Sliding Puzzle 4x4
Fifteen numbered tiles and one empty slot: the classic challenge. Time yourself and chase three stars.
4x4 levels, times and leaderboards
The 4x4 board holds fifteen numbered tiles, 1 to 15, and one empty slot. This page has 12 numbered 4x4 levels, needing from 24 to 48 moves when solved perfectly, plus 3 picture levels.
- Your moves and time are counted on every solve, and your best of each is kept.
- Finish close to the fewest possible moves for three stars, or within about double for two.
- Every level has leaderboards for the fastest time and for the fewest moves.
- After a solve, share a challenge link and dare a friend to beat you on the same board.
How to solve a 4x4 sliding puzzle
Solve it in layers, so that tiles you have placed never need to move again:
- Top row: place 1 and 2, then 3 and 4 as a pair. Move 3 into the top-right corner and 4 directly below it, bring the empty slot to 3's home, then slide 3 left and 4 up.
- Second row: place 5, 6, 7 and 8 the same way, finishing with 7 and 8 as a pair.
- Last two rows: solve these column by column, not row by row. Move 13 into 9's home and 9 right beside it, bring the empty slot to the bottom-left corner, then slide 13 down and 9 left. Do the same with 10 and 14.
- Last corner: turn 11, 12 and 15 around the empty slot in one direction until they line up.
The last two rows are where most players get stuck. How to Solve the Last Two Rows explains why, and how to escape the position that traps everyone. For every step on boards you can play, read How to Solve a Sliding Puzzle, Step by Step.
How many moves is a good 4x4 solve?
There are more than 10 trillion positions a 4x4 board can reach, and any of them can be solved in 80 moves or fewer. The levels here need between 24 and 48 moves when played perfectly. Your first solves with the layer method will take well over that, and that's normal. To bring your count down:
- Move the empty slot, not the tile. Before each move, decide where the empty slot needs to go next.
- Look one tile ahead. While you place one tile, nudge the next one towards its home when it costs nothing extra.
- Plan instead of undoing. An undo counts as a move too.
- Pick your goal. Speed comes from a smooth rhythm and fewest moves from planning, and each has its own leaderboard.
The 4x4 board is the 15 puzzle
With its fifteen numbered tiles, the 4x4 board is the famous 15 puzzle, which swept the United States and Europe in 1880. Its best-known version, a solved board with only 14 and 15 swapped, can never be solved, and neither can exactly half of all the ways to put the tiles in the tray. Every level on this page has been solved by computer, so all of them can be finished.
Easier or harder?
New to sliding puzzles? Warm up on the 3x3, where the same method takes just three steps. Mastered the 4x4? The 5x5 is a real test of patience.