Minesweeper, free in your browser
Minesweeper is the classic logic puzzle of a grid of covered cells with mines hidden under some of them. Open a cell and it shows how many of its eight neighbours hide a mine. Use those numbers to work out where the mines are, flag them, and open every other cell. Open a mine and the game is over.
There's nothing to install and no account to create. Your game is saved on this device as you play, so you can close the tab and carry on later, and your best times are kept for each level.
How to play
- Pick a level and click any cell. The first click is always safe and opens an area to start from.
- Read the numbers. A 1 touches exactly one mine; a 3 touches three.
- When you're sure a cell hides a mine, right-click it (or long-press on a touch screen) to plant a flag.
- Open the cells you know are safe. Clicking a number whose mines are all flagged opens the rest of its neighbours.
- Open every cell without a mine to win. The clock starts with your first click.
The full rules, with diagrams and every control, are on the how to play page.
Three levels
Beginner is a 9 × 9 grid with 10 mines, a few minutes' warm-up. Intermediate is 16 × 16 with 40 mines. Expert is 30 × 16 with 99 mines: one cell in five is a mine, and you will need every pattern you know. Jump straight to an Expert game if you're feeling brave.
Hints and your record
Stuck? Hint highlights a cell that can be worked out from the numbers already showing: one that is certainly safe, or certainly a mine. If nothing can be known for sure, it tells you so, and you know it's time to guess. It also points out any flag you've put in the wrong place. Games won with hints still count as wins, but only unaided wins set a best time.
Want to get better?
Read the strategy guide for the habits that win more games, and learn the patterns that solve most of the board at a glance. Curious where the game came from? Read about Minesweeper.