Play Minesweeper Online
Uncover the board without touching a mine.
Minesweeper
How to play Minesweeper
- The board hides 10 mines. Dig a square to reveal it — your first dig is always safe.
- A number tells you how many mines touch that square, including diagonally.
- Use the numbers to work out where the mines are and mark them with flags.
- Reveal every safe square to win. Digging a mine ends the game. Faster wins score higher.
Controls
- Desktop
- Left-click to dig, right-click to place a flag.
- Mobile
- Tap to dig. Long-press, or switch to Flag mode, to place a flag.
About Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a logic puzzle that many people first met as a built-in game on Windows computers in the 1990s. Despite the name there is no sweeping involved. Every number on the board is a clue, and most boards can be solved by reasoning, although a few need a guess.
This board is 9 by 9 with 10 mines. Your first dig is always safe, and the squares around it are also kept clear so the game opens up an area instead of a single number. A number shows how many of the eight neighbouring squares hold mines. When the flags around a number equal that number, tapping the number opens all its remaining neighbours, a technique called chording that speeds things up considerably.
On desktop, left-click digs and right-click flags. On a phone, long-press a square or switch the Dig and Flag button in the header, so you never need a second finger. You score points only by winning: 1000 minus 5 for each second, with a minimum of 100, so speed matters but a wrong guess costs the whole game. Experienced players look for repeating patterns along edges and corners, and the tips below cover the basics to learn first.
Tips and strategies
- Start with the zeros: an empty square opens a whole area automatically.
- If a number equals the flags around it, tap that number to open all its other neighbours at once (chording).
- A '1' touching only one hidden square means that square is a mine.
- Work from the edges of an opened area; the numbers there give the most information.
Minesweeper FAQ
How do I place a flag on mobile?
Long-press a square, or tap the Dig/Flag button in the header to switch modes.
Is my first click ever a mine?
No. Mines are placed after your first dig, and the squares around it are always kept clear.
How is the score calculated?
You score points only when you win: 1000 minus 5 points for every second taken, with a minimum of 100.
