Minesweeper

Classic Minesweeper: use the numbers as clues to open every square that does not hide a mine. Play at three standard levels or a custom size, with a flag mode for phones.

How to use

1. Under "Difficulty", choose "Beginner", "Intermediate", "Expert" or "Custom". For a custom game, enter the size and mines and press "New game at this size".
2. Tap or click a square to open it. A number shows how many mines are in the 8 squares around it.
3. Right-click or long-press a square to flag it as a mine. On a phone, turn on "Flag mode" to flag with a tap.
4. Tap a number that has that many flags around it to open its other neighbours at once. You win when every safe square is open.

How it works

• Beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines, intermediate 16×16 with 40, and expert 30×16 with 99. A custom board can be 5 to 40 columns by 5 to 30 rows.
• Mines are placed after your first click, so the first square is always safe; when there is room, its 8 neighbours are safe too.
• Keyboard: the arrow keys move, Space opens and F flags. The game in progress and the best time for each level are saved in this browser.

Questions and answers

What do the numbers in Minesweeper mean?

A number counts the mines in the 8 squares around it, including the diagonals. A 1 means exactly one of those squares has a mine.

How do you get better at Minesweeper?

If a number equals the closed squares around it, they are all mines. If it already has that many flags, the other squares are safe. Learning patterns such as 1-2-1 helps.

Do you sometimes have to guess?

Yes. Some layouts give no clue that decides which square is safe, and then you have to pick one.

The expert board is wider than my phone. What can I do?

Move the board sideways with your finger, or use the − and + buttons to change its size.