Minesweeper

Minesweeper might be the most iconic game ever shipped with an operating system. It has been bundled with Windows since 3.1 in 1990, has entertained generations of office workers, and — more importantly — has quietly trained millions of brains in pure logical deduction. The rules are trivial (left-click to reveal, right-click to flag), yet the depth is surprising: one number constrains 8 surrounding cells, two adjacent numbers constrain their intersection, and the whole board becomes a constraint-satisfaction problem.

But in 2026, finding a polished Minesweeper in the browser is harder than it should be: old sites have clunky UI, right-click is broken on iOS, ads drown the board, best times vanish. MeTool Minesweeper fixes all of this: three classic difficulties (Beginner 9×9, Intermediate 16×16, Expert 30×16), smooth reveal and flag animations, local best-time tracking, long-press to flag on mobile. No ads, no sign-up, no uploads.

Minesweeper isn't a reaction game — it is a constraint-propagation puzzle. Every number provides a strict logical fact:

Basic deduction: If a "1" has only one unrevealed neighbour, that cell is definitely a mine. Conversely, if that "1" already has one flag next to it, every other unrevealed neighbour is definitely safe. These one-step inferences are the bread and butter of the game.

Combinatorial deduction: When two adjacent numbers share some cells, their constraints intersect. A "2" next to a "1" that share three unrevealed neighbours gives enough information to pin down specific cells. Expert players make most of their decisions at this level.

Probabilistic play: Occasionally no pure-logic move exists and you face a "50/50" — choose the move that minimises downstream risk. This is where world-record players separate themselves from casual solvers.

A few games in, you'll notice Minesweeper trains a rare skill: making decisions under partial information, which is far more valuable than it looks.

Zero friction: open the page and play — no account, no download.

Three classic difficulties: Beginner 9×9 (10 mines) for a quick mental break, Intermediate 16×16 (40 mines) for the classic session, Expert 30×16 (99 mines) for speedrun attempts and world records.

Smart mobile touch mode: The touch controls have a key design choice — after your first tap digs a cell, the game automatically switches to Flag mode, so you can immediately flag the dangerous neighbours without manually toggling. Tapping a revealed number cell triggers chord detection (the same as holding both mouse buttons on desktop), auto-revealing all unflagged neighbours when the flag count matches. Pinch to zoom the board for comfortable play on Intermediate or Expert.

Desktop chord (both buttons): Hold left + right mouse buttons on a number cell — neighbours preview as sunken/pressed. Release to auto-reveal if flags match. This is the core move for speedrunners.

Best times, local only: Each difficulty keeps a personal best in localStorage — never uploaded.

Pairs well with: Sudoku, Numberlink, Lianliankan — other deduction-first games in the MeTool collection.