A calm, tactile mine-clearing puzzle with handmade ceramic tiles.
Minesweep is the classic mine-clearing logic puzzle, rebuilt as a quiet evening at a lamp-lit table. A tray of glazed stoneware tiles hides a number of mines. Flip a tile and it shows how many mines touch it; use those numbers to work out which tiles are safe and plant a flag on every one that isn't. Clear every safe tile to win.
Your first click is always safe and always opens an area, so every board starts with something to read. Turn on no-guess boards and every board can be solved by logic alone, without a single coin-flip. Play the three classic sizes, set up your own board, or take on the Daily Field: the same board for everyone, every day.
How to play
- Reveal a tile to flip it over. A number tells you how many of the eight tiles around it (diagonals included) hide a mine. A blank tile has no mines around it, so its neighbours flip over automatically.
- When you are sure a tile hides a mine, plant a flag on it. The counter at the top shows how many mines are left to flag.
- Chording saves time: once a number has as many flags around it as its value, click the number (or press both mouse buttons, or the middle button) to reveal all of its other neighbours at once. If a flag is wrong, a chord will set off a mine, so flag carefully.
- Reveal every tile that isn't a mine to clear the board. Your time starts with your first reveal and stops when the last safe tile flips.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reveal | Left click, or Space / Enter on the cursor | Tap (or long-press in Flag mode) | A |
| Flag | Right click, or F on the cursor | Long-press (or tap in Flag mode) | X |
| Chord | Click a number, both buttons, middle click, or C | Tap a number | A on a number, or Y |
| Move cursor | Arrow keys / WASD | — | D-pad / left stick |
| Zoom and pan | Mouse wheel, + / − | Pinch to zoom, drag to pan, the fit button resets | LB / RB |
| Switch tap action | — | Reveal / Flag toggle at the bottom | — |
| Pause / restart | Esc / R | Pause button | Start / Back |
Every action can be remapped in Settings.
Modes
- Beginner
- 9 × 9 board, 10 mines. Learn the numbers.
- Intermediate
- 16 × 16 board, 40 mines.
- Expert
- 30 × 16 board, 99 mines. The classic test.
- Custom
- Pick your own width, height and mine count.
- Daily Field Daily
- Today's 20 × 16 board with 56 mines, the same for everyone. Always solvable without guessing.
Tips & strategy
- Start with the easy reads: a 1 with only one hidden neighbour means that neighbour is a mine. A number that already has all its flags means every other neighbour is safe.
- Learn the 1-2-1 pattern. Along a straight edge, the tiles under the 1s are mines and the one under the 2 is safe. 1-2-2-1 works the same way: the two middle tiles are mines.
- Compare neighbouring numbers. If a 1 touches two hidden tiles and the 2 next to it touches those same two plus one more, the extra tile must be a mine.
- Chording is the biggest time saver. Flag only the mines you need for a chord, then click the number instead of revealing tiles one by one.
- Near the end, count. If the mine counter says one mine is left and only one arrangement fits the numbers, every other hidden tile is safe.
- On a phone, pinch in so tiles are comfortable to tap, and use the Flag toggle when you are planting a lot of flags in a row.
- Turn on no-guess boards if you never want to rely on luck. Turn them off for the classic experience, where an occasional 50/50 is part of the game.
Achievements
- All ClearClear any boardLocked
- Steady HandsClear a Beginner boardLocked
- Field WorkClear an Intermediate boardLocked
- SweeperClear an Expert boardLocked
- Quick StudyClear Beginner in under 20 secondsLocked
- Lamp Still WarmClear Expert in under 3 minutesLocked
- Bare HandsClear Intermediate or Expert without placing a flagLocked
- Chord ProgressionUse 25 chords in one winning gameLocked
- AvalancheOpen 60 tiles with a single clickLocked
- Morning RitualClear the Daily FieldLocked
A short history of the genre
Mine-clearing puzzles grew out of the logic and grid games of the 1960s and 1970s, and the format most people know took shape on home computers in the 1980s. It became one of the most widely played computer games ever when it began shipping with desktop operating systems in the early 1990s, where generations of office workers learned to read a field of numbers.
Competitive players have since turned it into a speed sport, with standardised board sizes (9×9 with 10 mines, 16×16 with 40, and 30×16 with 99), a difficulty measure called 3BV that counts the minimum clicks a board needs, and techniques like chording and efficient flagging. Modern versions add a guaranteed safe first click and boards that can always be solved without guessing. Minesweep follows those conventions and adds a tactile, physical look of its own.
FAQ
Is Minesweep free?
Yes. Minesweep is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up. The site is supported by unobtrusive ads that never cover the game.
Can my first click hit a mine?
No. The board is built after your first click, and the tile you click plus all eight of its neighbours are kept clear, so the first click always opens an area.
What are no-guess boards?
With no-guess boards turned on (the default), every board is checked by a solver before you play it, so it can be cleared using logic alone. You never have to guess. Turn the option off in the board options menu for classic random boards.
What is chording?
Chording reveals all the remaining neighbours of a number at once. It works when the number already has exactly that many flags around it. Click the number, press both mouse buttons, middle-click, or tap the number on a phone.
What is the Daily Field?
A 20 × 16 board with 56 mines that is identical for every player on the same day. It starts with an opening already revealed so everyone begins from the same position, and it is always solvable without guessing. It changes at midnight UTC.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. Tap to reveal, long-press to flag, and tap a number to chord. A toggle at the bottom swaps tap and long-press. Pinch to zoom and drag to pan; wide boards turn sideways in portrait so the Expert board fits.
What is 3BV?
Bechtel's Board Benchmark Value: the minimum number of clicks needed to clear a board without flags. 3BV per second and your click efficiency are shown after every win.
Where are my best times saved?
In your browser on this device. Only completed boards are recorded. You can export your profile from the Profile page and import it on another device.
Updates
- Minesweep launched with Beginner, Intermediate, Expert, Custom and the Daily Field, plus no-guess boards.
