How to play Parking Jam
- Press Start. Find the yellow taxi and the exit gap in the right edge of the lot, in the taxi's row.
- Drag any car or truck along its lane. Sideways vehicles move left and right, upright vehicles move up and down.
- Vehicles cannot pass through each other, so clear the taxi's row one blocker at a time.
- When nothing stands between the taxi and the exit, slide it to the right edge and it drives away.
- Finish in the fewest possible moves for three stars. Undo is free to use, but every undo also counts as a move.
About Parking Jam
Parking Jam is a sliding block puzzle set in a crowded parking lot. A yellow taxi is boxed in on a six by six lot, and the only way out is the gap in the curb on the right side of its lane. Every other car and truck is parked nose to tail and can only roll forward or backward along its own lane: cars that face sideways move left and right, cars that face up and down move up and down, and nothing can turn or jump over another vehicle. Your job is to shuffle them in the right order so that the taxi's lane opens up and it can drive out. Early lots take three or four moves and teach the idea. Later lots are packed with long trucks and need fifteen or twenty careful moves, where the car you have to move first is often three steps away from the taxi. Every lot was solved by a computer before it was added, so the move counter always shows the true fewest number of moves, and you can measure yourself against it.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drag | Slide a car or truck along its lane |
| Number keys or Tab | Select a vehicle (1 is the taxi) |
| Arrow keys | Slide the selected vehicle one space |
| U | Undo the last move |
| H or the bulb | Show the best next move (costs a star) (3 per level) |
Tips and strategy
- Work backward from the taxi. Ask which vehicle sits in its row, then where that vehicle could go, and what is stopping it from going there.
- Trucks are three spaces long, so an upright truck in the taxi's row can only clear it by moving all the way to the top or the bottom of the lot. Check which end has room before you start.
- Slide a vehicle as far as it needs to go in one drag. One long slide counts as a single move, while three short nudges count as three.
- If a blocker cannot leave the taxi's row, look at the vehicle stuck in its path instead. The puzzle is usually a chain of three or four cars waiting on each other.
- Corners are valuable. A car parked in a corner rarely gets in the way, so tidy vehicles into corners when you have a free move.
- Count before you move. The counter shows the best possible score, so if you are already past it, use undo to step back to the last move you were sure about.
Questions and answers
What kind of puzzle is Parking Jam?
A sliding block puzzle, often called a parking jam or traffic jam puzzle. Vehicles slide along fixed lanes and the goal is to clear a path for one vehicle to leave the board.
Can every lot be solved?
Yes. Every level was solved by a breadth-first search before it was added, and the number shown as best is the true fewest number of moves.
What counts as one move?
Sliding one vehicle any distance in one go is a single move, whether it travels one space or four. Undoing a move also counts as one.
How are stars awarded?
Match the fewest possible moves for three stars, stay within one and a half times that number for two, and any finish earns one. Each hint takes a star away.
What is the daily lot?
A new jam for every player each day, with about nine vehicles and at least ten moves to solve. Your result can be shared as a short emoji line.
Do I need an account?
No. Parking Jam runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars and unlocked lot themes are saved on your device.
