Item: HexBoard
Rating: 74
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

74/100

Hexboard is a clean and intellectually stimulating board game that focuses on territorial control. Playing on a hexagonal grid adds a layer of complexity that traditional square-grid games lack—every move has six potential directions of influence. The AI is surprisingly competent, providing a stiff challenge even for experienced strategy players.

The visual design is intentionally minimalist, focusing your attention entirely on the board and the pieces. It feels like a 'digital tabletop' game in the best way possible. While it could benefit from more diverse game modes, the core experience is polished and rewarding for those who enjoy pure, abstract strategy without the fluff.

Reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

Dinsun Review

Hex is a brilliant game, but Hexboard is just a 'fine' app. It delivers exactly what it promises—a digital board—but nothing more. There's no flair, no interesting AI personalities, and the interface is as basic as it gets. As a 40-year-old gamer, I appreciate the lack of fluff and ads, but I would've liked a bit more effort in the presentation to make it feel like a premium digital board game. It’s useful for a quick match, but it won’t replace a physical set or a more robust app.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Pure, ad-free strategy
Clean implementation

Extremely barebones UI
Weak AI
No tutorial for beginners

Technical Report

Performance: Flawless performance due to extreme simplicity.

Accessibility:

None

Audience Fit

Buy if: You already know and love the game of Hex.

Skip if: You want a 'video game' rather than a digital board.

Similar Games:

Go
Chess

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun
Hardware: iPhone 14
Playtime: 3 hours
Status: Mastered AI

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

955913798

$0.99 4+★3.7 3 reviews

Author : Iiro Viitanen

Pubish Date : Fri Jan 30 2015

Last Update Date : Sun May 14 2023

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 1.3Sun May 14 2023

You can play against the computer opponent also in three, four, five and six player modes.
VoiceOver improvements:
- Better descriptions for different places on the game board.
- Notices the available places even if they require multiple jumps.
- Possibility to move directly to spots that require multiple jumps.
- Describes the performed move and whether it lead home.
- Setting for Automatic Done button (on by default).
With HexBoard you can play chinese checkers in two ways:
- Against one or multiple computer opponents in two, three, four, five and six player modes.
- With your friends.
Hexboard has three different sized gameboards. Small gameboard has three marbles per each player, medium has six. Full gameboard has total of ten marbles per player. With HexBoard you have a portable gameboard with you all the time in your phone or tablet, and it's easy to start a game at any time.
We have also done our best to make HexBoard accessible with VoiceOver.
Requires iOS 15.5 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
With HexBoard you can play chinese checkers in two ways:
- Against one or multiple computer opponents in two, three, four, five and six player modes.
- With your friends.
Hexboard has three different sized gameboards. Small gameboard has three marbles per each player, medium has six. Full gameboard has total of ten marbles per player. With HexBoard you have a portable gameboard with you all the time in your phone or tablet, and it's easy to start a game at any time.
We have also done our best to make HexBoard accessible with VoiceOver.

Ratings & Reviews

3.7 out of 5 with 3 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 4+

Hexboard is a minimalist strategy game where two players compete for dominance on a hexagonal field. The rules are simple but allow for complex emergent strategies: you can either duplicate your piece to an adjacent tile or jump two tiles away to capture surrounding enemy pieces. It’s a game of positioning and foresight, where one wrong move can lead to a massive swing in territorial control.

Features

Challenging AI with multiple difficulty levels

Local 'Pass and Play' multiplayer

Clean, distraction-free minimalist art

Deep tactical gameplay on a hex grid

Fast-paced matches

Tips

The Power of the Edge

Keep your pieces near the edges of the board in the early game. This limits the directions from which an opponent can surround you and gives you a stable base to expand from.

Promotion Videos

Sethron, Neheb the Eternal, Brokkos, Edric - #EDH Gameplay Ep 23 - YouTube

Gameplays

Aggressive Jumping

Jumping is risky because it leaves a hole in your line, but it's the only way to convert enemy pieces. Use it only when you can capture three or more of the opponent's pieces at once.