hangman and four in a row all need two people on paper. On CozyWorld, three of them can still be played by two people sharing one phone, tablet or computer: Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe and Peach Lane Four in a Row let a friend take the other side on the same device, and in Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes you pass the device back and forth.
If you are on your own, each of those three has a friendly computer opponent at three levels, and Sorrel Row Hangman picks the word for you from seven categories, so you are the one guessing.
Large print puzzles to print
For a word search on actual paper, our free large print word search page has the twelve Spring Cottage puzzles from Cottage Word Search with big capital letters, one puzzle to a printed page.
Quick Picks
Start with the one that matches what you need right now. Each pick is free in your browser.
- The pencil-and-paper classic for two: Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes
- A one-minute game of X and O: Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe
- Guessing a word one letter at a time: Sorrel Row Hangman
- Lining up four on a 7 by 6 rack: Peach Lane Four in a Row
- A solo logic puzzle: Sprout Sudoku
Choosing between these games
These six were chosen because each is a traditional game you can play with a pencil and paper and each has a published, playable CozyWorld version. For the four two-player games, the rules for paper are the standard rules their how-to-play articles describe.
Four in a row is usually sold as a board game with a rack and discs. It is included because the same rules work on a drawn 7 by 6 grid.
CozyWorld publishes every game in this article. Session lengths, controls and features come from each game's rules and our automated browser checks, not from testing on every device.
Which One Should You Play First?
For two people and one sheet of paper, start with dots and boxes: it takes a minute to learn and the chains at the end make it a real contest. Tic tac toe is the quickest, hangman is the one for word lovers, and four in a row works on a drawn grid.
With no paper to hand, Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes, Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe, Sorrel Row Hangman and Peach Lane Four in a Row play the same games free in your browser, and Sprout Sudoku and Cottage Word Search are the puzzles to play on your own.
Related guides and roundups
FAQ
Show questions
What are some good pencil and paper games for two people?
Dots and boxes, tic tac toe, hangman and four in a row are the classics. Each needs only a pencil and paper, and each has a free browser version on CozyWorld: Larkspur Lookout Dots and Boxes, Cattail Landing Tic Tac Toe, Sorrel Row Hangman and Peach Lane Four in a Row.
Can you play four in a row on paper?
Yes. Draw a grid 7 columns wide and 6 rows high, take turns choosing a column and mark the lowest empty square in it. The first to line up four across, up and down or on a slant wins, and a full grid is a draw.
Which pencil and paper games can I play alone?
Sudoku and word search are made for one person. On CozyWorld, Sprout Sudoku and Cottage Word Search are the free versions, and the two-player games each have a friendly computer opponent, so you can play them alone too.
See Also
Match mahjong tiles, solve sudoku and killer sudoku, slide 2048 tiles, make 24 from four number cards, sweep a minesweeper board, stitch a nonogram, find hidden words, unscramble a word, fit a jigsaw, rake leaf piles, sort shells, merge fruit or crack firefly codes. Choose a puzzle by the decisions it asks you to make.
Games Like Wordle: 15 Wordle Alternatives to TryFinished today's Wordle in three and want more? Here are the best Wordle alternatives, from the New York Times' own daily games to Quordle, Waffle, Absurdle and Nerdle, plus seven free browser puzzles from CozyWorld.
Classic Board Games to Play Online: 15 PicksCheckers, backgammon, reversi, mancala, Chinese checkers and more, free in your browser, then the best places to play chess, Go and the big brand classics online.
Best Cozy Valentine's Day Games to Play OnlineGames for two on one screen, a village to share by link, Hearts at a friendly table, sweet baking and cat games, then cozy picks for couples.