Sliding Puzzle

How to Play Sliding Puzzle

The sliding puzzle — also known as the 15 puzzle or fifteen puzzle — is a classic number slide puzzle played on a 4×4 grid with a single empty space. Slide the numbered tiles into the gap one at a time until they read 1 to 15 in order. Every move counts, so the aim of this 15 puzzle game is to restore order in the fewest moves possible.

Strategy & Tips

• Solve the top row and the left column first, then treat what remains as a smaller 3×3 puzzle.
• Place the last two tiles of a row together using the corner-rotation trick, so you don't disturb tiles you've already fixed.
• Think two or three moves ahead — undoing a mistake in a sliding puzzle often costs several extra moves.

How do you solve a sliding puzzle? Work row by row from the top, lock each finished row in place, and shrink the board until only the final 2×2 corner is left.