Play Minesweeper Online Free
Clear the field, avoid the mines · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Minesweeper is a classic logic puzzle that shipped with computers for decades. The board hides a number of mines; every square you reveal shows how many mines touch it. Use those clues to work out where the mines are and clear every safe square without setting one off. Your first click is always safe.
Minesweeper is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Click to reveal a square. Right-click (or Flag mode on mobile) to plant a flag on a mine. Numbers show how many mines touch that square. Your first click is always safe.
How to Play Minesweeper
- Choose Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Click a square to reveal it. Your first click is always safe.
- A number shows how many mines touch that square.
- Right-click (or turn on Flag mode on mobile) to flag a square you think hides a mine.
- Reveal every safe square to win. Click a number whose mines are all flagged to open its neighbours quickly.
Controls
Left-click to reveal, right-click to flag. Click a number to open its neighbours when all its mines are flagged.
Tap to reveal. Turn on Flag mode, or long-press a square, to plant a flag.
Tips to Win
- Start in the middle. The first click opens a safe area.
- A "1" touching only one hidden square means that square is a mine.
- Flag mines you are sure about to avoid mistakes.
- If you must guess, guess near the edges where there are fewer neighbours.
Minesweeper Rules at a Glance
Minesweeper is won by opening every square that does not hide a mine, and lost the moment you open a mine. The numbers are your only clues: each one counts the mines in the eight squares around it.
| Goal | Open every safe square without opening a mine |
|---|---|
| Numbers | Each number counts the mines in the eight squares touching it |
| Flags | Mark squares you believe hide mines so you do not open them by mistake |
| First click | Always safe, and it usually opens a clear area |
| You win | Every safe square is open |
| You lose | You open a mine |
| Classic levels | The classic Windows levels are Beginner 9 by 9 with 10 mines, Intermediate 16 by 16 with 40 mines, and Expert 30 by 16 with 99 mines |
How to Read Minesweeper Numbers
Each number tells you how many of the eight squares around it hide a mine. If a 1 touches only one unopened square, that square is a mine. If a number already has that many flags around it, every other hidden neighbour is safe. A common pattern is 1-2-1 along a wall: the squares next to both 1s are mines and the one in the middle is safe.
Flagging Mines: When to Flag and When to Wait
You win Minesweeper by opening safe squares, not by flagging mines. A flag is a working note that protects a square you believe is a mine, and the game is finished the moment every safe square is open, whether or not every mine carries a flag.
- Flag only what the numbers prove: a number touching one hidden square has found a mine. Anything less certain stays unflagged until more numbers open.
- Wrong flags make chording risky: chording opens the remaining neighbours of a number once its flags match. One flag on a safe square leaves a real mine unflagged, and the chord can open it.
- Use flags to plan: a correct flag drops the count every nearby number still needs, which often proves the squares beside it safe.
- Remove flags freely: a flag is your note, not a locked answer. If new numbers contradict it, take it off and rework that corner.
When Logic Runs Out: Handling the Forced Guess
Some Minesweeper boards cannot be finished by logic alone. Near the end you may face two covered squares where the numbers give no way to tell which one hides the mine, and a guess is the only move left.
- Finish everything provable first: a square elsewhere on the board may open a number that settles the choice, so never guess while safe moves remain.
- Weigh the squares: if one option is touched by a single number and the other by several, the shared clue is usually the safer guide. Squares near the edges have fewer neighbours, so a guess there risks less.
- A lost guess is not bad play: when the board offers no proof either way, losing that coin flip says nothing about how well you solved the rest.
A Little Minesweeper History
Minesweeper became famous when Microsoft included it with Windows from Windows 3.1 in 1992, which made it one of the most played computer games of the 1990s. The idea is older, coming from earlier mainframe puzzle games. Our version keeps the classic rules with three difficulty levels and a flag mode for touch screens.
Good to Know
How big are the Minesweeper boards?
Each level uses a bigger board with more mines: Easy is the smallest, Medium is bigger, and Hard is the largest and most densely mined, so it needs the most careful reading of the numbers. For comparison, the classic Windows levels most versions are based on are Beginner at 9 by 9 with 10 mines, Intermediate at 16 by 16 with 40 mines, and Expert at 30 by 16 with 99 mines.
Is the first click in Minesweeper always safe?
Yes, the first click is always safe, because the game makes sure your opening square is never a mine. It usually opens a larger empty area too, which hands you a set of numbers to start reading straight away.
What does chording mean in Minesweeper?
Chording means clicking a number whose mines are already all flagged, so the game opens all its other neighbours at once. It saves a lot of clicks, but check the flags first: if one flag is in the wrong place, the chord can open a mine that the flags missed.
Do you ever have to guess in Minesweeper?
Sometimes, yes: a board can reach a point where two squares are equally likely to hide a mine and no number can settle it. Finish every provable move first, then guess the square touched by fewer numbers, which is often near an edge. Losing that guess is down to the board, not to your play.
Can I play Minesweeper on my phone?
Yes, Minesweeper plays in the browser on phones and tablets as well as on laptops and desktop computers, with nothing to download. Tap a square to reveal it, and turn on Flag mode or long-press a square to plant a flag.
Is my Minesweeper progress saved?
Your best scores are saved in your own browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.