Minesweeper
Play classic Minesweeper in your browser with the Beginner (9×9), Intermediate (16×16) and Expert (30×16) boards. Your first click is always safe. Right-click or use flag mode on a phone to mark mines, click a number to open its neighbors, and beat your best time for each level.
What is Minesweeper?
Minesweeper is a logic puzzle on a grid of hidden cells. Some cells contain mines. When you open a safe cell, it shows how many of its eight neighbors are mines. Use those numbers to work out where the mines are, and open every safe cell without opening a mine to win.
How to play
- Choose a level and click any cell. The first click is never a mine, and it always opens an area.
- A number tells you how many mines touch that cell (including diagonals). An empty cell has no mines around it, so its neighbors open automatically.
- Right-click a cell (or turn on 🚩 Flag mode and tap it) to put a flag on a mine. Do it again to remove the flag.
- Click an opened number whose mines are all flagged to open all of its other neighbors at once ("chording").
- Open every safe cell to win. Your best time for each level is saved.
Levels
| Level | Size | Mines |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 9 × 9 | 10 |
| Intermediate | 16 × 16 | 40 |
| Expert | 30 × 16 | 99 |
Strategy
The two basic rules
Almost everything follows from two rules. Apply them over and over before you think about anything else.
- All hidden cells are mines: if a number equals the number of hidden cells around it (flagged or not), every one of them is a mine. A 1 with only one hidden neighbor is the simplest case.
- All other cells are safe: if a number already touches as many flags as its value, every other hidden neighbor is safe. Click the number to open them all at once (chording).
Common patterns
These appear along a straight border between opened numbers and hidden cells.
- 1-1 from a wall: if a 1 is next to the wall (or a corner) and the number beside it is also 1, the first 1's mine is in the cells both 1s share. So the cell that only the second 1 touches is safe.
- 1-2: the 2 needs two mines, but the 1 next to it can give at most one from the cells they share. So the cell that touches the 2 but not the 1 is a mine.
- 1-2-1: the mines are under the two 1s, and the cell under the 2 is safe.
- 1-2-2-1: the mines are under the two 2s, and the cells under the 1s are safe.
Subtract what you already know
A number minus the flags around it is the number of mines still hidden around it, so a 3 that touches one flag works like a 2. Then compare two neighboring numbers: if every hidden neighbor of one number is also a neighbor of the other, the difference of their values is the number of mines in the cells only the second one touches.
When you have to guess
- Use every rule and pattern first. Real guesses are rarer than they look.
- Choose the cell with the lowest risk. A cell next to a 1 that has six hidden neighbors has about a 1-in-6 risk. A cell far from any number has a risk of about "remaining mines ÷ hidden cells" (about 12% on Beginner and 21% on Expert at the start).
- Prefer a guess that gives useful information if it is safe, such as a cell that would open up a stuck area.
- Near the end, use the mine counter: if the remaining mines can only be placed in one way, the rest is safe.
Playing faster
- Open with plain clicks and clear the board with chords on numbers.
- Only flag mines that you need for a chord. Every extra flag costs time.
- Work along one border at a time instead of jumping around the board.
FAQ
Is the first click really safe?
Yes. Mines are placed after your first click, avoiding that cell and its neighbors.
What does the Hint button do?
It works out the next move from the opened numbers only, using the rules and patterns in the Strategy section, and tells you why: a cell that is certainly safe, a cell that is certainly a mine, or a flag that is in the wrong place. The numbers it used are highlighted. Your own flags are not trusted, because they might be wrong.
When there is no certain move, it suggests the cell with the lowest risk and shows a rough probability. The hint never peeks at the hidden mines.
A game won with hints is not counted for your best time.
Is my game saved?
Yes. The board, the timer and your best times are saved in this browser. The timer keeps running while the page is closed.
Where can I see my past games?
Open Records & history below the game. It shows your best result for each level and your last 10 games with the date and time, including games you lost. They are saved in this browser only.