Battle for the Strait of Hormuz

About Battle for the Strait of Hormuz

Battle for the Strait of Hormuz takes the old pencil-and-paper game of hidden fleets and calling out squares, and sets it in a satirical, invented war over a shipping lane and the price of oil. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer. The about page credits Paul Danowski Design Studio and says it was first released in September 2026, with the Daily Challenge and leaderboards added soon after.

The Daily Challenge is a solo hunt. Everyone gets the same hidden enemy fleet that day: a carrier, a battleship, a destroyer, a submarine and a patrol boat, 17 squares in all on a 10 by 10 grid of enemy waters. Nobody fires back. You tap squares to fire, see hits and misses marked, and keep going until every ship is sunk. You get one attempt; the run starts with your first shot, the clock is kept on the server and the fleet stays there too, so scores cannot be faked. Fewest shots ranks first and time breaks ties. Each challenge is numbered, and a new one starts at midnight in your local time.

Outside the daily there is a six-battle Campaign against the computer in which the rules change with the story, from a running oil price to one-hit sinks and rationed ammunition, a Classic Battle with traditional rules, and online games against a random opponent or a friend with a room code. Pick a handle to appear on the daily board and the all-time boards for best average, longest streak and most played.

It suits players who know Battleship and want a short daily test of search strategy. The characters are caricatures used for parody, which some players may not care for.

How to play Battle for the Strait of Hormuz

1. Open the site and choose the Daily card from the menu.
2. Pick a handle if you want to appear on the leaderboards.
3. Tap a square in Enemy Waters to fire; the first shot starts your one attempt and the clock.
4. Read each result: a miss, a hit, or a hit that sinks a ship.
5. Keep firing until all five ships (17 squares) are sunk, then check your place on the daily leaderboard.

Screenshots

Tips

• Search in a checkerboard pattern: the smallest ship covers two squares, so every other square is enough to touch every ship.
• After a hit, test the four squares around it to find the ship's direction, then follow that line until it sinks.
• Do not leave the page mid-run expecting the clock to pause; it keeps running on the server.
• Edges are a common hiding place, but do not spend early shots there ahead of the open middle.
• Play the Classic Battle against the computer first to practise your search before the one daily attempt.

Questions