How to Solve the Slide Puzzle: Step-by-Step Tips
Every scramble in Slide Puzzle can be solved, and the same simple method works on 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5 boards, in Picture or Numbers mode. The secret is to solve in layers and never disturb finished tiles. Once you learn the two small tricks below, you can solve any board without luck.
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Solve the top row first
Start with the tile that belongs in the top-left corner and move it into place, then the next tile in the top row, and so on. Use the empty space like a cursor, steering it around a tile to push the tile where you want it. Once a tile is in its place, avoid moving it again.
The last two tiles of a row
The last two tiles of a row are the tricky part. Do not place them one by one. Instead, park the last tile directly below its target corner and the second-to-last tile in the corner itself. Then bring the gap round so both slide into place together. This one move pattern is the key to the whole puzzle.
Work down row by row
Once the top row is done, treat the rest of the board as a smaller puzzle and solve the next row the same way. On a 5x5, that means doing rows one, two and three this way. Keep going until only the bottom two rows are left, and never pull a finished row apart to fix a later one.
While you work, keep the gap close to the tile you are moving. Long trips of the empty space around the board waste moves and can disturb tiles you have already placed. Short loops of three or four slides are all you need to walk a tile into position.
Finish the last two rows by columns
The final two rows are solved left to right, one column at a time. Place the top and bottom tiles of each column together, using the same parking trick as before, but turned on its side. When only a 2x2 square is left at the right, rotate the three tiles around the gap until everything clicks into place.
Practise and use Peek
Start with 3x3 to learn the patterns, then move up. In Picture mode, Peek shows the finished picture so you can check where a tile belongs. Numbers mode is easier for learning, because each tile's place is obvious. Once you can solve reliably, try to cut down your move count and time.
Questions
- Can a slide puzzle be impossible?
- Not here. Every scramble in our game can be solved.
- Why does my finished row keep breaking?
- Placing the last two tiles one at a time forces you to move the first. Park them and slide them in together.
- Is Picture or Numbers mode easier?
- Numbers mode, because every tile shows exactly where it belongs.
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