15 Puzzle — free online Puzzle game
Slide the numbered tiles back into order — 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5.
The 15 Puzzle is the classic sliding tile puzzle, free to play in your browser. Slide the numbered tiles into the gap until they read 1, 2, 3 … in order with the gap in the bottom-right corner. Play the 8-puzzle on 3×3, the original 15 Puzzle on 4×4 or the tough 24-puzzle on 5×5. Every scramble is made from real moves, so it can always be solved. Tap a tile next to the gap, swipe, or use the arrow keys; your fewest moves and best time are saved for each size. No download, no sign-up.
Quick start
- Pick a size — 4 × 4 is the classic 15 Puzzle — and press Start.
- Tap a tile next to the gap to slide it in, or swipe the gap around.
- Put the tiles back in order 1, 2, 3 … with the gap in the bottom-right corner.
How to play 15 Puzzle
- The board holds numbered tiles and one empty square.
- Only a tile next to the empty square can move: it slides into the gap.
- The puzzle is solved when the tiles read in order row by row and the gap is in the last square.
- Every scramble is made by moving tiles from a solved board, so it can always be solved.
- Fewer moves earn more stars; your best moves and time are kept for each size.
Controls
- Slide a tile: tap it, or swipe
- Keyboard: arrow keys or WASD move the gap
- New scramble: the New game button or Space after a solve
Solving tips
- Solve the top row first, then the left column, and keep reducing the puzzle to a smaller one.
- Place the last two tiles of a row together: set them up one below the other, then rotate them in.
- Leave the final 2 × 3 corner for last and cycle tiles around it.
Frequently asked questions
Is every 15 Puzzle solvable here?
Yes. Half of all random arrangements cannot be solved, so the game never deals random arrangements: it scrambles a solved board with legal moves.
Is the 15 Puzzle free?
Yes. It is completely free to play in your browser, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.
Is there a block puzzle too?
Yes — Klotski, the sliding block puzzle, has its own page with fifteen levels.