Sliding Puzzle
Slide the tiles into order, from 1 in the corner to the last number.
How to play the Sliding Puzzle
The Sliding Puzzle is a classic from the 1870s, best known as the 15 puzzle. Numbered tiles sit in a square frame with one empty space. You can only move a tile by sliding it into that space. The tiles start in a jumbled order.
Goal
Put the tiles in order: 1, 2, 3 along the top row, then the next row, and so on, with the empty space in the bottom right corner. Every shuffle here is checked to be solvable, because half of all random layouts can never be finished.
Step by step
- Tap or click a tile next to the empty space to slide it in.
- Tap a tile further along the same row or column to slide the whole line at once. Each tile that moves counts as one move.
- On a phone, swipe on the board. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys or W A S D: the tile on the other side of the gap moves in that direction.
- Made a wrong slide? Press Undo or Ctrl+Z.
- A small white dot shows a tile that already sits on its home square.
Levels
Easy is the 3×3 board with 8 tiles. Medium is the classic 4×4 board with 15 tiles. Hard is 5×5 with 24 tiles. The tile colours blend from corner to corner, so you can also solve by colour.
End of the game
When the last tile clicks into place, the missing piece drops in and the timer stops. The game keeps your best score for each size in this browser, and a game in progress is saved too. Want another quick puzzle? Try Flip Lights.
Strategy tips
- Solve the top row first. Place 1, 2 and 3, then the last tile of the row. After that, never disturb the finished row again.
- Then the left column. On bigger boards, finish the first row and then the first column. Each step leaves a smaller puzzle to solve.
- Place the last two tiles of a line together. Put the last tile below its home square, slide the one before it into the corner, then rotate both in.
- Cycle tiles around a 2×2 block. Moving the gap in a small loop lets you walk a tile into place without breaking what you built.
- Solve the last 2×3 area by rotation. At the end, only a few tiles are left. Turn them around in a loop until they line up.
- Think before you slide. Fewer moves means a better score. Plan where the gap needs to go first.
Sliding Puzzle FAQ
Is every puzzle solvable?
Yes. The game checks the shuffle with the parity rule and fixes it if needed, so every board can be solved.
How are moves counted?
Every tile that slides one square counts as one move. Sliding three tiles of a row at once counts as three moves.
What sizes can I play?
Easy is 3×3 (the 8 puzzle), Medium is 4×4 (the 15 puzzle) and Hard is 5×5 (the 24 puzzle). Pick the size with the Level menu.
Where is my best score saved?
Your fewest moves for each size is saved in this browser and shown in the status bar.
