# How to play Hexodic

> A turn is Project, Shape, and an optional Echo. There are three ways to win. The game is played in the app.

How to play Hexodic: each turn is Project, Shape, and an optional Echo; you win by Network, Takeover, or Strangle. The game itself is played in the Hexodic app.

Canonical HTML: https://hexodic.com/learn-to-play
Site index for agents: https://hexodic.com/llms.txt

## How do you play Hexodic?

Hexodic is a turn-based abstract strategy game on a hex board where the height of each cell decides captures. A Hexodic turn is **Project** a stone, then **Shape** the ground (required whenever a legal Shape can change a cell not under your own stone, and skipped when the capture cooldown skipped your Project), then an optional **Echo**. A Hexodic player wins by completing a Network, a Takeover, or a Strangle. The game itself is played in the Hexodic app — get it at [hexodic.com/download](/download).

## How does a turn work?

- **Project** — place a stone from your reserve, or once the reserve is empty, move a stone; moving onto an enemy stone from higher ground captures it. Full rule: [Project](/rules/project).
- **Shape** — raise or lower one cell's tier by one step, near the stone you just Projected. Shaping is how Hexodic players turn the board itself into strength. Full rule: [Shape](/rules/shape).
- **Echo** — an optional, scarce action spent on a second capture check or a permanent lock. Echo charges never come back. Full rule: [Echo](/rules/echo).

A **tier** is a cell's height; higher tiers make stones stronger in captures. See [tiers](/rules/tiers) and [capture](/rules/capture).

## How do you win?

The three Hexodic win conditions are checked at the same time, so a game can end any of three ways:

- [Network](/rules/network) — connect enough of your stones on tier-2 cells into one group.
- [Takeover](/rules/takeover) — capture enough enemy stones over the whole game.
- [Strangle](/rules/strangle) — leave your opponent starting a turn with no legal Project.

The plain-language walkthrough of every rule is on [how it works](/how-it-works); the complete ruleset is at [rules](/rules).

## Where can you play?

- **The game** — Hexodic is played in the mobile app: [get the app](/download).
- **Pass-and-play** — two people can play Hexodic on one device (local pass-and-play) in the Android app; it is not in the iOS app.
- **Try a position** — the [tools](/tools) check move legality and explore the board without starting a game.

For where Hexodic sits among games you already know, see [games like Hexodic](/games-like-hexodic).

## Where to go next

- [Strategy](https://hexodic.com/strategy) — The principles that follow from the rules, not from habit.
- [Common questions](https://hexodic.com/faq) — Availability, price, rules and data, answered plainly.
- [Glossary](https://hexodic.com/glossary) — Every rules term defined, in one place.

## Questions this page answers

- How do I learn to play Hexodic?
- Where can I play Hexodic?