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Play a sliding number puzzle online with solvable 3×3, 4×4, and 5×5 boards, move and time tracking, keyboard controls, and multi-step undo.
Tap a number next to the empty cell, or use the arrow keys to move the empty position.
Sliding Number Puzzle
Choose a board size and restore the shuffled numbers to ascending order.
Current board
4 × 4
Puzzle status
In progress
How to play
Overview
Understand what the tool solves, how it works, and the boundaries of its data.
This sliding number puzzle has one blank cell and numbered tiles. A legal move slides a tile directly above, below, left, or right of the blank into that space. The goal is reading order: numbers increase from left to right and top to bottom, with the bottom-right cell empty. Choose a 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5 board, containing 8, 15, or 24 numbered tiles respectively.
A new board is formed by making valid moves from the solved arrangement. Reversing those moves provides a path back to the goal, so generated boards are solvable. The game tracks successful moves and elapsed time; the timer begins with the first valid move and stops when the board is solved.
Guide
Follow the workflow and verify inputs and outputs with practical examples.
Start with 3×3 to learn the movement rule, use 4×4 for the familiar 15-puzzle layout, or choose 5×5 for more tiles. Changing size starts a new board and clears the current count and timer.
Click or tap a tile next to the blank, or use the arrow keys, WASD, or on-screen direction buttons. With directional controls, the arrow describes the blank’s direction of travel.
Valid swaps increase the move count and start the timer. A direction that would move the blank off the board has no effect. When every tile is in order, the timer stops and the completion state shows your moves and time.
Undo reverses the latest move. Restart restores the starting layout for the current game and resets its count and timer; Shuffle creates a different solvable layout.
Use cases
See how the tool fits into real work and everyday tasks.
Use a small board and say where the blank will move before selecting a neighboring tile. This builds the habit of planning around the empty cell rather than trying to move any numbered tile freely.
On a larger board, work toward placing a row or column while preserving tiles already in order. Compare completed rounds of the same size using moves and time.
Take turns solving the same size of puzzle and compare the final move count and elapsed time. Those numbers describe the play session, not a standardized score across different board sizes.
Q&A
Find concise answers to common questions and confusing cases.
The generated board is made by legal moves starting from a solved board, so reversing the shuffle sequence can return it to the goal arrangement.
The timer begins after the first valid tile move. An invalid direction that leaves the board unchanged does not count as a move.
The arrow indicates the blank cell’s direction. For example, pressing Up swaps the blank with the tile directly above it.
No. Undo restores the previous board and reduces the move count, but elapsed time is not reversed.
Notes
Review scope, result limitations, and important precautions before use.
Different board sizes contain different numbers of tiles, so move counts and completion times are most useful for comparing rounds at the same size. The game does not calculate or show a solution path, rank the difficulty of each shuffle, or guarantee a minimum-move solution. The timer measures elapsed play time and continues while you think; there is no pause control.
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