Play Sliding row puzzle (Sixteen) online Works — plays right here, unlimited puzzles
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via WebAssembly (native port)
Sixteen is a number tile puzzle related to the fifteen puzzle, but with no gap. All sixteen squares hold tiles, and each move shifts a whole row left or right, or a whole column up or down. The tile pushed off one end reappears at the other. The goal is to sort the numbers into order. The puzzle is ready below; click the arrows round the edge to move.
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Shift a row or column | Arrows to move the marker round the edge, Enter | Left-click an arrow |
| Shift it the opposite way | - | Right-click an arrow |
| Move one tile directly, carrying the cursor | Ctrl+arrow (or Enter to toggle Ctrl) | - |
| Move one tile directly, cursor stays | Shift+arrow (or Space to toggle Shift) | - |
| Undo / redo | U or Ctrl+Z / R or Ctrl+R | Game menu |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Open source under the MIT licence: the complete puzzle, with a new grid every time.
Sixteen 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
- Each move shifts an entire row sideways or an entire column up or down by one place.
- The tile that slides off one end wraps round to the other end of the same row or column.
- Finish with the tiles in reading order: 1 to 4 on the top row down to 13 to 16 on the bottom.
Sizes and difficulty
The Type menu offers 3x3, 4x3, 4x4, 5x4 and 5x5 grids. In Custom you can also ask for a fixed number of shuffling moves instead of a full shuffle; the challenge then is to undo the scramble in the same number of moves, for example solving a four-move shuffle in four.
Solving tips
Solve the top row first, then the next, as with most sliding puzzles, and leave the last row and column for the end. To fix one tile without disturbing a finished row, shift its column down, slide the row across, and shift the column back up. Practise on a small 3x3 grid, or use a short limited shuffle from Custom, to learn these sequences.
Where this puzzle comes from
Sixteen 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
How is this different from the fifteen puzzle?
The fifteen puzzle has one gap and you slide single tiles into it. Sixteen has no gap; you move whole rows and columns, and tiles wrap round the edges.
What does the shuffle limit in Custom do?
It scrambles the grid with an exact number of moves rather than a full random shuffle, so you can try to reverse it in the same number of moves.
Is Sixteen free to play here?
Yes, with no limit on the number of puzzles. Sixteen 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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