Minesweeper
The classic logic game: reveal every safe square without hitting a mine, using the numbers as clues.
Tap to reveal · long-press or right-click to flag. Best Beginner: —
How it works
- Pick a difficulty: Beginner (9×9, 10 mines), Intermediate (16×16, 40 mines), or Expert (30×16, 99 mines).
- Tap or click a square to reveal it — each number tells you how many mines touch that square, including diagonals.
- Long-press on touch screens or right-click on desktop to plant a flag on squares you believe hide a mine.
Frequently asked questions
- How do the numbers in Minesweeper work?
- Every revealed number counts the mines in the up to eight squares that touch it, including diagonals. A 1 next to a single unrevealed square means that square must be a mine, while a square whose number is already satisfied by flags means its other neighbors are safe. The whole game is deducing which is which.
- Can I lose on the very first click?
- No. This version guarantees a safe first click: the mines are only placed after you reveal your first square, and that square is always excluded. If the layout would have put a mine there, it is relocated automatically, so every game starts with at least one open square to reason from.
- How do I flag a mine on a phone?
- Press and hold a square for about a third of a second and a flag appears; long-press again to remove it. On a desktop or laptop, right-click does the same thing. Flagging is optional — it never reveals anything — but it keeps the mine counter accurate and stops you from tapping a square you already solved.
- What do the standard Minesweeper difficulties mean?
- Beginner is a 9×9 board with 10 mines (about 12% density), Intermediate is 16×16 with 40 mines (16%), and Expert is 30×16 with 99 mines (21%). These are the same board sizes used by the original Windows game, so times are comparable to classic play. On phones the Expert board scrolls sideways.
- Are my best times stored anywhere online?
- No. The game runs entirely in your browser and your best time for each difficulty is saved only in your device’s localStorage. Nothing is uploaded, there are no accounts, and clearing your browser data resets the records. The timer starts on your first reveal and stops the moment you win or lose.
About this tool
This is a faithful, free version of classic Minesweeper that runs entirely in your browser — no download, no plugins, no account. The rules are unchanged from the original: a hidden minefield, numbered clues, and one wrong click ends the round. You win by revealing every square that does not contain a mine; flagging the mines themselves is helpful but not required. All three canonical board sizes are here, from the quick 9×9 Beginner grid to the 30×16 Expert field with 99 mines.
Everything is computed client-side in JavaScript. The board is generated with a random shuffle after your first click, which is how the game guarantees that opening move is always safe. Revealing a square with no adjacent mines triggers the familiar flood fill, clearing the whole connected empty region and its numbered border in one tap. When a game ends, every mine is shown, the one you hit is marked, and any incorrect flags are crossed out so you can see exactly where your reasoning went wrong. Your fastest winning time per difficulty is kept in localStorage on your own device — nothing ever leaves your browser.
Minesweeper is a pure logic puzzle for most of the game: from the numbers alone you can usually prove which squares are mines and which are safe. Classic patterns are worth learning — a 1-2-1 along a wall means the squares beside the 1s are mines and the square under the 2 is safe, and a number already touching that many flags means all of its other neighbors can be opened.
Practical tips: start near a corner or edge, since openings there tend to cascade further; play Beginner until reading numbers feels automatic, then move up; and on a phone, use short taps to reveal and deliberate long-presses to flag so you never confuse the two. Chasing a best time? Flag less — every flag costs a fraction of a second.