The sliding puzzle, known in its 4 by 4 form as the 15 puzzle, is one of the oldest puzzles around. Numbered tiles are scrambled on the board and one space is empty. Any tile next to the space can slide into it, and with those moves alone you put every number in order, leaving the space in the bottom-right corner.
In Hamdor, the sliding puzzle is a single-player game that works fully offline. Every board is scrambled with legal moves, so it is always solvable. You get hints and undo, and your moves and time are shown.
How to play Sliding Puzzle
- Tap a tile next to the empty space to slide it in.
- Tap a tile in the same row or column as the space and every tile between them slides together.
- Every tile that moves counts as one move.
- The puzzle is solved when the numbers run in order from 1, row by row, with the space last.
These are the exact rules Hamdor plays by; the app shows them too, under each game's How to play tab.
Sliding puzzle sizes in Hamdor
- 3×3: eight tiles, short and a good start.
- 4×4: fifteen tiles, the famous 15 puzzle.
- 5×5: twenty-four tiles, the longest and hardest board.
- A colour per row: each row's tiles have their own colour, so even on a scrambled board you can see which row a tile belongs to.
- Hint: the hint follows the method most players use, top row first and then left column, and following it always finishes the puzzle.
Sliding Puzzle modes in Hamdor
- 3×3
- 4×4
- 5×5
Tips to solve the sliding puzzle
- Finish the top row first. Put the first row's numbers in place one by one, then leave them alone.
- Then the left column. With the top row and left column done, the board is one size smaller and you repeat.
- Place the last two of a row together. Park the last tile below its spot, bring the one before it alongside, then move both up together.
- Move the space, not the tile. To shift a tile, first bring the empty space to the side the tile needs to go.
- Rotate the final corner. When only six cells are left, cycle the tiles around until each one drops into place.
Sliding Puzzle in Hamdor
- Fully offline: once Hamdor has opened, this game runs without a connection.
- Hint and undo: stuck? The hint button shows a next move, and undo takes a mistake back.
- Stats and records: games played, games won and your best results are kept.
- Your own look: change how the table and pieces look in the Hamdor shop. It is cosmetic only and never affects who wins.
Sliding Puzzle FAQ
What is the 15 puzzle?
The 4 by 4 sliding puzzle: fifteen numbered tiles and one empty space, to be slid into order from 1 to 15.
Is every sliding puzzle solvable?
Not every arrangement: half of all random layouts have no solution. Hamdor scrambles each board with legal moves, so its puzzles are always solvable.
What is the best way to solve it?
Finish the top row, then the left column, and repeat on the smaller board that is left until only a small corner remains.
Can I play the sliding puzzle offline?
Yes. The sliding puzzle in Hamdor is free and works fully offline.