Rock paper scissors online: play against the computer
Play rock paper scissors right here in your browser, any time, even when nobody is around to play with. Pick your hand, the computer shows its own, and the page tells you who won. It is free, there is no account and no app to install, and it works on a phone, tablet or computer.
How to play
- Choose your hand. Tap Rock, Paper or Scissors. You can also tap the microphone in the header and simply say “rock”, “paper” or “scissors”.
- See the computer's hand. It rolls on a reel, like a slot machine, and lands on rock, paper or scissors.
- Get the result. The page shows whether you win, lose or draw, and adds the point to the score: You vs Computer.
- Choose the match length. The sentence reads “Play first to 3”. Tap it to switch to first to 5, or to endless play with no finish line.
- Start over. Press Reset to set the score back to zero.
The Sound button in the bottom bar turns the sounds on or off. The full screen button in the header makes the game easy to follow on a big screen, and the round button at the bottom right changes the page color.
Rock paper scissors rules
Both players show a hand at the same time. There are only three rules:
- Rock beats scissors (rock crushes scissors).
- Scissors beats paper (scissors cut paper).
- Paper beats rock (paper covers rock).
If both players show the same hand, it is a draw and nobody scores.
| Your hand | Beats | Loses to |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Scissors | Paper |
| Paper | Rock | Scissors |
| Scissors | Paper | Rock |
Each hand beats one and loses to one, so no hand is stronger than the others. That balance is what makes the game work.
Is the computer fair?
Yes. The computer's hand is drawn with your browser's cryptographic random generator, the same kind of source used for security. It never looks at your choice. It does not cheat, and it does not learn from your habits or adapt to them. Each of its three hands has exactly a 1 in 3 chance, every round.
That has a simple consequence: against a truly random opponent, whatever you play, you have a 1 in 3 chance to win, 1 in 3 to lose and 1 in 3 to draw. No strategy can beat it, and no strategy can lose to it either. Over many rounds, your wins and losses should come out roughly even, with streaks in both directions along the way.
Strategy against people
People are not random, which is what makes the game fun with friends. A popular belief says that beginners often open with rock, because it feels strong. If that is true for your opponent, paper is a good first move. Some research has also suggested that players who win a round tend to repeat their hand, while players who lose tend to switch. These are tendencies at best, not rules, and a sharp opponent may be playing you the same way.
The best defense is to be hard to read. Trying to “act random” is harder than it sounds, because many people avoid showing the same hand twice in a row, which is itself a pattern.
How to play with friends
You do not need the computer to play. Face each other, make a fist, and count together. In the US, many players say “rock, paper, scissors, shoot” and show their hand on “shoot”. Then compare hands with the rules above. To settle a real argument, agree on first to 3 before you start. Need fair teams first? The random team generator splits a group in seconds.
Names around the world
The game goes by many names. In Japan it is known as janken, and the game is generally thought to have its roots in East Asia. Some people in the US call it roshambo, and in some English-speaking countries you may hear “scissors, paper, stone”. The rules stay the same everywhere.
For other quick ways to settle a choice, you can flip a coin or ask the yes or no generator. For a party, try truth or dare.