Minesweeper: Rules and How to Play
Minesweeper is a 1–8 player logic puzzle of about 5 minutes. Read the numbers, avoid the mines and open every safe square — solo or racing on the same board. Free, no sign-up.
Objective
Minesweeper is a puzzle where mines are hidden under covered squares and you work out where they are from the numbers on opened squares. Open every square without a mine to clear the board. In a Race, everyone gets a board with the same mine layout and the first to clear it wins.
Setup
- 1–8 players. Alone, you can solve by yourself or race the CPU.
- Choose Beginner (9×9 squares, 10 mines), Intermediate (16×16, 40) or Expert (30×16, 99).
- Every board starts with the same empty area already opened. By default the board can be solved from there by logic alone.
How to play
- Tap a covered square to open it. If it is not a mine, it shows how many mines touch it. A 0 (empty) also opens its neighbours.
- Switch to [Flag] and tap, or long-press a square, to place a flag. Flagged squares don't open. Tap again to remove it.
- Tap a number whose surrounding flags plus mines already hit match it to open all its other covered neighbours at once. If a flag is wrong, you hit a mine.
- A Race has no turns: everyone opens their own board at their own pace. You can't see other boards, only what percentage of the safe squares each player has opened.
- Hitting a mine ends a solo game. In a Race with two or more players you wait 5 seconds by default and carry on (the mine is marked). You can also choose Out.
Winning and scoring
- In a Race, the first player to open every safe square wins. Others are ranked by how much they opened.
- With the Out setting, if everyone but one player has hit a mine, that player wins.
- Alone, you clear the board by opening everything without hitting a mine. Your time is shown.
- In Flags mode, the player who found the most mines wins (with two players, 26 decides it).
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 1–8 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Race gives everyone a board with the same mine layout; first to clear it wins. Flags mode is one 16×16 board with 51 mines that players open in turn; finding a mine gives another turn and the most mines wins (two or more players; difficulty is not used). | Race | Yes |
| Difficulty | Board size and number of mines. Use zoom and pan to play on larger boards. | Intermediate | Yes |
| Board | Logic-solvable only deals boards that can be finished from the opening by logic alone, so you never have to guess. Opening only just opens an empty area; some boards may need a guess. | Logic-solvable | Yes |
| Hitting a mine | Auto ends a solo game, and makes you wait 5 seconds with two or more players. Wait 5s and Out apply regardless of the number of players. | Auto | Yes |
Terms
- Number
- Shown on an opened square: how many of its 8 neighbours (including diagonals) are mines.
- Empty
- A square with no mines around it (0). Opening it also opens its neighbours.
- Flag
- A marker you place on a square you think is a mine. Flagged squares can't be opened by tapping.
- Chord
- Tapping a number whose surrounding flags plus mines already hit match it to open all its other covered neighbours at once.
- Race
- Everyone gets the same mine layout; the first to clear the board wins.
- Flags mode
- Players take turns on one board; finding a mine gives another turn. Most mines wins.
FAQ
What do the numbers mean?
How many of the 8 surrounding squares (including diagonals) are mines.
How do I place a flag?
Switch to [Flag] and tap the square, or long-press it. Tap again to remove it.
Can I see my opponents' boards in a Race?
No. You only see what percentage of the safe squares each has opened, because seeing their opened squares would give away safe squares.
What happens when I hit a mine?
Alone, the game ends. In a Race with two or more players you wait 5 seconds by default and continue. You can also choose Out.
Can my first tap hit a mine?
No. Every board starts with an empty area already opened.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.