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💣 Minesweeper

⏱️ Time
0
💣 Mines
20

🖱️ Left click: Reveal | Right click: Flag

💣 How to Play Minesweeper

Left-click a cell to reveal it. Right-click a cell to plant a flag marking a suspected mine. The number inside a revealed cell tells you exactly how many of the 8 neighbouring cells contain mines. Use that information to deduce which hidden cells are safe and which are deadly. Reveal all non-mine cells to win. Hitting a mine ends the game.

Your first click is always safe — mines are placed only after you click, and a full 3×3 area around your first click is guaranteed mine-free. This gives you an open region to start deducing from. The mine counter at the top shows remaining mines minus flags planted. Three difficulty levels: Easy (8×8, 10 mines), Medium (12×12, 20 mines), Hard (16×16, 40 mines).

Tips & Strategies

  • Start by clicking a corner or edge cell — these often open large safe areas.
  • The 1-2-1 pattern: three cells in a row with counts 1, 2, 1 means the two outer cells are mines and the middle cell is safe.
  • When stuck, count: if a cell shows “2” and only 2 unrevealed neighbours remain, both are mines.
  • Flag mines as you find them to track the mine counter accurately.
  • On Hard mode, some guesses are unavoidable — go with 50–50 odds on corner cells.

History & Background

Minesweeper was included with Windows 3.1 in 1992, originally to teach mouse control to new PC users. It became one of the most-played games ever, with professional competitive communities and speed-run records. This version uses the standard 3×3 safe-zone first-click rule to ensure every game is winnable from the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play Minesweeper?

Click to reveal tiles. Numbers show how many mines touch that tile. Flag suspected mines and clear all safe tiles.

What do the numbers mean?

A number tells you how many mines are in the eight surrounding cells — use logic to deduce mine locations.

Can you play Minesweeper without guessing?

On many boards, yes. Our Minesweeper guide teaches deduction patterns that avoid random clicks.

Is this Minesweeper free online?

Yes. Play in your browser with multiple grid sizes and difficulty levels.

How do you flag a mine?

Right-click on desktop or long-press on mobile to place or remove a flag on a suspected mine.

Game Over!

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