How to play the Sliding Tile Puzzle

The board is a grid of numbered tiles with one empty gap. Tap any tile next to the gap to slide it in. You can also swipe, or use the arrow keys or WASD, to move the tile beside the gap in that direction.

The puzzle is solved when the tiles read in order from 1, left to right and top to bottom, with the gap in the bottom-right corner. A move counter tracks how many slides you used.

Press Shuffle at any time for a fresh board. There is no timer and no move limit.

Board sizes

Every shuffle is checked so it can actually be solved. In the real 15 puzzle, half of all random layouts are impossible; this game never deals one of those, and never deals a board that starts already solved.

You earn Neons for each tile sitting in its home spot, plus a bonus for solving the whole board. Bigger boards pay a bigger bonus.

Sliding Tile Puzzle tips

• Solve one row at a time from the top. Once the top row is done, never disturb it again.
• Place the last two tiles of a row together: park the last tile below its spot, put the second-to-last tile in the corner, then rotate both in.
• When only two rows are left, switch to solving column by column from the left.
• Move the gap, not the tile. Think about where the gap needs to be to push a tile one step closer to home.
• Start on the 3×3 board to learn the row-then-corner method before trying 4×4 and 5×5.

Is the 15 Puzzle free?

Yes. HypeGameRoom is free: no sign-up, no download and nothing to buy to play. Arcade games reward Neons, a play-only currency that can never be cashed out.

Is every board solvable?

Yes. Every shuffle is checked before you see it, so each board can always be solved.

What sizes can I play?

Easy (3×3), Classic (4×4, the 15 puzzle) and Hard (5×5).

How do I solve a sliding puzzle?

Finish the top row first, then the next row, and so on. When two rows remain, solve them column by column from the left.