Quick Rules
Minesweeper is a quiet logic puzzle for one person. A grid of covered squares hides a number of mines. Your job is to uncover every square that does not hold a mine.
- Dig a square to uncover it. If it hides a mine, the game is over (unless you take it back).
- A number on an open square tells you how many mines touch it, counting all eight squares around it, corners included.
- A blank square touches no mines, so the game opens everything around it for you.
- Flag a square when you are sure it hides a mine. Flags are reminders and stop you digging there by accident.
- You win when every safe square is open. You do not have to flag the mines.
- Your first square is always safe and always opens an area to start from.
To play here, choose Dig or Flag with the two big buttons, then tap squares. You can also press and hold a square to flag it. On a computer, use the arrow keys, press Enter or Space to dig and F to flag.
Fair Boards: Never a Coin Toss
The old complaint about Minesweeper is the end of a game where two squares look exactly alike and you simply have to pick one. Here, every board is checked before you see it. A solver plays it from your first square to the last using reasoning alone, and if it ever has to guess, the board is thrown away and another is made.
Choose a size to suit your eyes and your mood: Small (8 by 8, 10 mines), Medium (12 by 12, 25 mines) or Large (16 by 16, 40 mines). Stuck? Hint opens a square that is surely safe and tells you why in plain words.
Tips for Getting Started
- Start with the 1s. A 1 with only one covered square beside it has found its mine. Flag it.
- Then look for full numbers. A number that already touches as many flags as it shows has no more mines around it. Every other covered square beside it is safe.
- Work along the edge of the open area. That is where all the information is.
- Learn the 1-2 pattern. Two numbers side by side often settle squares neither could settle alone.
- Take your time. There is no clock unless you ask for one, and the game saves after every move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Minesweeper free?
Yes. You can play as many boards as you like for free, with no account, no download and no pop-up ads.
Can every board be won?
Yes, as long as No-guess boards is switched on, which it is unless you change it. Before you see a board, a solver plays it from your first square to the last using only reasoning. A board that would need a guess is thrown away and another is made. If you switch the option off, you get classic random boards, and on those you will sometimes have to guess.
Can my first tap hit a mine?
No. The mines are laid after your first tap, never on that square or the eight around it. So your first square is always a blank that opens up an area to work from.
How do I put a flag on a square?
Tap the big Flag button under the board, then tap the square. Tap Dig to go back to uncovering squares. You can also press and hold a square for half a second, or right-click it with a mouse. On a keyboard, move with the arrow keys and press F.
What happens if I dig a mine?
Unless you turn it off, the game asks whether you would like to take that back. Undo puts the square back as it was and you carry on. The game then no longer counts as a perfect game, but you can still finish the board.
How does the hint work?
Hint finds a square that can be proved safe from the numbers you can see, opens it for you and explains the reason in a sentence or two, for example that a 1 already touches its mine, so its other neighbours are safe. It works only from what you can see. On a classic board, where sometimes nothing can be proved, it says so and gives you a safe square anyway.
Is there a timer?
Only if you want one. The timer is hidden to begin with and there is never a time limit. You can show it in Settings.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your board is saved in your browser after every move, so you can close the page and carry on later on the same device.
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