Play Arrow path puzzle (Signpost) online Works — plays right here, unlimited puzzles
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via WebAssembly (native port)
Signpost is a path puzzle: every square holds an arrow, and you number the squares 1, 2, 3 and so on so that each one's arrow points towards the next. The first and last numbers are given. The German puzzle site Janko calls it Pfeilpfad, arrow path. The puzzle is ready below; drag from a square to the one that follows it.
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Link a square to its successor | Enter on the square, then Enter on the target | Left-drag from the square to the next one |
| Link a square to its predecessor | Space on the square, then pick the source | Right-drag from the square to the previous one |
| See which squares a square can link to | — | Click and hold on it |
| Remove a square's links / a whole chain | — | Left-drag the square off the grid / right-drag it off |
| Undo / redo | U / R (or Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+R) | Game menu buttons |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Open source under the MIT licence: the complete puzzle, with a new grid every time.
Signpost is from Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, © Simon Tatham and contributors, used under the MIT licence. Built from source by scripts/build-puzzles.mjs.
How to play
- Every square gets a number from 1 to the total number of squares, each used once.
- The arrow in square N points (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) towards square N+1, which can be any distance away in that direction.
- The last square has no arrow.
Joined chains without a known number get letters (a, a+1, a+2...) until they link to a numbered square. An arrow turns grey once its square has a successor, and a small dot marks squares still waiting for a predecessor.
Sizes and difficulty
Presets go from 4×4 to 7×7. In the standard version the chain runs from the top-left corner to the bottom-right; the "free ends" presets put the start and end anywhere (both are still shown).
Solving tips
Work backwards as well as forwards: a square that only one arrow on the grid points at must follow that arrow's square. Corner and edge squares often have only one possible predecessor. Lettered chains are useful even before you know their position, since their length limits where they can fit between known numbers.
Where this puzzle comes from
Signpost is part of Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, a set of about forty logic puzzles written by Simon Tatham and contributors and released under the MIT licence. Every grid is generated on the spot, so the supply never runs out, and for the grid-logic puzzles the generator makes sure each has exactly one solution, reachable by reasoning rather than guessing. The version here is the collection's own code compiled to WebAssembly; the Game menu can save a puzzle to a file and load it again, and the Type menu changes the size and difficulty.
Frequently asked questions
Does the next number have to be next door?
No. It can be any distance away, as long as it is in the exact line the arrow points along.
What do the letters mean?
They label chains you have joined that do not yet connect to a numbered square, so a, a+1, a+2 are consecutive but their actual numbers are not known yet.
Is Signpost free to play here?
Yes, with no limit on the number of puzzles. Signpost is open-source software under the MIT licence, and every grid is generated fresh when you press New game.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. A tap works as a click and the puzzle resizes to fit the screen. Puzzles whose controls use the right mouse button are easier with a mouse.
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Want a game like this on your own site?
Arrow path puzzle (Signpost) isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.