# Dots & Boxes: Online & AI — Play with Friends or Offline

> Classic dot-connecting game with AI, online multiplayer, and local play. (iPhone/iPad app by Surbhi Agrawal.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dots-and-boxes-online-and-ai/id6813627975 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Surbhi Agrawal](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782103660)
- Category: Games, Board, Puzzle
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 16 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), European Spanish
- Released: 2026-09-25
- Data updated: 2026-10-29
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dots-and-boxes-online-and-ai/id6813627975/reviews.md

## What is Dots & Boxes?

Bring the classic pen-and-paper game to your phone. Connect neighboring dots, complete boxes and outsmart your opponent one line at a time.

Remember Dots & Boxes at the back of class? Two pens, one notebook page, a grid of dots and a lot of friendly trash talk. Dots & Sticks brings that classroom classic to your phone: play online, climb the Solo Challenge, challenge a friend, or pass one phone back and forth. And no ad ever interrupts a match.

Known as Dots & Boxes, Dots and Lines, Dots and Dashes or simply Squares, it is easy to learn and harder to master than it looks.

HOW TO PLAY
Take turns drawing a line between two neighboring dots. Close the fourth side of a square and the box is yours, and you play again. One careless line can hand your opponent a whole chain of boxes, so every move counts. When the notebook page is full, the player with the most boxes wins.

PLAY YOUR WAY
- Solo Challenge: climb a ladder of four opponents, from Easy on a small grid to Expert on an 8x8 board. Beat one to unlock the next, and earn up to three stars for every win.
- Quick Match: jump into an online game with another player and see who plays the better chains.
- Play a Friend: create a private room, share the code or the link, and play from anywhere. Pick the board size, then ask for a rematch.
- Pass & Play: two players, one phone. Perfect for the coffee table, a long trip or a classroom break.
- Learn in 30 seconds: a short, hands-on walkthrough teaches the rules the first time you play.
- Pause any game, close the app and resume exactly where you left off.

MEET YOUR OPPONENTS
Every opponent on the ladder has a name and a playing style of their own. The first ones make beginner mistakes; the later ones count the chains, punish loose lines and make you earn every box. Win by a wide margin to collect all three stars, then come back and replay for a perfect score.

ONLINE, WITH PERSONALITY
Pick a name and an emoji avatar, and show your country flag if you like (you can switch it off in Settings). Your online rating rises when you win and falls when you lose, and your stats screen tracks games, wins, win streaks and your best run. You can delete your online data at any time from that screen.

CHOOSE YOUR BOARD
Play on 5x5, 6x6, 7x7 or 8x8 dots, from a quick round of a minute or two to a long strategic battle. The bigger the grid, the more chains, sacrifices and double-crosses you will need to plan.

NO ADS WHILE YOU PLAY
Your game is never interrupted. Ads only appear after a game ends, never in the middle of a match and never after your very first game. The game is free to play, with no sign-up and no in-app purchases.

A NOTEBOOK COME TO LIFE
Hand-drawn ink lines, ruled paper, pencil doodles in the margins and soft classroom sounds make every move feel tactile, never glossy and never neon. The layout adapts to phones, tablets and landscape, and the game speaks English, French, German and Spanish, picking your device language automatically.

MADE FOR SHORT BREAKS
A game on a small grid takes just a couple of minutes, so it fits a queue, a commute or the gap between lessons. Hand the phone to a sibling, a classmate or a grandparent: nobody needs a tutorial, and everybody remembers the rules.

WORKS WHEN YOU DO
Solo Challenge and Pass & Play need no connection at all, so you can play on a plane, on the bus or anywhere the signal drops. Online games reconnect on their own if your connection wobbles.

TIPS FROM THE BACK OF THE CLASS
- Avoid drawing the third side of a box: it hands that box to your opponent.
- Count the chains near the end. Sometimes giving up a few boxes wins the game.
- Small grids reward careful counting, big grids reward patience.
- Going second? Stay calm: the last chains often decide everything.

If you love classic board games, paper games, two-player games or strategy puzzles, Dots & Sticks is the dots and boxes game made for you. Grab a friend and claim the squares.

## Key features

- Play against AI opponents
- Online multiplayer with friends
- Local 'Pass & Play' mode
- Customizable board sizes
- Tactile, notebook-inspired visuals
- Resume games anytime

## Is Dots & Boxes safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Dots & Boxes.

## Is Dots & Boxes legit?

Dots & Boxes: Online & AI appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Dots & Boxes is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (3 of 3)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dots-and-boxes-online-and-ai/id6813627975/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Enjoyed playing it

*2026-10-26*

Love the UX and it was a smooth play

### 5/5 — Nostalgia filled game

*2026-10-25*

This game took be right back to the classroom. Great graphics and sound too

### 5/5 — Nostalgia

*2026-10-05*

Great UI and fun to play game

## Frequently asked questions about Dots & Boxes

### How do you play Dots & Boxes?

Players take turns drawing a line between two neighboring dots. If a player completes the fourth side of a square, they claim the box and play again. The player with the most boxes at the end wins.

### Can I play Dots & Boxes offline?

Yes, you can play offline against AI opponents in the Solo Challenge mode or with a friend using the 'Pass & Play' feature on a single device.

### Does Dots & Boxes have ads?

No, the game is free to play and does not interrupt matches with advertisements. Ads only appear after a game ends, and never after your very first game.

### What board sizes are available in Dots & Boxes?

You can choose from 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, or 8x8 dot grids, offering a range of game lengths from quick rounds to longer strategic battles.

### Is Dots & Boxes suitable for young children?

The game has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young players. The rules are simple to learn, with a quick walkthrough available.

### Can I play Dots & Boxes with friends online?

Yes, you can create private rooms to play with friends online. You can share a room code or link to invite them to a game.

### How often is Dots & Boxes updated?

The app was last updated on October 25, 2026, with version 1.5. This indicates active development and support for the game.

### Does Dots & Boxes support multiple languages?

Yes, the game automatically picks your device language and supports English, French, German, and Spanish.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.6 — 2026-10-27

New in 1.6:
• Play a Friend is faster and more reliable, wherever you are. The host now taps START GAME once the friend has joined.
• A "Reconnecting…" notice when your connection drops, and a clear message if a friend claimed the win while you were away.
• Smoother online games with less data used.
• Small fixes and improvements.

### 1.5 — 2026-10-25

New in 1.8:
• Solo Challenge: climb a ladder of four opponents and earn stars.
• Play online: quick matches, ratings, and invite links for friends.
• A new home screen, profiles with emoji avatars, and a quick walkthrough.
• Faster loading and a connection indicator in online games.
• Small fixes and improvements.

### 1.4 — 2026-10-22

Added Play Solo as a mode. 
Now the game shows rejoin based on which mode you were joined in

### 1.3 — 2026-10-18

New in 1.3:
• Now in French, German and Spanish. The game picks your device language automatically, or change it in Settings.
• A fresh app icon.
• Ad privacy choices in Settings for players in Europe and the UK.
• Small fixes and improvements.

### 1.2 — 2026-10-10

Never wait for an opponent — Quick Match now pairs you with a friendly AI player if no one's around, so you can always jump into a game.
More reliable online play — fixed an issue where online rooms could get stuck or drop the connection; reconnects are now much smoother.
Cleaner Online Play screen — Create and Join are now separate tabs, so setting up a room or joining one is more straightforward.
Resume where you left off — leaving mid-game to the Home screen now lets you jump right back in (local, vs. AI, or online), or tap Leave Game to start fresh instead.
Bug fix — background music now properly pauses when you switch away from the app.

## Apps similar to Dots & Boxes

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## More apps by Surbhi Agrawal

- [Fissle: Daily Word Hunt Grid](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fissle-daily-word-hunt-grid/id6782103658)
- [Board Hub: Mancala & Checkers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/board-hub-mancala-and-checkers/id6807513057)
- [Taply: Spin Wheel & Coin Flip](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taply-spin-wheel-and-coin-flip/id6809183011)
- [The Oculta: Perfect Timing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-oculta-perfect-timing/id6809183673)
- [Refract: Color Runner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refract-color-runner/id6812708122)

All apps by Surbhi Agrawal: https://appshunter.io/developer/6782103660

## Related topics

[dots and boxes online](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dots-and-boxes-online)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-29.*