BattleTabs

BattleTabs

Gangbusters Ltd · August 11, 2026 · Casual, Board Game, Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, PvP

BattleTabs is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Positive87% · 452playing now
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

BattleTabs price

BattleTabs is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About BattleTabs

Take the game everyone played as a kid. Give every ship a superpower. Now you're playing BattleTabs. A fast, tense 1v1 strategy duel: build a fleet, hunt down your opponent's, and sink it before they sink yours. The board is hidden, the abilities are deadly, and one good read can win the whole match. So, what's in your fleet?
You bring four ships into battle — and there are 40+ to choose from, each a completely different tool:
  • 🛶 The Coracle one-shots any ship — if you've already found the tile.
  • 🚣 The Longboat keeps firing until it finally misses.
  • 🐙 The Octopus tells you how far away the nearest enemy is hiding.
  • 🛡️ The Loyal Defender takes every hit meant for the rest of your fleet.
  • 🪞 The Magic Mirror steals your opponent's last move and fires it back.
  • ⚔️ The Valkyrie strikes twice — and harder every time one of your own ships goes down.
  • And many more!
Mix, match, and find the combo that wins the way you want to win. The board is hidden. So is your plan.
Every shot is a guess you're trying to make less of a guess. Scout with sonar. Bluff your placements. Bait out their cooldowns, then punish the opening. The matches are short. The mind games aren't. Quick to learn. Brutal to master.
A round takes a few minutes. Getting genuinely good takes a while. Climb the ranked ladder, where wins come from better reads — never better luck. You don't have to battle alone.
Join a clan and climb together. Drop into tournaments to prove you're the best in the field. Or go solo against the AI in Expedition — a roguelike run where you push your fleet through encounter after encounter, upgrading as you go, with only three strikes to spare.
  • ⛵️ 40+ ships, each with a unique cooldown ability
  • 🔧 Collect and build your fleets — think through your strategy!
  • 🧪 Unlock new ships, cosmetics (hats!) through the research tree
  • 🏆 Skill-based ranked play — pure 1v1, no pay-to-win
  • 🏟️ Tournaments — compete for the top of the bracket
  • 🤝 Clans — team up, climb, and represent
  • 🗺️ Expedition (Early Access) — a PvE roguelike against AI fleets
  • ⚡️ Two modes: Intense for fast duels, Casual to take your time
  • 🪐 Cross-platform — your fleet follows you everywhere
  • 🆓 Free to play
5M+ players have battled across 6 platforms — now join us on Steam!

BattleTabs — game info

Platforms
Windows, macOS
Player modes
Online PvP, Cross-platform multiplayer
PC Game Pass
Not included
More games like this:Mac gamesCrossplay games

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Oct 6, 2026
Super fun and strategic! Fast rounds make this super fun to pick up any time!
2 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 30, 2026
Like the classic board game, with a good teambuilding element
2 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 30, 2026
At it's core the game is battleships with added abilities for each ship, extending a simple concept into a really enjoyable game with lots of fun strategy to play around with.
2 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 23, 2026
BIg potential
2 found this helpful
Recommended Oct 14, 2026
BattleTabs offers a refreshing interpretation of traditional naval strategy by combining the familiar mechanics of Battleship with special abilities, tactical decision-making, and competitive multiplayer battles. Developed and published by Gangbusters Ltd, this free-to-play strategy game transforms a simple guessing contest into a more engaging experience where preparation, prediction, and adaptability determine success. Its approachable gameplay makes it suitable for casual players, while its extensive collection of ships and strategic combinations provides enough complexity to appeal to experienced tacticians. Rather than reinventing naval combat entirely, it successfully expands a recognizable formula into something more dynamic and rewarding. The foundation of the gameplay involves assembling a fleet of four ships and attempting to eliminate an opponent's hidden vessels before losing your own. What makes this concept particularly interesting is the selection of more than 40 ships, each equipped with a distinctive ability. The Coracle can destroy a discovered enemy vessel instantly, while the Longboat continues firing until an attack misses. The Octopus specializes in locating …
1 found this helpful
Not recommended Sep 29, 2026
It was fun for a while but it seems like after a few updates when you choose a challege it delays you getting matched to a game. I have many time won 5 to 9 games in a row in 40 mins. When you click on the challenge to win 5 in 45 or 9 in 45 the usual wait time goes from like 10 secs to 45 to a minute and it shifts back quickly after the challege times out.

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