Create Your Own Tic Tac Toe Game in Java with Source Code Included

Creating a Tic Tac Toe Game in Java

A classic game that has entertained generations over the years, Tic Tac Toe is a great way to practice problem solving and programming logic. In this tutorial, we will be creating a basic version of the game in Java, but with a graphical user interface (GUI). This game will feature:

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• User input validation
• Gameplay looping

Let’s get started!

Setting up the Program

To begin, let’s create an empty Java project in your favorite IDE (Integrated Development Environment). For this tutorial, we will be using Eclipse.

Now let’s create a new class named “TicTacToe.java” in our project. In this class, let’s create some variables:

public class TicTacToe {
   int[][] board = new int[3][3]; 
   int currentPlayer; 
   int nextPlayer; 
   boolean gameOver;
}

Here we have created two variables to represent the board (an array of 3x3 elements) and the current player and next player in the game. We also have a boolean flag to determine if the game is over or not.

Designing the GUI

Next, let’s design a GUI for our game. Since we are using Eclipse, this part is easy: simply select the “Window Builder” tab on the left side of the IDE, then drag-and-drop components from the “Palette” window to create our layout.

You can create whatever layout you'd like for this game, but for simplicity's sake, ours will use labels and buttons to represent the board and gameplay elements.

Writing the Code

Now that we have our program set up and GUI designed, it’s time to write the actual code and implement the game mechanics. First, let’s define a few methods to handle user input and gameplay looping:

public void validateInput(int x, int y) {
   // Validate user input and update the board
}

public void updateGame() {
   // Update the state of the game after each turn
}

public void startGameLoop() {
   // Main game loop
   while (!gameOver) {
      updateGame();
   }
}

Next, let’s add some code to our validateInput() method to make sure the user enters a valid move:

public void validateInput(int x, int y) {
   if (x >= 0 && x < 3 && y >= 0 && y < 3 && board[x][y] == 0) {
      board[x][y] = currentPlayer;
   } else {
      // Invalid move, ask user to try again
   }
}

Finally, let’s add some code to our updateGame() method to check for a winner or tie:

public void updateGame() {
   if (checkWin()) {
      // There is a winner, end the game
      gameOver = true;
   } else if (checkTie()) {
      // The game is tied, end the game
      gameOver = true;
   } else {
      // No winner or tie yet, switch players
      currentPlayer = nextPlayer;
   }
}

public boolean checkWin() {
   // Logic to check if someone has won goes here
   return false;
}

public boolean checkTie() {
   // Logic to check if the game is tied goes here
   return false;
}

Wrapping Up

And that’s it! Our Tic Tac Toe game is now complete. You can find the complete source code here.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Happy coding!