How to Play Minesweeper

Classic Minesweeper game with a few variations.

Object of Minesweeper?

Some squares contain mines, others don't. If you click on a square containing a mine, you lose. If you manage to open up all the squares without clicking on a mine, you win.

What do the numbers mean?

Clicking a square which doesn't have a mine reveals the number of neighboring squares containing mines. By a process of deduction, and occasionally guesswork, this information can be used to work out where all the mines are.

For example, looking at the image above, you can see that there is clearly a mine in the middle, surrounded by "1"s. Each 1 means there is one mine touching that particular square. By the same idea, the number "2" tells you there are two mines touching that particular square and so on with higher numbers.

How to beat Minesweeper

To mark a square you think is a mine, click the flag (top right) and then click the square you want to flag. Clicking again will give you a question mark symbol, which can be useful if you are unsure about a square. Click again to remove a question mark.

Rules of Minesweeper?

A square's "neighbors" are the squares above, below, left, right, and all 4 diagonals. Squares on the sides of the board or in a corner have fewer neighbors. The board does not wrap around the edges.

If you open a square with no neighboring mines, all its neighbors will automatically open. This can cause a large area to open up quickly.
You don't have to mark all the mines to win, you just need to open all non-mine squares!