GET TO KNOW THE GAME
How to play Sliding Puzzle
This sliding number puzzle, also called the 8-puzzle, uses eight numbered tiles and one empty square. Slide adjacent tiles into the gap until the numbers run from 1 to 8 in reading order. Every starting board is generated using legal moves, so it is solvable.
The rules
- Find a numbered tile directly above, below, left or right of the empty square.
- Select that tile to slide it into the gap. Diagonal moves and jumps are not allowed.
- Arrange the top row as 1, 2, 3; the next row as 4, 5, 6; and the bottom row as 7, 8, empty.
Controls
Click or tap a tile next to the gap. Other tiles stay in place until they become adjacent to the empty square.
How scoring works
Each legal slide adds one move. Complete the puzzle in fewer moves to improve your personal best; there is no countdown.
Tips for your next round
- Plan how to position the empty square, not just where you want the numbered tile to end up.
- Work on an ordered section while leaving enough room to cycle the remaining tiles around the gap.
Can the starting puzzle be impossible?
No. The board is shuffled by making legal slides from the solved position. That keeps every generated puzzle reachable from a solution.
Is there a move limit or an undo button?
There is no move limit and no undo button. You can reverse your last slide, but the reverse slide counts as another move.