What is Sinkships?

Sinkships is a free, browser-based version of the classic Battleship board game. You play against an intelligent computer opponent, trying to sink all of their ships before they sink yours. The game features five difficulty levels, from beginner-friendly Random AI to the challenging Admiral difficulty.

Do I need to create an account to play?

No! Sinkships doesn't require any registration or account creation. Simply visit our website and start playing immediately. Your game preferences and statistics are stored locally in your browser, so no personal information needs to be shared with us.

Is Sinkships really free?

Yes, Sinkships is completely free to play. There are no premium features, subscriptions, or in-game purchases. We support the game through respectful, non-intrusive advertising. You get the full game experience at no cost.

Can I play Sinkships on my phone or tablet?

Absolutely! Sinkships is designed with a mobile-first approach and works seamlessly on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. The interface adapts to your screen size, providing an optimized experience on any device.

How do I play Battleship?

In Battleship, you and your opponent each have a fleet of ships placed on a 10x10 grid. You take turns calling out grid coordinates to "fire" at your opponent's ships. When you hit a ship, you get to fire again. The goal is to sink all of your opponent's ships before they sink yours. Check out our detailed How to Play guide for complete instructions.

What ships are in the game and how big are they?

Each player has five ships of different sizes:

• Carrier: 5 cells
• Battleship (Sinkships): 4 cells
• Cruiser: 3 cells
• Submarine: 3 cells
• Destroyer: 2 cells

Ships can be placed horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. Ships cannot overlap or touch each other.

What do the different difficulty levels mean?

Sinkships offers five AI difficulty levels:

• Level 1 (Seaman): Random targeting - perfect for learning the game
• Level 2 (Ensign): Checkerboard pattern - slightly more strategic
• Level 3 (Lieutenant): Basic probability mapping - uses smart targeting
• Level 4 (Commander): Advanced hunt/target mode - aggressive and tactical
• Level 5 (Admiral): Optimal strategy with probability analysis - extremely challenging

Each level uses progressively more sophisticated algorithms to make decisions. Learn more in our AI Difficulty Guide.

Can I rotate my ships during placement?

Yes! When placing ships, you can rotate them between horizontal and vertical orientation. On desktop, click the rotation button or press the 'R' key. On mobile, tap the rotation button before placing your ship.

Can I move my ships after I've placed them?

Yes, during the ship placement phase, you can remove and reposition ships as many times as you like. Once you click "Start Game" and the battle begins, ship positions are locked and cannot be changed.

What happens when I hit a ship?

When you hit an opponent's ship, the cell turns red and you hear a hit sound effect (if sounds are enabled). You get another turn immediately, allowing you to continue firing until you miss. When all cells of a ship are hit, the ship is sunk and you'll see a "Ship Sunk!" notification.

Does the computer cheat?

Absolutely not. Our AI plays fair and uses only the same information available to you. The computer makes strategic decisions based on probability and game state, but it doesn't know where your ships are until it hits them. Higher difficulty levels use more sophisticated algorithms, but they never cheat. We're committed to fair gameplay.

What browsers are supported?

Sinkships works on all modern browsers including:

• Google Chrome (version 90+)
• Mozilla Firefox (version 88+)
• Safari (version 14+)
• Microsoft Edge (version 90+)
• Opera (version 76+)

We use modern web standards (ES6+ JavaScript, CSS Grid, Flexbox) for the best performance and experience.

Do I need to install anything?

No installation required! Sinkships runs entirely in your web browser. Just visit our website and start playing. There are no downloads, plugins, or extensions needed.

Why is the game running slowly?

If you experience performance issues, try these solutions:

• Close other browser tabs and applications to free up memory
• Update your browser to the latest version
• Clear your browser cache and cookies
• Disable browser extensions that might interfere with the game
• Try a different browser
• Check if your device has sufficient resources (RAM, CPU)

Sinkships is optimized for 60 FPS performance on most devices. If problems persist, please contact us with details about your browser and device.

Can I play offline?

Currently, Sinkships requires an internet connection to load initially. However, once loaded, the game logic runs entirely in your browser and doesn't require continuous connectivity. We're exploring Progressive Web App (PWA) functionality that would enable full offline play in future updates.

Why aren't sounds playing?

If you're not hearing sound effects:

• Check that sounds are enabled in the game settings (speaker icon)
• Ensure your device volume is turned up
• Check that your browser isn't muting the tab
• Some browsers block audio until you interact with the page - try clicking anywhere
• Try refreshing the page

How do I clear my game data?

Your game statistics and preferences are stored locally in your browser. To clear this data:

• Use the "Clear Data" or "Reset Statistics" option in the game settings menu (if available)
• Clear your browser's localStorage for sinkships.com
• Clear all cookies and site data for sinkships.com in your browser settings

Note that clearing data will reset all your statistics and preferences.

What data do you collect?

We collect minimal data to provide and improve our service. This includes:

• Anonymous usage analytics via Google Analytics (pages visited, game statistics)
• Technical data (browser type, device type, screen resolution)
• Game preferences stored locally in your browser (not sent to our servers)

We do not collect personal identifying information unless you voluntarily provide it (e.g., through the contact form). For complete details, read our Privacy Policy.

Are my game statistics private?

Yes! Your game statistics (wins, losses, games played) are stored locally in your browser using localStorage. This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to share it with us through feedback. We cannot see your individual game statistics.

How do you use cookies?

We use cookies for essential functionality, preferences, analytics (Google Analytics), and advertising (Google AdSense). You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. For detailed information, see our Cookie Policy.

Is Sinkships GDPR compliant?

Yes, we comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) requirements. We collect minimal data, provide clear privacy information, honor user rights (access, deletion, portability), and use cookie consent mechanisms. EU users have full rights over their data as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

What languages are available?

Sinkships currently supports English and Polish, with more languages coming soon. You can switch languages using the language selector (🌐 icon) in the navigation menu. Your language preference is remembered for future visits.

Is Sinkships accessible?

Yes! We're committed to making Sinkships accessible to all players. Our accessibility features include:

• Full keyboard navigation support
• Screen reader compatibility with ARIA labels
• High contrast colors meeting WCAG 2.2 AA standards
• Reduced motion support for users sensitive to animations
• Touch targets of at least 48x48px for easy interaction
• Visual alternatives for audio cues

If you encounter accessibility issues, please let us know so we can improve.

The game won't load. What should I do?

Try these troubleshooting steps:

1. Refresh the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R for hard refresh)
2. Clear your browser cache and cookies
3. Disable browser extensions temporarily
4. Try a different browser
5. Check your internet connection
6. Make sure JavaScript is enabled in your browser

If the problem persists, please contact us with details about your browser, device, and any error messages.

I found a bug. How do I report it?

We appreciate bug reports! Please email us at bugs@sinkships.com or use our contact form. Include:

• Description of the bug and what you expected to happen
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Browser and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Operating system
• Screenshots if applicable

The game layout looks broken on my device.

This may be due to an outdated browser or cached files. Try:

• Hard refresh: Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
• Clear your browser cache
• Update your browser to the latest version
• Try a different browser

If the issue continues, contact us with your device and browser details.

Will you add multiplayer mode?

Multiplayer functionality is on our roadmap! We're currently focused on perfecting the single-player experience and building a robust infrastructure. Future updates may include online multiplayer, where you can challenge other players around the world.

Can I suggest new features?

Absolutely! We love hearing from our players. Send your feature ideas, suggestions, and feedback to hello@sinkships.com or through our contact form. We carefully consider all feedback when planning updates.

How often do you update the game?

We regularly update Sinkships with bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features based on player feedback. Major updates are announced on our website. Since the game runs in your browser, updates are automatic—just refresh the page to get the latest version.