Help & Instructions
Learn how to play X's and O's
Getting Started
Welcome to X's and O's, a free retro 2D American football game. This game combines strategic play-calling with classic football action in a nostalgic arcade-style format.
Quick Start: Load the game, choose your plays, and start competing. No account required - just jump in and play!
How to Play
Game Basics
- Objective: Score as many points as possible by advancing the ball down the field
- Controls: Click/Tap the players on the field, or use the button controls at the bottom of the screen
- Play Selection: Choose from various offensive and defensive formations
Gameplay
- Select your offensive play from the available options (scroll through the playbook to reveal more options)
- There is a dropdown menu at the bottom of the screen that lets you specify a defense (by default a random defense is chosen each play)
- Once an offensive play has been selected, either click/tap on the field to start the play, or click the Run Play button at the bottom of the screen
- Click/Tap on one of the receivers (A, B, C, or D) to pass them the ball, or click/tap on the quarterback to trigger a QB sneak
- Alternatively, you can use the A, B, C, D, and Run buttons at the bottom of the screen to trigger a pass or QB sneak (though clicking/tapping on the field of play is the suggested method of gameplay)
- You cannot pass the ball to an X player
- Points are determined by how far the ball travels past the line of scrimmage
- Each game consists of 10 offensive plays where you can score a maximum of 50 points per play
- 500 is a perfect score
Scoring
- Max Gain: 50 points - The ball was advanced to the far end of the field
- Long Gain: 30 points - The ball carrier was tackled in the 30-point zone
- Medium Gain: 15 points - The ball carrier was tackled in the 15-point zone
- Short Gain: 5 points - The ball carrier was tackled in the 5-point zone
- No Gain: 0 points - The ball carrier was tackled behind the line of scrimmage
- Incompletion: 0 points - The pass fell incomplete
- Sack: -5 points - The QB was sacked before attempting a pass or scramble
- Interception: -10 points - The defense intercepted the ball
Game Features
- Retro 2D graphics with classic arcade aesthetics
- Free to play with no ads or subscriptions
- Watch replays of your best plays (includes pause and resume)
- Crowd excitement changes based on play results
- Homemade audio sound effects
- Small cutscenes after each play
- Works on desktop and mobile browsers
- No registration or account required
- Local storage saves your preferences and game summaries
Tips & Strategy
- The offensive NPC AI is designed to block for the ball carrier
- Receivers without the ball will become blockers after the ball has been thrown (or the QB starts to scramble)
- Offensive linemen will run downfield and try to block for the ball carrier
- Comeback, Stop, and Screen plays setup for the best blocking down field
- Passes over the middle fall incomplete more than passes to the sidelines
- Deep passes are more likely to be overthrown and/or intercepted
- The Jumbo formations are designed for QB sneaks
- Some formations provide extra blockers (there will be more players on offense than on defense)
- You cannot pass it to the blockers (the X players)
- By default, a random defensive formation will be chosen on each play
- You can manually select a defensive formation using the dropdown at the bottom of the play selection screen
- Based on formation, sometimes a defender won't go for a tackle (instead they'll stay in their zone)
- Most of the defensive formations have at least one blitzer, some formations have three blitzers
- Get the ball out quickly when there are multiple blitzing defenders
- Players' max speed and acceleration will vary slightly from play to play (simulates player fatigue)
Technical Requirements
- Browser: Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- JavaScript: Must be enabled
- Internet: Required for initial loading
- Storage: Browser localStorage for saving preferences
Privacy & Data
X's and O's respects your privacy:
- No personal information required or collected
- No advertisements
- Game data stored locally on your device
- See our Privacy Policy for full details
Troubleshooting
Game Won't Load
- Ensure JavaScript is enabled in your browser
- Clear your browser cache and reload the page
- Try a different browser
- Check your internet connection
Performance Issues
- Close other browser tabs to free up resources
- Update your browser to the latest version
- Try disabling browser extensions that might interfere
Contact & Support
Need additional help or want to provide feedback?
Email support: exesnohsgame at gmail
Contact the developer: https://devsteve.com/#contact