🔢 Puzzle Game

15 Puzzle

Slide the tiles to put the numbers 1–15 back in order.

Moves: 0Time: 0:00Best: —
Overview

15 Puzzle: the classic sliding number puzzle

The 15 Puzzle is one of the oldest and most enduring sliding puzzles: a 4 × 4 frame holds fifteen numbered tiles and one empty space, and the goal is to slide the tiles until the numbers read 1 to 15 in order. It sounds trivial and turns out to be genuinely absorbing — every move both fixes and disturbs the arrangement, so solving it is about sequence and patience rather than force.

This version always deals a solvable board (it shuffles by making legal moves, so it can never become impossible), tracks your moves and time, and remembers your best time. It plays with a tap or click and works on any device, entirely in your browser.

100% freeNo sign-upAlways solvableBest time saved
How to play
  1. 1Tap or click a tile next to the empty space to slide it there.
  2. 2Work the numbers into order: 1–4 across the top, then down.
  3. 3Solve the top rows and left columns first, then finish the bottom.
  4. 4Beat your best time; press Shuffle for a fresh board.
Key features
  • Classic 4 × 4 fifteen-tile sliding puzzle
  • Guaranteed-solvable shuffles every time
  • Move counter and timer
  • Best time saved on your device
  • Tap or click controls, mobile-friendly
  • 100% client-side — nothing is uploaded

Frequently asked questions

Is every shuffle solvable?
Yes. The board is scrambled by making hundreds of legal slides from the solved state, so it is always possible to solve it back — unlike a random arrangement, half of which are unsolvable.
What's the fastest way to solve it?
Solve the top row and the left column first and 'lock' them, reducing the puzzle to a smaller grid. Repeat until only the bottom-right 2 × 2 remains, then rotate those into place.
What is the minimum number of moves?
It depends on the shuffle. The hardest solvable positions need 80 single-tile slides; most shuffles are solvable in far fewer.
Is my best time saved?
Yes — it is stored in your browser on your device and is not sent anywhere.
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Full guide

How to Solve the 15 Puzzle — A Simple Method

The row-by-row technique, the tricky last two tiles of each row, and how to finish the final corner.

Solve row by rowThe last-two-tiles trickFinishing the corner

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