HOW TO PLAY
How to Play SALVO
SALVO is a free Battleship-style game for two captains. You hide five ships; then, each round, you both aim at the same time, one shot for every ship you still have afloat, and both salvos land together. Here is a whole battle, step by step.
THE GOAL
Sink their fleet first.
Sink all five of your rival's ships before they sink yours. You each hide the same fleet on your own 10 × 10 ocean: a Carrier (5 squares), a Battleship (4), a Cruiser (3), a Submarine (3) and a Destroyer (2). You know what your rival has, never where. Every round you both fire at once, one shot per ship still afloat, so each ship you lose costs you firepower.
In classic Battleship you fire one shot and wait; in SALVO both captains fire whole salvos at the same time. The complete SALVO rules cover every detail.
BEFORE YOU START
Getting into a battle.
Open the game in a browser on any phone, tablet or computer, sign in, and choose how to play:
- Play the computer. The place to learn: it never touches your rating, and your first battle comes with a short tour.
- Quick Match. You are paired with the next captain looking for a battle.
- Open battles. Pick a captain from those waiting for a rival.
- Challenge a friend. Send an invite link; whoever opens it takes the other seat (see playing SALVO with a friend).
Accounts are free, with no password: you sign in with a link or a 6-digit code sent to your email (for now, even to play the computer). To try it without an account, play the practice round on the home page against the computer.
STEP 1 · DEPLOY
Deploy your fleet.
You have 60 seconds to arrange your ships. The game deals you a random layout to start; keep it or change it:
- Drag a ship to move it.
- Tap or click a ship, then ROTATE (or press R) to turn it.
- RANDOM, the shuffle button, deals a whole new layout.
- READY locks your fleet in.
Ships lie across or down, never diagonally, and never overlap, but they may touch. A ship only settles where it fits. When time runs out, your layout stands; online, the battle starts once both captains are ready or the 60 seconds are up.
STEP 2 · AIM
Aim your salvo.
Each round you have 25 seconds to aim one shot per ship you still have afloat: five at the start. Your rival aims during the same 25 seconds; neither sees the other's aim.
Tap or click squares on the enemy ocean to aim, and tap one again to take it back. Once every shot is aimed, press FIRE (or Enter). If the clock runs out first, the shots you have aimed fire and the rest are lost: SALVO never picks targets for you.
STEP 3 · IMPACT
Both salvos land together.
Once both salvos are in, or the clock runs out, they land at the same moment. Each of your shots shows a hit or a miss, but a hit doesn't say which ship it struck.
A ship sinks when all its squares are hit; the game then reveals which ship it was and where it lay. You always see where your own fleet was hit.
Every ship lost shrinks a salvo: four ships afloat, four shots. Each ship you sink slows your rival the same way.
Round 1: five shots aimed
Round 1: two hits, three misses
Round 3: four shots aimed
SPECIALS
Use your specials.
Each ship has one special, usable once per game while it is afloat, paid for with shots from that round's salvo. Tap the ship in your fleet panel, then a square (a dive needs none); tap again to cancel. RECON and SONAR report a number, counted after the round's shots land, never positions.
| Ship | Special | Cost | What it does | When it helps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier | RECON flight | 1 shot | Counts the enemy ship squares not yet hit in the 3 × 3 area around the aimed square. | Testing open water: a 0 rules out nine squares. |
| Battleship | HEAVY shell | 2 shots | Hits the aimed square (one you haven't fired at) and the four next to it, skipping any already fired at. | Fresh water early on: five squares for two shots. |
| Cruiser | SONAR sweep | 1 shot | Counts the enemy ship squares not yet hit in the aimed square's whole row. | Choosing where to search: a 0 clears a whole row. |
| Submarine | DIVE | 1 shot | This round, enemy shots pass over your submarine; only depth charges still find it. Your rival doesn't see the dive, but a shot that passes over gives its position away. | When your submarine is hit and the next salvo could finish it. |
| Destroyer | DEPTH charges | 1 shot | Hits the aimed square and those to its left and right, and finds a diving submarine. | Three squares for one shot, such as along a row where you have a hit. |
LOOT
Loot in the water.
Each ocean hides seven pieces of loot in its open water. A shot of yours finds loot when it misses into a loot square in your rival's ocean, so even a miss can pay; your rival finds the loot in yours the same way.
- Supply crate (3 per ocean): one extra shot in your next salvo.
- Mine (2): one shot fewer in your next salvo, never below one.
- Radar buoy (2): reveals one square of a hidden enemy ship, a contact, like the cyan crosshair above.
THE ENDING
Winning, draws and forfeits.
You win when all five enemy ships are sunk. If the last ships on both sides sink in the same round, the battle is a draw.
Online, a battle can also end early:
- Leaving resigns. Your rival wins, and you lose rating as for any loss.
- Three empty rounds forfeit. Three salvos in a row with nothing aimed count as leaving the table.
- A dropped connection pauses the battle. Come back within 45 seconds or you forfeit.
Against the computer, leaving just ends the game.
AFTER THE BATTLE
Rematch and rating.
The result card says VICTORY, DEFEAT or DRAW. REMATCH starts another battle: against the computer at once, online once your rival accepts. VIEW BOARD lets you look over the board, and LEADERBOARD returns to the menu.
Every captain starts at a rating of 1000. Each finished online battle (Quick Match, open battles or a friend's challenge) moves both ratings chess-style (Elo): at most 32 points, more for beating a stronger captain, and a draw counts as half a win. Games against the computer never count. The leaderboard shows the top 20.
Next: SALVO strategy, on where to hide your fleet and how to hunt theirs.
QUICK ANSWERS
Captain’s
questions.
How many shots do I get each round?
One per ship you still have afloat, so five at the start. A supply crate found by your last salvo adds one and a mine takes one away, but you always get at least one.
Do I need an account to play SALVO?
Yes, a free one with no password: you sign in with a link or a 6-digit code sent to your email. Only the practice round on the SALVO home page needs no sign-in.
How long is a round?
You have 25 seconds to aim each salvo. When the clock runs out, the shots you have aimed fire and the rest are lost.
Can ships touch in SALVO?
Yes. Ships may sit side by side or end to end, as long as each lies horizontally or vertically and no two overlap.
What happens if both fleets sink in the same round?
The battle is a draw, because both salvos land together. For ratings, a draw counts as half a win.
Does playing the computer change my rating?
No. Games against the computer never count; only finished online battles move your rating, which starts at 1000.
KEEP READING
More guides.
YOUR NEXT RIVAL IS OUT THERE.
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PLAY NOWFree in your browser. Or try a practice round first, no sign-in.