Last updated on January 22nd, 2026 at 01:10 pm
XG Mobile Backgammon – Board Game Review
XG Mobile Backgammon is a Board game from Open Roll, LLC, first launched in 26th July 2012.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 1,201+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes XG Mobile Backgammon Stand Out
Learn how to play the classic game of backgammon like a pro with the strongest backgammon program in the world. The app endorsed by the US Backgammon Federation (USBGF) and featured in PrimeTime Backgammon Magazine is available for FREE in the App Store!
XG Mobile lets you play unlimited matches live against friends or hone your skills in tutor mode vs. an array of skilled computer opponents.
XG Mobile is the portable version of the acclaimed program "eXtreme Gammon" for PC. You can now have the power and accuracy of eXtreme Gammon in the palm of your hands.
XG Mobile is the perfect app for all strengths of players:
• Are you a beginner? no worries, XG Mobile will let you know when you make a mistake. That’s a fun and efficient way to improve your skills
• Are you an expert player? You can practice against a world class opponent.
Trust the pros opinions:
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NEIL KAZAROSS (6 time American Backgammon Tour Winner, Backgammon Giant #4): "I can now state that XG is stronger than its competitors on equivalent settings as well as at least several times faster on those settings."
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MOCHIZUKI MASAYUKI (2009 World Champion, Backgammon Giant #1): "I like eXtreme Gammon very much. I truly believe this program is the strongest bot in the world."
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MICHIHITO KAGEYAMA (Runner up in the 2012 World Championship, Backgammon Giant #2): "[…] this time I took only my iPad at the Backgammon World Championship 2012. I often checked some positions by using XG mobile. It's really fast and easy because iPad starts up in a few seconds, and I can arrange checkers by using touch screen"
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CHRIS BRAY (Author, Backgammon Correspondent for The Independent): "My strong recommendation is to invest in XG Mobile. Like the PC version it will quickly become the de facto standard for the game"
XG Mobile features:
• The strongest backgammon program on iPhone and iPad.
• Play against computer opponents ranging in skill from Beginner to World Class.
• 2-player mode: play against friends using XG Mobile as a portable board (please note: live play, not online).
• Play unlimited sessions or matches.
• Choice of Backgammon or NackGammon Variation.
• High Quality Graphics (optimized for Retina displays) , choice of multiple boards and checkers.
• Share positions on Facebook, twitter etc…
• Ask the computer for hint at any time.
• Tutor mode analyzes your choice as you play and warns you of any mistake you made, allowing you to reconsider your choice.
• Training mode also analyzes your choice as you play and lets you know of any mistake you made. You cannot reconsider your choice
• Setup a position, analyze it or even start a session from this position.
• Games are Saved and can be copied using iTunes or emailed for later analysis on your Mac or PC.
• Extensive profile information tracking your level of play, your results and dice statistics.
• Competition mode allows you to play in live tournament conditions (no help, no pip count, etc…).
• Integrated help, including backgammon rules.
If you’re looking for the best backgammon app on the market, download XG Mobile Backgammon now and enjoy the program players trust most!
This Board game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, XG Mobile Backgammon is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 1st September 2017
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Minor fixes on the display of equity in the "extended hints".
Download & Availability
XG Mobile Backgammon is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get XG Mobile Backgammon on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Prepare to lose frequently at the highest level, but thats the point isnt it? To improve your play. It seems to get lucky often, but remember that every time you win, if you didnt play perfectly, then you were the one that got lucky. Also, with its mathematically near perfect play, when it does get lucky, its hard not to notice what a devastating combination that is. Dont get discouraged, get better. It really helps against human opponents.
Amazing how much we have learned playing this Engine. Clearly stronger than the GNU engine that we used to play against. XG is also highly optimized for match play, taking more risks when it is behind and less risks when it is ahead.
Everything is very simple. Only wish would be to review party games – maybe theres a way but we havent stumbled on it. That said, there is no doubt that Ive improved considerably.
We had never played Backgammon before getting this app yesterday. Within an hour we were winning games. Of course we set the bot to low, but even so we are overjoyed.
We are an avid backgammon player and have been a regular & happy daily user of XG Mobile for many years. It has simply been top of its class of all backgammon apps and we have routinely recommended it to othersuntil recently. We thought the app might just need a software update, but the problems have persisted. The problem simply stated is that at random times the visual representation of the dice just rolled dont appear on the board (at all!) but the checkers move automatically. Sometimes the move is the only possible move but not always. There is also a lag in the actual play that causes us to wonder if the touch screen has recognized our finger prompt. These issues never happened in earlier versions. We have a brand new iPhone and its software is up to date; we keep our apps up to date as well. We are hopeful the developers of this once great app can make some fixes soon. The current lag and invisible dice issues discourage us from using XG Mobile.
This is the most important backgammon app to have (besides BG Galaxy) if you are serious about improving your backgammon playing. If you are extra enthusiastic, pay for the premium version but the free version is just fine as long as you dont mind the ads.
If you like BG and want to learn how to play this is the app.
We have played numerous apps, and this one has the most flexibility. It is also an excellent app for your computer. Highly recommend it.
Ive only played backgammon for three months and finding an opponent is a difficult job. XG mobile is always ready to play and its hints and analysis of our moves is a great learning experience. Ive tried many other computer backgammon apps and the premium version of XG mobile is the best. Using this app is a pure joy.
Best in class for sure. Our game has improved immensely in a short time. We did however get a new m1 iPad and the program runs a bit weird. Lag on dice spin gets annoying. Hoping for an update on this great app we play daily.
After the latest update the games been freezing a lot, not sure why, but never has in the past????? Can anything be done? We have already deleted the app and re downloaded it, still no change.
Excellent tool to learn best moves, some quite unexpected.
We recommend playing the app in tutor mode, with extended hints selected (not default) and the highest competition settings under game options (again not the default). It is a good self-teaching tool.
Playing against the computer is challenging and fun. You set the level of proficiency of the computer, and after the game, your play is rated. We are now one level below the top. We find that on days when we play poorly, we are generally not as sharp at other things. The converse is also true. If you want to become a good player, this app is for you. Its algorithm judges your move basis on probabilities. You can pretty much predict when it will accept your double. There are multiple options for tutors which give you the percent chance of winning with various moves. You can make the tutor as invasive as you like. We have improved just playing many games. Its fun to see how the app rates you at the end: Advanced, Expert, World Class, Intermediate, etc. We have had the upgraded version for st least 5 years. It is a gem. If you like backgammon, you will,love this app.
Great competition and the tutor has taught us a lot.
Let us add our voice to the chorus of players below calling for this game to be updated. Dice disappear when trying to roll off the bar, movement is no longer animated when you tap the lightbulb a second time and take the tutors advice.
Great tool to learn to play better.
After trying many backgammon apps on our iPad over the last few years, we finally found this one that has the most real dice. After deleting about six apps we found one we liked, but it would let us win at times and have outlandish rolls at times to win. We could predict we would loose a match after about five rolls in the first game. With this app we truly feel the dice are more random/fair. We also enjoy that it will offer a correction to a move we make. All the other apps we played expert and found them easy. Not here; this app gives us a great game at advanced. As a child we usually won all board games with school friends family and neighbors. This truly is the best app we could have hoped for and we look forward to getting more XG apps.
You become a highly competitive player quickly.
Ive re-learned how to play. After 40+ years of playing a conservative game, Im learning how to be more aggressive and it makes the game so much more fun.
Excellent app, good looking interface and tough AI to play against. What more could you ask for? And no annoying ads.
We love the warnings and hints! The manual dice option is fantastic if you need to convince yourself the computer is not cheating. Once Ive unpinned the menu, we must tap the edge of the board next to the cube, or the replay button, depending on which side of the board the menu is configured to appear, to bring it back. It takes a few attempts at first.
We thought we were a decent backgammon player but we couldnt seem to improve. Using this app has made us aware of how ineffective our play was (and still is although improving). As to the app cheatsdefinitely not! Making effective moves means more of your moves count. Making effective moves means you can utilize a higher percentage of die thrown to your advantage. That is what this app teaches you.
We thought we were a good player then we got this game and it kept whipping our butt. It was beating us 60% of the time. So, we quit playing it a went back to playing on the other apps out there. We were winning on them but not really getting any better, so we came back to XG. This time we listened to the tutor and tried to understand why it made the moves it did. Often they didnt make sense, were moves that took risks that made us uncomfortable and were contrary to our playing style. When we start playing with the tutor, it seemed like every move we made was wrong. We were getting tired of being corrected and feeling like we didnt know what we were doing. The more we took the tutors advice the more its moves started making sense. Eventually our playing style changed and instead of playing our old way, Id apply our new style and the tutors corrections became fewer and our win percentage changed in our favor with us winning 60% or more. Winning came more often and loosing became easier to take. We realized that applying the same strategy to life had the same benefits. We understood that even when choose the most statistically correct option, it doesnt mean youre going to win every time, youre just going to win more often. In the long run you come out ahead. Ive learned more than just backgammon strategy from this app. What a beautiful thing.
Ranks all possible plays. Takes time to properly use. We wish the arrows indicating plays would remain longer on the screen. The best training in the web.
Playing the best game possible, regardless of dice and Joker tosses. If your goal is to learn and get better, this is the right app. Add the desktop version and youll have a full suite that teaches you how to play the best odds and win the games you should win, with the cube where it should be.
Thank you for an app that helps Want-a-be Backgammon players. We are learning a lot.
World class app….use it in tutor mode to improve your game.
Makes you a stronger player in every aspect except one … The more we know, the worse we roll.
Great way to get better and learn. Make sure to learn how to adjust the settings and then practice your game. Avoid those Blunders.
We wanted to go from just knowing the rules to understanding strategy. Im just beginning this journey, but this app is exactly what we were looking for. Im only using the free version, but thats plenty for us for now.
Ive come to accept that as a way to teach you not to repeat an admittedly bad move, XG will make the most punishing move. Ive gotten much better.
A great app. Definitely improving our backgammon game.
Would love to see option to include analysis with export. Just marking error or blunders would be very nice. UI is excellent, well done. Kudos to the devs.
XG was decent before the last version and is now a much better game. The opponent moves are more thoughtful and penalties for poor playing more severe.
Been away from the game for 15 years, it is teaching us incredible amounts. A tad clunky, but very helpful for learning.
The best Ive seen. Thankfully theyve fixed the bugs. One small request: a feature for when youre on the bar to automatically continue till you hit back in.
Great for learning the game and building up your skills.
We love playing on line. This is the second learning BG app Ive purchased and the best in way of strategies. The first being Backgammon NJ. There are some awesome players out there and this app may bring you to a level to beat them.
After playing with it for a few hours, it seems wildly smarter than the previous app we tried, and likely quite a bit smarter than we are. The hints are very interesting, and it is easy to use.
Great way to learn, tutor mode is helpful at showing where you should have placed your checkers. Pricey though.
Put it on the tutorial and you will improve dramatically. No, the dice arent rigged. You will find that making the correct move essentially means that more of the most likely rolls will help you. The dice seem rigged, as if the computer always gets a good roll, because the number of good rolls (of all possible) is higher. Pay attention to the cube to understand why opening moves change. If youre within one game of winning the tournament, the ideal opening move might not be the Sam as when youre starting out at 0 games each. The AI is phenomenal and makes us believe that neural network programming will some day solve all our problems or enslave humankind. We tip our hat to the developers and recall paying 10x this price for a version of Snowie back in the day. Its humbling, but its a great way to learn.
It's been helpful in getting an edge on playing a friend with much more experience.
No bugs, a joy to use, stable, a marvelous learning resource.
Great for taking your game to the next level.
Fun and easy to play at all levels.
This is the best automated backgammon app we have found, and with the premium version, you are also able to use it as a board and play against another player in-person on the same device. The computer opponent difficulty-setting is based on gameplay, not on optimizing dice rolls in favor of the computer. This makes for more-realistic games, better learning, and less frustration, as its the play that determines the outcome rather than a fluke roll. The tutor on this app is great as well because it shows not just the top move, but also other viable moves and their statistical potential for winning and winning gammons and backgammons. We do wish on occasion that there were an option to click for a bit of explanation as to why one move is statistically more advantageous than another, but that is a small quibble for an otherwise excellent game, and one does pick up on things the more one plays. The interface for this game is excellent. It is smooth and natural to play, without clunky extra buttons to click and without moving automatically or penalizing you for a typo (very handy if youre playing on a small screen or get jostled and accidentally tap the wrong point or piece). In addition, there are several settings to tweak speed, layout, movement, and available-move options to your liking. We highly recommend this app, and it is the one we recommend whenever friends ask for a good app to play and to learn backgammon.
The best backgammon players, who attend real tournaments, regard this as THE go-to backgammon bot. The reason so many people think the dice aren't fair is because XG plays so strongly, which makes more rolls into good rolls. Simple as that. It looks like it's getting lucky because it has put itself into advantageous positions that make more numbers work out well. Use XG and learn how to do that yourself.
Turn on the tutor mode and you will learn how to play very well. The comments that the dice are loaded are hilarious – yes, it is possible to see patterns everywhere but the program is designed to create completely random die and thats what it does (even it doesnt seem so when the computer happens to get a lucky draw). The computer wins because it plays better than any human.
Great game if you want to learn how to play backgammon.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.31
- Size: 60.20 MB
- iOS: 6.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: Open Roll, LLC
Last updated: 1st September 2017 | Genre: Board | Developer: Open Roll, LLC