Rock Paper Scissors
Play the classic Rock Paper Scissors free in your browser against the computer. Pick your move, watch the animated reveal, and track your wins, ties, losses, and win streaks live. No download, no signup.
Rock beats scissors · Paper beats rock · Scissors beats paper.
How to Play Rock Paper Scissors
- 1Choose your move: Rock, Paper, or Scissors.
- 2The computer instantly picks its move at random.
- 3The winner is decided: rock > scissors > paper > rock.
- 4Your score and win streak update automatically each round.
The Rules, in Short
Rock Paper Scissors — also known as roshambo — is a hand game for two players. On a count of three, each player throws one of three shapes: rock (a closed fist), paper (a flat hand), or scissors (two extended fingers). The outcome follows a simple, elegant cycle: rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock. Identical throws are a tie. Because every move beats one option and loses to another, the game is perfectly balanced — there is no move that is objectively best.
Is There Really a Strategy?
Against our computer, which chooses at random, the honest answer is no — each round is an independent coin flip with three sides, and nothing you do changes the odds. Against people, however, Rock Paper Scissors becomes a fascinating game of psychology, because humans are famously bad at being random. Studies of tournament play have found real, exploitable patterns: players throw rock slightly more often on the first round, tend to repeat a move after winning with it, and often switch to the move that would have beaten their last throw after a loss. A sharp player reads and counters these habits.
Why the Game Is Perfectly Balanced
Rock Paper Scissors is the textbook example of a game with no dominant strategy. In game theory, the only “unbeatable” approach against a thinking opponent is to play each move exactly one-third of the time in a truly unpredictable way — the so-called mixed-strategy equilibrium. Any deviation from perfect randomness creates a pattern that an observant opponent can exploit. That neat mathematical property is why the game is used everywhere from settling small disputes to teaching decision theory.
Tips for Beating Human Opponents
Expect early rock
Many players, especially men, throw rock first. Opening with paper is a common counter to that tendency.
Punish the repeat
People often repeat a move that just won. If they beat you with scissors, play rock next.
Watch the loser switch
After losing, players tend to switch to the move that would have beaten them. Anticipate the change.
Be genuinely random
Against a good opponent, the safest play is true randomness — mix your throws so you can't be read.
Use double bluffs
Announce a move out loud, then decide whether to actually play it. The mind games are the fun.
Stay unreadable
Keep your timing and body language consistent so you don't telegraph your throw.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Rock Paper Scissors?
Both players choose one of three moves at the same time: rock, paper, or scissors. The winner is decided by a simple cycle — rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock. If both players pick the same move, the round is a tie and no one scores. In this online version you pick a move and the computer instantly makes its own, then the result and running score are shown.
Is the computer random or does it cheat?
The computer chooses its move completely at random, with an equal one-in-three chance of rock, paper, or scissors on every round. It never sees your choice before making its own, so the game is entirely fair — there is no cheating and no hidden advantage. Any winning or losing streak you see is simply chance.
Is there a strategy to win at Rock Paper Scissors?
Against a truly random opponent no strategy can shift the odds — each round is an independent 33% win, 33% lose, 33% tie. Against humans, though, there is real strategy, because people are not random: they favour certain moves, repeat winners, and switch after losses. Reading those tendencies is what makes the game a genuine contest of psychology between people.
What beats what?
Rock beats (crushes) scissors, scissors beat (cut) paper, and paper beats (covers) rock. Each move beats exactly one other move and loses to exactly one, which is what keeps the game perfectly balanced with no single best choice.
Is the game free?
Completely free. There is no signup, no account, and no ads interrupting play, and nothing to install. The whole game runs in your browser, so it also works offline once the page has loaded and never uploads any data.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The move buttons are large and touch-friendly, and the layout scales to fit phones and tablets. You can play by tapping exactly as you would click on a desktop, and your score is tracked the same way.
Want the winning psychology? Read our guide on how to win at Rock Paper Scissors.