How to Create a Tic-Tac-Toe Game Using LWC

Welcome to the start of something fun! 

In this series, we’re going to build a full Tic-Tac-Toe game using Lightning Web Components (LWC). If you’ve been looking for a hands-on way to practice LWC - not just reading docs or copying boring examples - you're in the right place. We’ll walk through every step together, keeping things simple, practical, and actually fun to build.

No complicated enterprise apps. No endless theory. Just real, interactive, visual progress.

By the end of this series, you'll have:

  • A fully playable Tic-Tac-Toe game inside Salesforce.
  • Solid hands-on experience with components, event handling, state management, and even a little AI.
  • A deeper understanding of how LWC can power dynamic apps, even beyond traditional Salesforce business use cases.

Sounds exciting? Let’s dive into what you can expect.

What This Series Covers

Here’s the roadmap for our journey:

  1. LWC Project Setup for Building a Tic-Tac-Toe Game (you're here!)

  2. Creating a Tic-Tac-Toe Game Board with Lightning Web Components

  3. Click Handling and State Management in a Tic-Tac-Toe LWC App

  4. Victory Detection and Game Rules Implementation for Tic-Tac-Toe in LWC

  5. Building Move History Functionality in a Tic-Tac-Toe LWC App

  6. Adding a CPU Opponent to Tic-Tac-Toe Game in LWC

  7. Improving Tic-Tac-Toe UX with Animations and Visual Enhancements in LWC

Each article is self-contained but builds upon the last - just like stacking Lego blocks to make a castle.

Why Tic-Tac-Toe?

You might be wondering - why start with something so simple? Here's the thing:

  • It's small, but powerful: You touch on key concepts like DOM updates, component communication, and user interaction handling.

  • It teaches architecture without being overwhelming: Small projects make it easy to stay focused without getting lost in complex business rules.

  • You get visible results fast: There's nothing better than seeing your app "come alive" as you click through it.

And hey, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned game of Tic-Tac-Toe?

How This Will Work

This series is all about taking action step-by-step, not dumping a giant wall of code on you at once.

 In each part, we’ll tackle a single focused goal:

  • Build the board
  • Handle player clicks
  • Check for winners
  • Let players restart
  • Track move history
  • Add a CPU opponent
  • Polish the experience

And I’ll show you clear examples, practical tips, and common mistakes to avoid. No fluff, no endless abstract talk - just building.

Quick Motivation: Why You Should Stick With It

Learning LWC through a real project is like learning to swim by jumping into the pool. You’ll get wet - but you’ll also really learn how to stay afloat.

By the end of this series, you’ll not only understand how LWC works - you’ll understand why it works the way it does. That’s a skill you can take into any real-world Salesforce project, whether it’s dashboards, portals, or advanced custom apps.

And bonus: you'll have a cool little game to show off!

Articles in the series