Play Minesweeper

Minesweeper game info

The Minesweeper game is a classic game known for being packaged with various operating systems such as Windows. The game has become very popular in the United States and around the globe. The original game had three difficulties (beginner, intermediate, expert).

Rules of the game

Goal

The goal in Minesweeper is to locate as fast as possible all mines in the playing field, mark them with a flag, and open all squares that do not contain a mine. Each square in the playing area can either be a mine, a number or empty.

• If a square is a mine, you have to avoid clicking it because that will make you lose the game. Instead, put a flag on it by right clicking on the square.
• If a square is a number, this number corresponds with the number of adjacent squares that have a mine (horizontal, vertical and diagonal).
• If a square is empty, none of the adjacent squares have a mine. The adjacent squares without a mine will automatically be revealed when an empty square is revealed.

Valid moves

Start by clicking a square. The first square is guaranteed not to have a mine. Clicking a square will probably reveal some other adjacent squares, giving you information about where the mines are located. You can then start deducing where mines are located, based on the already revealed numbers. When you identify the location of a mine, mark it with a flag by right clicking the square. If you are not sure whether a square contains a mine or not, you can mark it with a question mark by right clicking the square twice. If you marked a square incorrectly, you can just keep right clicking it to remove the flag or question mark. Right clicking a square will cycle through three states: nothing, flag, question mark.

Winning

To win the game you must open all squares that don’t have a mine. This means that flagging the locations of the mines is just to help you remember where they are, but it’s actually not required.

Smiley face

The smiley face at the top of the screen serves as a new game button, but also indicates the status of the game:

• When you hold down the left mouse button in anticipation of a move, the smiley will turn into a surprised face
• If you make a mistake, you lose the game and the smiley will turn into a dizzy face
• If you win the game by correctly identifying all bombs, the smiley will put on sunglasses

FAQ


What is the goal of minesweeper? The goal in Minesweeper is to locate all mines in the playing field, mark them with a flag, and open all squares that do not contain a mine.

What do the numbers mean in minesweeper? The number in a square corresponds with the number of adjacent squares that have a mine (horizontal, vertical and diagonal). The maximum number is 8, meaning that all surrounding squares have a mine.

What do the flags mean in minesweeper? A flag is used to indicate a square that contains a mine. Players should use the flags to help remember where the mines are located.

System requirements

Minesweeper can be played in all modern browsers, on all device types (desktop, tablet, mobile), and on all operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ...).