Guide
Sliding Picture: a calm method for solving any sliding puzzle
Twelve scenic pictures, three board sizes and one empty space. How the game works and a row-by-row method that gets you to a finished picture every time.
Sliding Picture is the classic sliding-tile puzzle with scenic photographs: sunsets, ocean horizons, forest paths, snow peaks, a coral reef and more. A picture is shuffled into square tiles with one empty space, and you slide neighbouring tiles into the gap until the image is whole again. Play it in your browser or on Android; it works offline once loaded.
The basics
- Only a tile next to the empty space can move. Tap it, or use the arrow keys on a keyboard.
- Small numbers in the corners show each tile's correct order, from 1 upward.
- Every shuffle is solvable.
- A move counter and a timer run while you play, and your best results are saved as personal records on the device. Fewer moves rank higher.
Three sizes
- Easy 3×3 — eight tiles; the place to learn.
- Classic 4×4 — the traditional fifteen-tile puzzle.
- Hard 5×5 — twenty-four tiles for longer sessions.
A method that always works
You do not need luck — you need an order.
- Solve the top row, left to right. Bring each tile into place without disturbing the ones already solved. The last two tiles of a row are easiest placed together: park the second-to-last tile in the corner first, then bring the last one below it and rotate both in.
- Solve the left column the same way, top to bottom.
- You now have a smaller puzzle in the bottom-right. Repeat rows and columns until only a 2×2 or 2×3 area is left.
- Cycle the last tiles around the empty space until they click into place.
On 4×4 and 5×5, take a moment before each tile to plan its route — the gap has to travel around a tile to push it, so moving the gap carelessly breaks solved rows.
Getting your records down
- Learn the method on 3×3 before Hard.
- Replay the same picture: once the route is familiar, your move count drops quickly.
- Watch the numbers, not just the image — sky and sea tiles can look alike.
Twelve pictures × three sizes gives plenty to replay, and eight languages are built in. More on the Sliding Picture page, or shuffle your first picture.
