Matoca is a tile-laying abstract strategy game of five-in-a-row, using 12 red and 12 white squares. Players take turns placing their tiles in a way that touches a previous tile by its side or corner, with the goal of first laying down five tiles in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. If all tiles are placed with no victor, players begin removing their own tiles before placing them in another location. Tiles cannot be removed in a way that would separate tiles from the main group. This continues until the game is won.