How to Win at Color Sort: Liquid Sorting Strategy
In Color Sort you pour the top colour from one tube into another until every tube holds a single colour. Each tube holds four layers, and you can only pour onto the same colour or into an empty tube. Every level is checked by a solver, so you can always win. The challenge is doing it in few moves.
Color SortPlay Color Sort ›
Protect your empty tubes
An empty tube is your most valuable space, because any colour can go into it. Do not fill it with the first colour you see. Try first to pour onto matching colours that are already on top of other tubes, and use the empty tube only when it sets up several follow-up moves.
Once a tube holds four layers of one colour it is finished and you can ignore it. Focus on the tubes that are still mixed, and look for the colour that is closest to being complete. Finishing one colour quickly frees space for the rest.
Pour onto matching colours first
When you pour, all the matching layers on top move together, as many as fit. So pouring two blue layers onto a tube that already has blue on top is a great move: it groups the colour and frees the tube below. Look for these merges at the start of every level before anything else.
Decide where each colour will finish
Look at the bottom layers. A tube with a colour at the bottom is a natural home for that colour, so aim to fill it upward with the same colour. Avoid pouring a different colour onto a tube you plan to complete, because you will have to move it off again later, which costs moves.
Undo rather than reset
If you get stuck, step back a few moves with Undo instead of resetting the whole level. Usually only the last few pours caused the problem. Watch for the moment when no legal pours are left, as that means an earlier choice blocked you. The hint button can show a good next move, but each hint lowers your score.
Score higher
Your score is based on the difficulty, with a bonus for finishing quickly and for using a number of moves close to the level's par. Each hint costs points. To score well, take a moment to plan the first few pours, then play steadily. Solving Medium or Hard with no undo or hints earns the Steady hand achievement.
Questions
- Does pouring move one layer or several?
- All the matching layers on top move together, as many as the target tube has room for.
- Can I get stuck forever?
- No. Every level is solvable, and Undo lets you step back from a dead end.
- What is par?
- A target number of moves for the level. Finishing close to it earns a bigger score bonus.
Color SortPlay Color Sort ›