v0.1.16 · Free · 100% offline

SHAX.
The cut decides the family.

The legendary Somali strategy game Shax, reborn as a cinematic mobile experience. Outthink four levels of AI, challenge a friend, earn your place — entirely offline.

Android — today iOS — soon so · en
The game

A thousand-year-old duel, engineered for today

Shax has been played across the Horn of Africa for generations — scratched into the sand, pebbles for pieces, taught from elder to child. Shax preserves the rules, the vocabulary and the spirit, and wraps them in a modern, fair, deeply-tested game engine.

4AI opponents
2Languages, spoken
11Achievements
16Board & stone combos
100%Offline & private
Core features

Built like a flagship

🧠

Four AI opponents

From gentle Ayaxley to Kormeere — a search engine that reads the board five moves deep. Harder foes pay up to 2× XP.

🗣️

Somali-first, bilingual

Every screen in Somali and English — with spoken commentary that calls your jare out loud.

🏆

A real progression

XP, levels, coins, daily challenges, streaks, achievements — and a shop where victories buy board styles and stone sets.

🤝

Friend match

Pass-and-play with a named rival — Shax keeps your lifetime head-to-head record.

📶

100% offline

Perfect on the bus, the plane, the miyi. No connection, no account, no ads — ever.

🔒

Private by default

Zero required permissions. Your profile and progress never leave your phone — verified by security audit.

Gameplay

Three phases. One cut.

DHIGITAAN

Placement

Take turns placing your 12 pebbles anywhere on the lines. Build toward three-in-a-row — the first jare earns the opening move of the next phase.

FURITAAN

Opening

All 24 pebbles are down and the board is full. Each side removes one enemy pebble — those two empty points are what bring the board to life.

GUURITAAN

Moving

Slide along the lines. Every jare you form captures an enemy pebble — and re-forming the same line counts again. Reduce your rival to two and the family is yours.

Choose your rival

Four minds to defeat

Boards & stones

Earn your arena

Every victory pays coins. Spend them on board finishes and stone sets — sixteen combinations, all earned by play, never by payment.

Ciid · SandDEFAULT

The classic — the game as it is played on the ground: warm sand, engraved lines.

Bad · Reef🪙 150

Cool coastal calm — teal lines over seafoam, for measured, patient play.

Habeen · Night🪙 300

The prestige board — deep indigo under starlight, for those who've earned it.

Latest updates

Patch notes

August 12, 2026 · LATEST

Hello world!

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Join the family

Your first jare is waiting

Free forever. No ads, no account, no connection needed. Download and make the first cut tonight.

Android 6.0+ · ~20 MB · Somali / English · works on low-end phones

⬇  Download Shax — free