Mosaic puzzles online
A mosaic puzzle gives you a grid of number clues. Each number counts the filled cells in the 3×3 block around it, including its own cell. Combine neighboring clues and the fills fall into place one by one.
Play unlimited mosaic puzzles free in your browser. If you enjoy shading from number clues, try nonograms next, where the clues run along the rows and columns.
What is a mosaic puzzle?
A mosaic puzzle gives you a grid with some numbers on it. Each number tells you how many cells are shaded in the 3×3 block around it, counting the numbered cell itself. Shade the right cells so every number is correct. The puzzle is sometimes compared to Minesweeper in reverse: instead of avoiding hidden cells, you are working out exactly which ones are filled.
How to play here
Click or tap a cell to change it; with a mouse, the right button works the other way round, and on a phone Mark mode (the flag button next to Undo) does the same job. Marking cells you know are empty is just as useful as shading, because it narrows down every neighboring clue.
A step-by-step way to solve
- Start with 0 and 9. A 0 means its whole block is empty; a 9 means its whole block is shaded.
- Use the edges and corners. A clue on the border has only six cells around it, and a corner clue only four. A 6 on the edge or a 4 in a corner fills every one of them.
- Compare neighboring clues. Two clues side by side share six cells. If one is 7 and the other is 4, the three cells only the first one sees must hold at least three shaded cells.
- Update as you go. After each shaded or empty cell, recount the clues around it. A clue that is complete clears its remaining cells.
Why play mosaic puzzles?
Mosaic puzzles are easy to learn and scale beautifully, from tiny 3×3 warm-ups to huge 50×50 boards that take an evening. For similar number-counting logic, try Minesweeper or Akari.
How to play Mosaic Puzzle
- Some cells show a number from 0 to 9.
- A number tells how many cells in its 3×3 block are filled, counting the cell itself and its eight neighbors.
- Click to fill a cell, and mark cells you know are empty.
- The puzzle is solved when every number matches its filled cells.
Mosaic Puzzle tips
Start with 0 and 9
A 0 means its whole block is empty, and a 9 means all nine cells are filled. Clues on the edge work the same way with fewer cells, so a 4 in a corner fills the whole corner block.
Compare neighboring clues
Two clues side by side share six cells. The difference between them has to come from the three cells each sees alone, which often settles those cells at once.
Mark the empty cells too
Marking known-empty cells makes the remaining counts easy to read. Most mistakes come from losing track of which cells are still open.
Frequently asked questions
Is mosaic the same as fill-a-pix?
Yes. Mosaic, fill-a-pix and paint-by-numbers logic are names for the same rules. In picture versions the filled cells draw an image; here the boards are generated, so the result is a pattern.
Do I ever need to guess?
No. Every board has one solution that you can reach from the clues alone.
How is it different from minesweeper?
The number rule looks alike, but mosaic clues count their own cell too, and nothing explodes. You fill cells instead of avoiding them.
