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Rock Paper Scissors is a free online speed duel against the computer. “Rock… paper… scissors… SHOOT!” — pick your throw before the count ends or inside the short window after it, and paper covers rock, scissors cut paper, rock blunts scissors. Every rival has a habit: Rocky loves rock, Polly copies your last throw, Fox throws what would have beaten it, and Owl learns your patterns. Read the habit, throw what beats it and win three rounds to climb the ladder of eight while the count gets faster. No download, no sign-up — tap, click or press 1, 2, 3.
How to play Rock Paper Scissors
- Press Start match, Space, or any throw to begin. Your rival and its habit are shown before the first round — for example, “Repeats whatever you threw last.”
- Both hands pump to the count “Rock… Paper… Scissors…”. Pick your throw any time during the count with the Rock, Paper or Scissors buttons, or keys 1, 2, 3 (also R, P, S or ←, ↑, →). You can change your mind until the count ends.
- At SHOOT your throw goes out. If you have not picked yet, a gold bar shows the short window that is left — throw before it empties, or the round goes to your rival.
- Paper covers rock, scissors cut paper and rock blunts scissors. The same throw is a tie and the round is played again.
- First to three rounds wins the match and unlocks the next rival. A 3–0 sweep earns three stars, 3–1 two stars and 3–2 one star.
Tips
- Read the rival’s card before you throw. Each habit tells you what it is likely to throw next: against Polly, who copies your last throw, throw what beats your own last throw.
- Use the strip of past rounds under the arena. Your throw sits above the rival’s, so a cycle or a favourite shows up after a few rounds.
- Pick early. Choosing during the count costs nothing and you can still switch; waiting for the window after SHOOT only leaves you less time on the faster stages.
- Against Abacus and Owl, who study you, change your own habits: if you keep throwing paper, Abacus will keep throwing scissors — so throw rock.
- Every rival still throws at random some of the time, so a lost round does not mean you read the habit wrong. Stick with the read across a few rounds.
FAQ
Is Rock Paper Scissors free to play?
Yes. Rock Paper Scissors is completely free to play online with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.
Who wins in rock paper scissors?
Paper covers rock, scissors cut paper, and rock blunts scissors. Two of the same throw is a tie, and here a tie is simply played again. In this game a match is best of five: the first to win three rounds takes it.
Is the computer cheating? Does it see my throw?
No. The rival settles its throw from the rounds already played before the count starts, so nothing you press in the current round can change it. Its throw is only revealed after yours goes out.
Can you actually beat the computer at rock paper scissors?
Yes — that is the point of the game. Every rival follows a habit most of the time and throws at random the rest. We measured it: a player who throws at random wins about half their matches against any rival, while a player who reads each habit perfectly wins more than 90% of matches on every stage, and still loses about one round in five to the last rival, Chameleon.
What are the eight rivals’ habits?
Rocky throws rock about four times in five. Tick-Tock goes rock, paper, scissors in order. Polly copies your last throw. Fox throws what would have beaten your last throw. Bull keeps its throw until it loses, then switches to beat what beat it. Abacus counts your throws and beats your favourite. Owl learns what you tend to throw after each throw. Chameleon borrows whichever of those habits would have won the last few rounds.
What happens if I don’t throw in time?
You can pick any time during the count. If you have not picked by SHOOT, a short window opens — 1.5 seconds against Rocky, shrinking stage by stage to 0.7 seconds against Chameleon. If it closes with no throw, the round goes to your rival.
How are the stars worked out?
Any win earns at least one star, and each round your rival did not take adds one: a 3–2 win is one star, 3–1 is two, and a 3–0 sweep is three. Your best result on every stage is saved in this browser.
Does Rock Paper Scissors work on a phone?
Yes. The three throw buttons sit at the bottom of the screen and react the moment you press, so it plays well with thumbs, upright or sideways. On a computer, use the buttons or keys 1, 2, 3.
Is there a strategy for rock paper scissors?
Against a truly random player, no throw is better than another. Real players — and these rivals — are not random: they repeat favourites, copy, or switch in patterns. Watch the last few rounds, guess what comes next, and throw what beats it. The game is also known as roshambo, and in Japan as janken.