How to Play Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a deduction game played on a grid of hidden squares. Some hide mines. Clear every square that does not, and you win.
When you open a safe square it shows a number: how many mines touch it, counting all eight neighbours. Those numbers are the whole game.
Play MinesweeperHow to play
- Click any square to start. The first click is always safe and usually opens a patch of blank squares.
- Read each number as a count of mines among its untouched neighbours.
- If a number already touches that many flags, every other neighbour is safe and can be opened.
- If a number touches exactly as many unopened squares as its value, every one of them is a mine, so flag them.
- Keep alternating between those two moves. Open the board without clicking a mine and you have won.
Two patterns worth learning
The one one pattern. Two 1s side by side along a wall of unopened squares mean the square beyond the pair is safe, because both 1s are already accounted for by the square they share.
The one two pattern. A 1 next to a 2 along a wall means the square at the far end of the 2 is a mine. Spotting these two shapes turns most of the mid game into reading rather than counting.
Frequently asked questions
Is the first click in Minesweeper always safe?
Yes, here it is. The board arranges itself around your first click so you never lose on move one.
What does a number mean?
It is how many mines sit in the eight squares touching it, including the diagonals.
Do I have to flag the mines?
Flags are for your own bookkeeping and the game does not require them, but they make the counting far easier.