How to Play Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a logic puzzle. Hidden under the grid are mines, and your goal is to open every cell that is safe. You never need luck if you read the numbers carefully — this guide shows you how.

The goal

The grid starts covered. Some cells hide mines; the rest are safe. Open all the safe cells in an area without opening a mine and the area is cleared.

In Minesweeper Worlds the grid is divided into areas and extends infinitely, so clearing one area simply opens the way to the next.

What the numbers mean

When you open a safe cell, it shows how many mines touch it. Each cell has up to 8 neighbors: left, right, up, down and the four diagonals.

A 3 means exactly three of these eight covered neighbors are mines.

A cell with no neighboring mines is shown empty, and all of its neighbors open automatically. That is why your first click often opens a large patch.

Flags

When you are sure a cell is a mine, put a flag on it. Flags protect you from opening that cell by mistake and help you count.

✱111

The 1 in the middle has only one covered neighbor, so that cell must be the mine. Flag it.

Chording: open many cells at once

If a number already has as many flags around it as its value, every other neighbor must be safe. Click the number itself and all of those neighbors open in one move.

⚑✓1✓

The 1 already touches one flag, so its other covered neighbors (green) are safe. Clicking the 1 opens them.

Chording is fast, but it trusts your flags. A wrong flag means a mine gets opened.

Controls

Mouse (PC and Mac)

Left-click a covered cell to open it.
Right-click to place or remove a flag.
Left-click a number to chord.
Use the mouse wheel or the zoom slider to zoom, and drag to move around the map.

Touch screen (phones and tablets)

Tap a covered cell to open it.
Long-press to place or remove a flag.
Tap a number to chord.
Pinch to zoom and drag to move around the map.

When you hit a mine

Opening a mine doesn't end the whole game. The area explodes and is locked, and the rest of the world stays as it is.

You can restore a locked area and try it again. Free restores refill over time; you can also watch a short ad for an extra restore when ads are available.

Solo worlds and the Shared World

Solo: your own infinite world. Play at your own pace; your map is saved automatically.
Shared World: one map for every player online. You see other players' moves live, and the rankings show who has cleared the most.
In the Shared World, opening a mine leaves your remains on the map until another player clears that area.

Ready to try it?

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Play Minesweeper now

Play anywhere. The mobile apps are free and include the same Shared World as the web version, so you dig alongside the same players.