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Quick answer
Minesweeper is a free logic puzzle game that plays instantly in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download, sign-up or ads. Open every cell that is not a mine; numbers show how many of the eight neighbours hide a mine.
Minesweeper at a glance
What it is
Logic puzzle game
This page
Beginner: 9 × 9 with 10 mines
Goal
Open every cell that is not a mine; numbers show how many of the eight neighbours hide a mine
Modes
Beginner 9×9 with 10 mines, Intermediate 16×16 with 40, Expert 30×16 with 99
Controls
Tap or click to open; long-press, right-click or Flag mode to flag; double-tap, double-click or two-finger tap to chord; keyboard
Players
1
Price
Free, no ads, no sign-up, no download
Works on
Phones, tablets and computers, in any modern browser
The field hides 10 mines among 81 cells. Open a cell and it shows a number: how many mines touch it, counting all eight neighbours, diagonals included. Use those numbers to work out which cells are safe and which hide mines. Open every safe cell to win; open a mine and the game is over.
Your first moves
Your first click is always safe and always opens an area, because mines are placed after it and kept away from it. Start near the middle: a big opening gives you more numbers to work with.
Patterns every beginner should know
A 1 touching one hidden cell. That cell is a mine. Flag it.
A satisfied number. If a 2 already has two flags around it, all its other neighbours are safe. Double-click it to open them at once.
The 1-1 from a wall. When a straight line of numbers starts at the edge of the board with 1, 1, the first 1’s mine is shared with the second, so the hidden cell beyond the second 1 is safe.
Count the corners. A 3 in a corner of an opening often touches exactly three hidden cells, so all three are mines.
Once you can clear Beginner in under a minute, try Intermediate.
How to play Minesweeper
1
Open a cell
Click or tap any cell to start. The first click is always safe and opens an area of the board.
2
Read the numbers
Each number shows how many of the eight cells around it hide a mine. A blank cell has no mines around it.
3
Flag the mines
Right-click, long-press or turn on Flag mode to mark a cell you know is a mine.
4
Clear the rest
Open every cell that is not a mine to win. Double-click a number whose mines are all flagged to open its other neighbours at once.
The classic 30×16 board with 99 mines, the standard for speed records. About one cell in five is a mine.
Frequently asked questions
Is the first click always safe?
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Yes. Mines are placed only after your first click, and never on that cell or the eight around it, so your first click always opens an area.
How do I flag a mine on a phone?
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Long-press a cell, or turn on Flag mode in the toolbar so that every tap places or removes a flag. Turn it off again to open cells.
What is chording?
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When a number already has as many flags around it as its value, double-click or double-tap it (or tap it with two fingers) to open all its other neighbours in one go. A wrong flag means you open a mine, so be sure first.
Do I have to flag every mine to win?
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No. You win as soon as every safe cell is open. Flags are only there to help you keep track.
Is my best time saved?
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Yes. Your fastest win at each level is saved in your browser and shown when you win.
Prefer a puzzle with no luck at all?
Every Sudoku here has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone, from Easy to Expert.