How to play Minesweeper
- Press Start. The first scan opens an area of empty space for you.
- Each number shows how many asteroids touch that sector, counting all eight neighbours, diagonals included.
- Tap a hidden square to scan it. If it is empty space, it opens (and empty areas spread open on their own).
- When you know a sector hides an asteroid, hold it, right-click it or switch to Beacon mode and tap it to place a beacon.
- Scan every safe sector to clear the field. Scanning an asteroid uses a shield; a third hit ends the run.
About Minesweeper
This Minesweeper is set among the stars. Your ship faces a field of hidden sectors, and some of them hide asteroids. Every level starts with a scan already made, which opens a patch of empty space. Each scanned sector shows a number: how many asteroids touch it, counting the eight sectors around it, diagonals included. From those numbers you work out which hidden sectors are safe to scan and which hide an asteroid, and you mark asteroids with glowing beacons. Clear every safe sector to win. What makes Minesweeper different is fairness: every field is built and then checked by a solver that uses only plain logic, so you never reach a point where you have to guess. Two shields also forgive two slips, and a hint lights up one safe sector when you are stuck. Fields grow from small six by eight practice runs with a handful of asteroids to crowded nine by fourteen fields in the final chapter, and a new daily field is the same for every player.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap | Scan a sector (or place a beacon in Beacon mode) |
| Hold or right-click | Place or remove a beacon |
| Tap a number | Scan its other neighbours once all its beacons are placed |
| Arrow keys, Space or Enter, F | Move, scan, place a beacon |
| H or the bulb | Light up one safe sector (costs a star) |
| P and R | Pause and restart |
Tips and strategy
- Start with the easy counts. A 1 touching only one hidden sector means that sector is an asteroid; mark it and move on.
- Use satisfied numbers. When a number already touches as many beacons as its count, every other hidden sector around it is safe, and tapping the number scans them all.
- Compare neighbours. If a 1 and a 2 share hidden sectors, the extra sector next to the 2 must hold the second asteroid.
- Look for the classic patterns. Along a wall, 1-2-1 means asteroids under both 1s, and 1-2-2-1 means asteroids under the two 2s.
- Count what is left. Near the end, the asteroid counter tells you how many are still hidden, which can settle the last few sectors.
- Slow down near the edges of what you know. Most slips happen when a player taps a sector that looked safe but was never proven safe.
Questions and answers
Do I ever have to guess?
No. Every field is generated and then solved by a logic solver from the starting scan. If the solver would need a guess, the field is thrown away and a new one is made.
Is this the same as Minesweeper?
It uses the same family of rules, with numbers that count hidden hazards around each square, but with its own space theme, shields, hints, guaranteed no-guess fields and a hundred levels.
What do shields do?
Each field gives you two shields. Scanning an asteroid uses one and marks that asteroid for you. A third hit ends the run, and you can retry the same field straight away.
How do stars work?
Clear a field with no hits and no hints for three stars. Each hit or hint takes away one star, but a cleared field always earns at least one.
How do I place beacons on a phone?
Hold a hidden sector for a moment, or switch the toggle under the field to Beacon and tap. Tap a beacon again to remove it.
Do I need an account?
No. Minesweeper runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars are saved on your device.
