How to play
Every square on the board is either safe or hides a mine. Your goal is to open all the safe squares without opening a mine. When you open a safe square it shows a number from 1 to 8: the count of mines in the up to eight squares touching it, including diagonals. A square with no number has no mines around it, so the game opens all of its neighbours automatically and keeps going until it reaches numbered squares.
Use the numbers to work out where mines must be, mark them with flags, and open the squares you know are safe. You win the moment the last safe square is opened. You lose as soon as you open a mine.
Your first click is always safe. Mines are placed only after you click, and the square you choose and all squares around it are kept free of mines, so the first move always opens an area to start from.
Rules
- Beginner: 9 × 9 squares with 10 mines.
- Intermediate: 16 × 16 squares with 40 mines.
- Expert: 30 × 16 squares with 99 mines. On narrow phone screens it is turned on its side (16 columns by 30 rows) so it fits without sideways scrolling.
- The Mines left counter is the number of mines minus the number of flags you have placed. It can go below zero if you flag too many squares.
- The timer starts with your first move and stops when the game ends.
- Your best time for each difficulty is saved in this browser.
- Not every board can be solved by pure logic. Occasionally you will have to make a guess.
Controls
Mouse
- Left click opens a square.
- Right click places or removes a flag.
- Left click or middle click on an opened number is a chord: if the number of flags around it equals the number, all remaining hidden neighbours are opened at once. Be careful, a wrong flag makes the chord open a mine.
Touch
- Tap opens a square while the Dig mode is selected.
- Long-press (about half a second) places or removes a flag. A ring fills up around the square while you hold.
- Switch the Dig / Flag toggle to Flag mode if you prefer to flag with a simple tap. Tapping an opened number still chords in either mode.
Keyboard
- Tab moves into the board, the ← ↑ → ↓ keys move the cursor.
- Space or Enter opens the square, or chords on an opened number.
- F places or removes a flag.
The optional Use ? marks setting adds a third state to the flag control: flag, then question mark, then empty. It is off by default.
Tips and strategy
- Start with the obvious. A 1 with only one hidden neighbour means that neighbour is a mine. A number whose flags already match it means every other neighbour is safe.
- Learn the 1-2-1 pattern. Along a straight edge, a 1-2-1 row usually means mines sit under the two outer squares of the row next to it, and the middle one is safe.
- Compare neighbouring numbers. If one number needs the same mines as another plus extra, the difference tells you where the remaining mines are.
- Flag only what you know. Wrong flags are the most common reason a chord goes off. A flag is a promise, not a guess.
- Use chording. Once a number is satisfied by flags, one click clears its neighbours and saves a lot of time on Intermediate and Expert.
- Guess smartly. When you are stuck, open the square that is least likely to be a mine, for example one far from any number, rather than a random square next to a big number.
- Count mines at the end. When few squares remain, compare the mines left counter with the hidden squares. It often decides the final moves.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hit a mine on my first click?
No. Mines are placed after your first click, and that square and its neighbours are always mine-free.
Do I have to place flags?
No. Flags are only a tool to remember where mines are and to use chording. You can win without placing a single flag; when you win, the remaining mines are flagged for you.
What does the face button do?
It starts a new game at the current difficulty. The face also shows whether you are playing, have won or have lost.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. A game in progress is saved in your browser and resumes when you reload the page, and your best time for each difficulty is stored as well. If your browser blocks storage, the game still works but nothing is remembered.
Why is Expert turned sideways on my phone?
A 30-column board would make the squares too small to tap on a narrow screen. Turned on its side, it has the same squares and the same 99 mines in 16 columns by 30 rows.
Does the game work offline?
Once the page has loaded, it does not need an internet connection to play.
More free games
- Memory – match the pairs in as few moves as you can.
- Klondike Solitaire – the classic patience card game.
- Sudoku – fill the grid with logic.
- 2048 – slide and merge tiles.
- Word Guess – find the hidden five-letter word.