📖 Rules & variants
Core rules: the board is a grid with a fixed number of mines hidden in it. Opening a safe cell shows how many mines touch it; a cell with no neighbouring mines shows nothing and cascades open automatically. Opening a mine ends the game. You win by opening every non-mine cell — you do not have to flag anything.
The three boards use the classic parameters rather than invented ones: beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines (about 12% density), intermediate 16×16 with 40 mines (about 16%), and expert 30 columns by 16 rows with 99 mines (about 21%). Higher density means fewer cells you can deduce with certainty, so expert is harder for more than just its size.
Safe first click: nothing is placed until you click, and then the mines are dealt around your click so that it and its whole 3×3 neighbourhood stay clear. That guarantees an opening cascade. You can switch this off in settings for the hardcore original behaviour, where the first click really can kill you.
Flags and chording: a flag is only your own marker — it never decides the outcome, and a wrong flag cannot lose the game on its own, it just gets crossed out in the post-mortem. Chording (double-click an open number whose flag count matches it) opens the rest of its neighbours in one move, and detonates if one of those flags was wrong. That risk is original behaviour and is kept.
Times and records: minesweeper is scored on time. Each difficulty tracks its own best time, games played, wins and current win streak. The clock starts on your first opened cell, stops and blurs the board when you pause or switch tabs, and resumes when you tap continue. Refreshing mid-game restores the exact same board, and everything is stored in your browser only — no account.
❓ FAQ
How do you play minesweeper?
Open every cell that is not a mine and you win; open a mine and you lose. Click anywhere to start, then use the revealed numbers — each counts the mines touching that cell — to work out which neighbours are safe. Flag the cells you are certain hide mines, open the ones you are certain are clear, and repeat.
What do the numbers in minesweeper mean?
A number tells you how many of the 8 cells around it (including diagonals) contain a mine. A 1 means exactly one of those neighbours is a mine. A blank cell has zero mines around it, which is why the board cascades open from it and hands you that first big clearing.
How do you flag a mine in minesweeper?
On desktop, right-click a cell to place a flag and right-click again to remove it. On a phone, long-press a cell for about half a second, or tap the Flag button under the board to switch modes and then tap cells normally. Flagged cells are click-proof, so flags also protect you from misclicks.
Can the first click in minesweeper be a mine?
Not here. The mines are only dealt after your first click, and that cell plus the ring around it are excluded, so your opening move always cascades safely. If you want the original behaviour, turn off the safe first click in settings and the very first click can end the game.
How many mines are on expert minesweeper?
Expert is 30 columns by 16 rows — 480 cells — with 99 mines, roughly 21% density. Beginner is 9×9 with 10 mines and intermediate is 16×16 with 40. These are the standard sizes, so your times here are directly comparable with any other version.
What are the best minesweeper tips to get faster?
Learn the edge patterns first: 1-2-1 and 1-1 along the border of an open area resolve instantly without guessing. Then get comfortable chording, which opens a whole neighbourhood in one action and roughly doubles your speed. Opening in a corner or along an edge also tends to produce a larger starting cascade.
Do you have to flag every mine to win minesweeper?
No. The win condition is only that every non-mine cell is open, so you can finish with zero flags placed. Flags exist purely as your own notes and as misclick protection. When you clear the board, any mine still unflagged is auto-flagged for you as a finishing touch.
⚠️ Boards on this page are generated on the fly for casual play; the time ratings are for fun, not a competitive standard.
