Hexaequo
Hexaequo is an abstract strategy game for two players. There is no luck in it, nothing is hidden, and there is no board in the box — you build the board as you play, laying hexagonal tiles and moving disks and rings across them.
Four ways to play
- Two players, one screen — Pass the device back and forth. Nothing to install and no account needed.
- Against the computer — Four strengths, from a beginner that overlooks captures to an opponent that searches seven moves ahead.
- Online with a friend — Open a game and send the link. Whoever holds it takes the free seat.
- Rated games online — Sign in and be matched with someone near your rating, with clocks and a world leaderboard.
What makes it different
- The board is not given — Every game starts with four tiles. Where the board goes is itself a move, and a game played wide is nothing like one played tight.
- Three ways to win — Take six disks, take three rings, or leave your opponent with nothing on the board. Each pulls play in a different direction.
- No hidden information, no dice — Everything either player knows is on the table. A loss is always something you could have seen.
- Five minutes to learn — Two kinds of piece, one kind of tile, and a turn is a single choice.
Free, and it stays free
Hexaequo runs in a browser with nothing to install. It can be added to a phone home screen and played offline. There are no advertisements, no purchases and no tracking beyond what an account you choose to create requires.
How the name is spelled
Hexaequo is one word: hex for the hexagons it is played on, and aequo from the Latin ex aequo — on equal footing, which is what a drawn game is called here. It is an odd word to spell from memory, and people reach for it as hexeko, hexaco, hexeco, hexequo, hexaquo, exako or exeko. They all mean this game, and they all end up here.