Sliding Puzzle 3x3
Eight numbered tiles and one empty square. The smallest classic board, and the best place to learn.
How to play the 3x3 sliding puzzle
The board holds eight numbered tiles, 1 to 8, and one empty square. Put them back in order: 1, 2 and 3 on the top row, 4, 5 and 6 in the middle, 7 and 8 on the bottom row, with the empty square in the bottom-right corner.
- Click or tap a tile in the same row or column as the empty square to slide it. Any tiles in between move along with it.
- On a keyboard, use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. On a phone or tablet you can also swipe.
- Every tile that slides counts as one move, and the clock starts with your first move.
3x3 levels to play
This page has 13 numbered 3x3 levels. The first can be solved in just 4 moves, so you can get a feel for how the tiles move. The last needs 29 moves even when played perfectly. There are also 3 picture levels, where the tiles make up a photo instead of numbers: switch to them in the level menu.
Clearing a level opens the next one. Finish close to the fewest possible moves to earn three stars. Your progress is saved in this browser, with no account to create.
How to solve a 3x3 sliding puzzle
You don't need to memorise anything. Solve the board in three steps, and never move a tile you have already finished:
- Top row: put 1 in the top-left corner. Then place 2 and 3 as a pair: move 2 into the top-right corner, where 3 belongs, and 3 directly below it. Bring the empty square to 2's home, then slide 2 left and 3 up.
- Left column: place 4 and 7 with the same trick, turned on its side. Move 7 into 4's home and 4 right beside it, bring the empty square to the bottom-left corner, then slide 7 down and 4 left.
- Last corner: 5, 6 and 8 now share a 2 × 2 block with the empty square. Keep turning them around it in the same direction until they drop into order.
For each step on boards you can play, with the computer's shortest solution to compare against, read How to Solve a Sliding Puzzle, Step by Step.
How many moves does a 3x3 puzzle take?
A 3x3 board can be arranged in 362,880 ways, but only half of them, 181,440, can be reached by sliding the tiles. Any of those can be solved in 31 moves or fewer, and only two positions need all 31. On average, the shortest solution is about 22 moves.
The method above takes more moves than a perfect solution, and that's fine for a first clear. Three stars go to solves close to the computer's best, so come back to a level once you know the way through it.
Can't solve a physical puzzle whose tiles were taken out and put back? It may be impossible. Count the pairs of tiles that are in the wrong order, ignoring the empty square: on a 3x3 board, a position can only be solved if that number is even. Every level on this page can be solved.
Ready for a bigger board?
Once the 3x3 feels easy, move up to the 4x4, the classic 15 puzzle. The same method works there: you just solve one extra row and one extra column first.