How to play Sliding Puzzle
- Press Start. The finished photo shows for a moment, then its tiles slide into a scrambled order with one gap.
- Tap a tile next to the gap to slide it in. Tap a tile further along the gap's row or column to slide every tile between them in one move.
- You can also swipe a tile towards the gap, or use the arrow keys to push the tile beside the gap.
- Use the goal picture and the small numbers on each tile: tile 1 belongs in the top left, then the numbers run across each row.
- Put every tile home to finish. Solving within the par number of moves earns three stars.
About Sliding Puzzle
This sliding tile puzzle hangs in a little museum. Each level frames a professional photograph, from alpine lakes and city skylines to a red fox and a slice of cake, cut into square tiles with one tile missing. The tiles have been shuffled by sliding, so every board can be put right again by sliding. Tap a tile next to the empty gap and it slides across; tap a tile further along the same row or column and the whole line moves at once. Every tile carries a small number as well as its piece of the picture, so you can solve by the numbers when the photo has large areas of sky or sand, and a green check appears on each tile that is back home. The goal picture is always on screen beside the board. Boards grow from friendly three by three prints to four by four and finally five by five masterworks with long scrambles, and each one has a par: finish within it for three stars. The daily board is the same four by four scramble for everyone.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap | Slide a tile (or a line of tiles) into the gap |
| Swipe | Slide a tile towards the gap |
| Arrow keys | Push the tile beside the gap |
| P and R | Pause and restart |
Tips and strategy
- Solve the top row first, then the left column. That leaves a smaller puzzle of the same shape, which you solve the same way until only a two by two corner is left.
- Place the last two tiles of a row together. Park the final tile under its spot, slide the second-to-last into the corner, then rotate both into place.
- Never break a finished row to fix a single tile. There is almost always a way around through the unsolved part of the board.
- Use the numbers when the photo is plain. Big skies, beaches and water look the same on many tiles, but every tile number is unique.
- Think in loops. Moving the gap around a two by two square rotates its three tiles, which is the basic move for nudging one tile without disturbing the rest.
- Long taps save moves. Sliding a whole line at once counts as several moves, but planning lines instead of single steps keeps your total near par.
Questions and answers
Can every board be solved?
Yes. Boards are scrambled by making real slides from the finished picture, so sliding them back is always possible.
What do the numbers on the tiles mean?
They show each tile's home: 1 is the top left, numbers run left to right across each row, and the gap ends up in the bottom right corner.
How is par worked out?
Par is the number of slides used to scramble the board. A careful solver can often beat it. Stay within par for three stars or within twice par for two.
Where do the photos come from?
They are professional photographs from Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License, and every photographer is credited in our asset list.
What is the daily board?
A new four by four photo puzzle every day, scrambled the same way for every player, so you can compare moves and time.
Do I need an account?
No. Sliding Puzzle runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars are saved on your device.
