Hex can be played online either using a web-based format or via e-mail.

Web-based games

Web-based games can be played either in real-time, where moves are made within minutes (or even seconds), or turn-based, where a player has days for one move.

Realtime playing sites

The most popular sites (approximatively ordered by the number of hex games played on them daily) are:

• igGameCenter for real-time play, with time settings, and ranking (it has many connection games).
• boardspace for real-time play
• http://www.ludoteka.com/ for real-time play
• http://games.wtanaka.com/hex for real-time or turn-based play
• http://havannah.vying.org for real-time play (it has both Hex and Havannah)

Turn-based playing sites

• Little Golem for turn-based play (also has other games).
• Chris Almost's Hex has a clean, simple interface. Turn based with email notifications.
• See also Richard's server. One can play completely by e-mail, but it also has a graphical interface now. Furthermore any sized board is supported.

E-mail-based games

Hex may also be played over e-mail, in a turn-based fashion. The board can be represented in ASCII using either the full or compact formats below. The full layout is rotated 90 degrees from the compact one. (A fixed-width font is required for either board to display correctly in an e-mail client.)

Full layout:
               O _ X
             O _/ \_ X
           O _/ \_/ \_ X
         O _/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
       O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
     O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
   O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
 O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
 _/ \_/ \_/O\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ 
/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \
\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ 
 X\_/ \_/ \_/O\_/O\_/X\_/ \_/ \_/O 
   X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
     X\_/ \_/ \_/X\_/ \_/ \_/O
       X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
         X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
           X\_/ \_/ \_/O 
             X\_/ \_/O 
               X\_/O 
Compact layout:
       /.\                       
      /. .\
     /. . .\
 X  /. . . .\  O
   /. . . . .\
  /. . . O . .\
 /. . O . . . .\
/. . . . . . . .\
. . X O X . . . . 
\. . . . . . . ./ 
 \. . X . . . ./
  \. . . . . ./
   \. . . . ./
 O  \. . . ./  X
     \. . ./
      \. ./
       \./