Google 2026 New Grad R1: K-Player Tic-Tac-Toe Game Status

Role: Software Engineer, New Grad
Result: Rejected after R1
Interview time: March 2026

Coding: Tic-Tac-Toe system

Design a Tic-Tac-Toe system with:

• k players
• An n × n board
• Players taking turns placing their own marks

+A player wins as soon as they create three consecutive marks in a straight line, regardless of how large n is.

After every move, return the correct status, such as:

• Game Over
• <player> won

The candidate implemented the system but was rejected. They recommended discussing the approach and implementation details carefully before coding. After the implementation, the interviewer did not request a test-case walkthrough but did ask for time complexity.

Practice: Tic-Tac-Toe Game Status

Commenters asked whether there was a technical follow-up and why the candidate was rejected, but the candidate did not answer those questions.