Minesweeper
Use the number clues to work out where the mines are, and clear every safe square.
Minesweeper
Use the number clues to work out where the mines are, and clear every safe square.
Starts in your browser. Instructions are below.
Controls
- Keyboard and mouse
- Left-click a square to open it. Right-click to place or remove a flag.
- Touch
- Tap to open a square. On most phones a long press acts as a right-click and places a flag.
Scoring and how to win
- The 9 by 9 board hides 10 mines. Each number tells you how many mines touch that square, including diagonals.
- Opening a square with no neighbouring mines clears the empty area around it automatically.
- You win when every safe square is open. Flags are only reminders; you do not need to flag every mine to win.
How to play Minesweeper
- 01Click any square to reveal it. The number shown is how many mines touch that square.
- 02Right-click, or long-press on mobile, to flag a square you believe hides a mine.
- 03Reveal every safe square to win. Hitting a mine ends the round.
About Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a logic game disguised as a click test. Almost every position can be solved by comparing two adjacent numbers and working out which of the shared unknown squares must be mines.
The first click is always safe, so open a corner and expand from large cleared areas rather than poking at isolated squares. When a number equals the count of unknown neighbours, all of them are mines; when its flags are complete, the rest are safe.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I flag a mine on mobile?
- Press and hold a square to place or remove a flag.
- Is the first click ever a mine?
- No. The board is arranged after your first click so that it is always safe.
- What do the numbers mean?
- Each number tells you how many of the eight surrounding squares contain a mine.
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