Play the 15 Puzzle Online, the Classic Slide Puzzle

The 15 Puzzle is the sliding puzzle of numbered tiles: slide them one at a time, or a whole row at once, until they run in order with the gap in the bottom-right corner. Play the classic 4×4 or anything from 3×3 to 6×6, with a clock that starts on your first move, a daily board that is the same for everyone, and hints that follow a shortest solution on 3×3 and 4×4. Play 15 Puzzle free in your browser — no download, no account.

Why play 15 Puzzle here?

Tap any tile in the gap's row or column and the whole run slides at once, or swipe, or use the arrow keys — and the clock only starts on your first move. Every board is dealt solvable; on 3×3 and the classic 4×4 the hint is the next move of a shortest solution, Show the solution plays one out, and a solved board tells you the fewest moves it could have taken. On 5×5 and 6×6 the hint teaches the row-then-column method people actually use. Either way it shows one tile at a time and never moves it for you. No ads, no account, and the same 4×4 for everyone each day.

How You WinPut every tile back in order, left to right and top to bottom, with the gap in the bottom-right corner. The clock starts on your first move and stops when the last tile lands.

Sizes
3×3, 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6
Standard
4×4: fifteen tiles and one gap
Longest 4×4
80 moves at most

How to play 15 Puzzle in one minute

  1. Put the numbers back in order, 1 in the top-left corner, with the gap left in the bottom-right corner.
  2. Tap a tile in the gap's row or column: it slides toward the gap and so do the tiles between. You can also swipe a tile toward the gap, or use the arrow keys.
  3. Every tile that slides is one move. The clock starts on your first move; leaving the page pauses it.
  4. Work in layers: finish the top row, then the left column, and keep going in until a 3×3 is left. Bring the last two tiles of each row in together.
  5. Stuck? Hint lights up the next tile to move: on 3×3 and 4×4 it is the next step of a shortest solution, on bigger boards it names the row or column it is working on. Pick 3×3 to 6×6 in Free play, or play the Daily 4×4.

On a phone the hint, restart and new game buttons are in the bottom bar, and the button at its left picks the size.

Playing 15 Puzzle here: common questions

Is the 15 Puzzle here free, and do I need to download anything?

It is free, with no download, no account and no ads. It runs in any phone or desktop browser, and a game you leave half-done is still there when you come back in the same browser.

Is this the same as Klotski?

No. Klotski (Huarong Road) has ten pieces of different sizes and the goal is to get one big block out. The 15 Puzzle has same-sized numbered tiles to put back in order. Both are sliding puzzles, which is why the names get mixed up.

Which sizes can I play?

3×3, 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6 in Free play; 4×4, the classic fifteen tiles, is the default and the Daily. On a phone even 6×6 tiles stay a comfortable size to tap.

Can I get stuck with an impossible board?

No. Half of all arrangements can never be solved, so every board is checked before it is dealt. The famous one with 14 and 15 swapped is one of the impossible half, and you will never be given it.

Can I play the 15 Puzzle on my phone?

Yes. Tap or swipe the tiles; the hint, restart and new game buttons sit in the bottom bar, and the button at its left picks the size or the Daily.

What a game looks like

  • Free play deals a fresh random board of the size you pick; 4×4 is the default. The daily is one 4×4 a day, the same for everyone.
  • Every board is dealt solvable. On 3×3, boards that come out in fewer than 16 moves are dealt again.
  • The first time you play, a three-move 4×4 walks you through tapping, pushing a row and swiping.

Complete Rules

  • Only tiles in the gap's row or column can move, and they move toward the gap; the tapped tile and every tile between it and the gap slide one cell.
  • Each tile that slides is one move. The clock starts on your first move and stops when the board is solved; there is no time limit.
  • Leaving the page pauses the clock and blurs the board; tap to carry on. A game in progress is kept in this browser.
  • Restart puts the tiles back where the board began and zeroes the clock; New game deals a new board. There is no undo — every move can be taken back with a move.
  • A game that used a hint or the solution counts as solved but does not set a best time or move count.

Your First Game

  • Work in order: put 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the top row and never touch that row again.
  • The last two tiles of a row go in together. Line up 3 and 4 one above the other, then swing them into the corner.
  • Next, do the left column the same way, and keep shrinking the board one row and one column at a time.
  • When only 3×3 is left, cycle the tiles round the gap until they fall into place.

Practical Strategy

  • Move the gap to the tile, not the tile to the gap: work out where the gap needs to be for the next useful slide.
  • Use row pushes. Sliding a whole row with one tap counts the same moves but saves you time and taps.
  • Watch for a tile that has to cross a finished row: take it round the other way instead of breaking the row.
  • For speed, plan the next tile while the current one is still moving, and learn a few fixed patterns for the last two tiles of a row.

Winning and Special Rules

  • The 14-15 puzzle. The famous version with 14 and 15 swapped can never be solved: one swap changes the parity. Every board dealt here has the right parity.
  • Shortest solutions on 3×3 and 4×4. The hint, Show the solution and the fewest-moves line on a solved board are exact on both sizes. On 5×5 and 6×6 the hint follows the row-then-column method instead, which you can learn and repeat.
  • Daily. One 4×4 a day, the same for everyone. Your best time for the day is kept, and you can share a one-line result.

Common Mistakes

  • Breaking a finished row to place the next tile. Take the long way round instead.
  • Placing the last tile of a row on its own: it usually knocks the one before it out. Bring the last two in together.
  • Chasing moves on large boards: on 6×6 the solve is long whatever you do, so keep to the method.

How hard is the 15 Puzzle?

A 3×3 is never more than 31 moves from solved. The hardest 4×4 positions need 80 single-tile moves, and a random 4×4 is usually around 50 moves from solved at best.

Solving by rows and columns takes more moves than the shortest line — typically about 90 on 4×4 — but it always works and is easy to learn.

15 Puzzle FAQ

How do I move the tiles?

Tap any tile in the gap's row or column: it slides toward the gap, and so do the tiles between, so one tap can move a whole row. You can also swipe a tile toward the gap. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move the tile that slides that way: ← slides the tile right of the gap into it.

How are moves counted?

Every tile that slides is one move, so a tap that pushes three tiles counts three. That is the usual speed-solving count, and it keeps a one-tap row push and three single taps equal.

Can every board be solved?

Every board dealt here can. Exactly half of all arrangements can never be solved — swapping any two tiles of a solved board makes one — so boards are shuffled at random and then checked for the right parity before you see them.

How does the hint work?

On 3×3 and 4×4 it shows the next move of a shortest solution, and Show the solution plays the rest (not on the Daily, which everyone plays and shares); the first 4×4 hint can take a moment while the shortest solution is worked out. On 5×5 and 6×6 it teaches the method people use: finish the top row, then the left column, then the next row in, until a 3×3 is left. The tile to move glows and the line above the board names the goal.

15 Puzzle board