How to Play Minesweeper Without Guessing: Tips & Tricks

Minesweeper has been around for a long, long time, but that doesn’t mean that people necessarily know how to play it. If you’re like many people who had a Microsoft computer growing up, your experience of playing Minesweeper probably involved clicking around and hoping for the best.

In other words, the outcome of the game was dependent solely on guessing. But did you know that not only is it possible to play the game without guessing, but that’s actually how it’s supposed to be played? There are a bunch of established strategies players can deploy to figure out where to click and where to put flags.

Remember: Minesweeper is a puzzle game, and puzzles are designed to be solved. If you need a little help solving your Minesweeper puzzles, then you’re in the right place. We’ve put together a bunch of useful tips that will nudge you in the right direction.

Prefer to learn by ‘doing,’ rather than ‘reading’? At 247minesweeper.com, you can play as many Minesweeper games as you like, completely free of charge.

Understanding the Basics of Minesweeper

It’s much easier to succeed at Minesweeper — in fact, at any game — when you have a good understanding of the game as a whole.

The objective of the game is to click all non-mine cells without clicking on a mine. You can use your ‘flags’ to mark the cells that you think contain a mine.

That all sounds simple enough, but it’s much more difficult in practice. Why? Because you won’t know what’s behind a cell until you click on it. Fortunately, there are ways to tell whether a cell might contain a mine. When you click a safe cell, it’ll turn into a number — either 1, 2, or 3 — that’ll tell you how many mines are in adjacent squares. You can then use that information to discern where a mine might be located.

If that doesn’t make much sense to you, then we encourage you to play a game of Minesweeper at 247minesweeper.com. You’ll quickly figure out what you’re supposed to be doing.

And just a note on ‘winning’ at Minesweeper. The game ends when all non-mine cells have been opened. Note that there’s no score in Minesweeper — you’re simply playing against the clock.

Strategies for Efficient Minesweeper Play

There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll win at Minesweeper. There’ll always be an element of luck involved, some there are occasions when the best you can do is simply make an educated guess.

Still, there are things you can do that will increase your chances of success. We’ll run through a few starter strategies which, when put all together, can greatly increase your odds.

Play At The Right Level

First of all, make sure you’re playing at the right level. It’s much easier to get to grips with the basics of good Minesweeper strategy when you’re not playing at a level that’s way beyond the level at which you should be playing.

At 247minesweeper.com, you’ll find games at four levels:

• Easy
• Medium
• Hard
• Advanced

Easy mode features a 9x9 board and contains 10 mines. At the advanced level, it’s a 30x16 board that contains 99 mines. Once you’ve figured out how the game works and you’re routinely winning, you can consider moving up to the next level.

Start With Corners

It’s recommended that players of all levels begin by clicking cells that are close to a corner. Indeed, this practice is so widely accepted that it’s unlikely that you’ll find a professional-level player doing anything other than starting with a corner.

In most cases, starting with a corner click will reveal a huge chunk of the board, which minimizes the amount of work you need to do. Even if it doesn’t, it should be pretty easy to figure out where the mine is located, since corner cells have fewer adjacent squares.

Ultimately, it’ll give you the best possible start — and that’s very much needed when tackling a complicated Minesweeper puzzle.

Use Your Brain

This might sound obvious, but remember that you’ll need to put your brain to work a little when trying to complete a game of Minesweeper. After all, this is a puzzle game. If you’re looking for something that’s all-out fun, then consider playing online pool or pinball.

Your skills of logic and deduction will take you a long way in Minesweeper. For instance, if you click a cell and it turns to a ‘3,’ and there are three unopened cells surrounding it, then you’ll know that all of those cells contain a mine.

Look for Patterns

Remember that there are no ‘scores’ in Minesweeper. You’re just playing against the clock. So while you’ll want to make sure that you’re clicking the right cell, you also won’t want to waste too much time trying to figure out whether it’s a safe cell or a mine.

One effective way to speed up your play is to look for patterns. If you can memorize what they are, you’ll know instantly where the mines are located. The two most common patterns are 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1. Those patterns always have the same mine placement, so you can quickly flag them and then move on, helping to improve your time.

Learn How To Open Up The Board

You can open up the board and speed up your gameplay by using chain reactions. When you click a cell that has no adjacent mines, it’ll open a whole section until a mine is found. With a bit of luck, you could open around a quarter of the board in just a few clicks if you click every corner on the board. From there, you can take a look at the numbers of the outer edge of the opened-up area to figure out where more safe cells may be, helping to open up even more of the board.

Advanced Techniques in Minesweeper

The above tips will put you on the right track toward Minesweeper success, especially if you’re playing at a lower level. But as we mentioned above, there’s no way to guarantee that you’ll complete a Minesweeper puzzle, and there could well be times when you become stuck. If you find yourself in that position, then try some of the following techniques. Though your puzzle might seem challenging, the fact is that they’re always possible to complete.

Using Probability

There will be times when it’s obvious where a mine is located, but that won’t always be the case, especially at the higher levels where boards have more cells. In those instances, it’ll be your skill of assigning probability that will determine your success.

So, how do you use probability to complete Minesweeper puzzles? You’ll need to develop your powers of probability since really it comes to mathematics. You’ll be assigning a probability to each cell, outlining whether you think it’s safe or contains a mine. You won’t know for sure, but if your probability equation determines that it’s more than 70% safe, then you can click on it. On the other hand, if it’s only 30-40% safe, then you’ll know that you need to be cautious.

This can sound a little like you’re guessing, but it’s not really. What you’re doing here is making an educated guess, and that’s much different from simply clicking at random.

Develop Your Predictions

As we’ve already mentioned, you’re not just trying to complete a Minesweeper puzzle — you’re trying to do so as quickly as possible. You’ll get better at Minesweeper if you can develop your understanding of safe and high-risk areas. For example, if you click a few squares in the same area that say ‘1,’ then you’ll know that there aren’t many mines in that area. Predicted danger/safe zones can help you complete the puzzle as quickly as possible; you don’t need to spend as much time on a safe area as you would in a danger zone.

Practice Regularly

The best way to develop your Minesweeper capabilities is to play regularly. The game can seem a little confusing at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you can progress quickly if you play often enough.

You can play Minesweeper as many times as you like at 247minesweeper.com, completely free of charge. The website works on both desktop and mobile, ensuring that you can play wherever you happen to be. If you can play a couple of games every morning, then you’ll quickly develop your skills — and you’ll also be helping to keep your brain sharp.

Common Minesweeper Mistakes to Avoid

By taking the tips we’ve outlined above, you’ll go a long way toward solving your Minesweeper puzzle. However, remember that Minesweeper is a pretty unforgiving game. You’ll need to have a pretty solid strategy in order to complete the puzzle! All too often, players end up putting themselves in difficulty simply by making a few common mistakes. We’ve put together a bunch of these errors below; make sure you’re not guilty of any of them, and you’ll be subtly improving your chances of success.

Starting in the Middle

You won’t click on a mine with your first move (it’s not possible), but that doesn’t mean that you should click anywhere. While you can start with a cell located towards the middle of the board, it is not recommended.

The center of the board tends to be more complex and packed compared with the outer edges, which means you’ll be giving yourself the most difficult start. Instead of starting in the middle, follow the move of all elite players, and start in the corners. This approach usually results in revealing big chunks of the board, putting you on a good path toward success.

Clicking Randomly

You can understand why newcomers click randomly, but it’s not a recommended approach! Once you know how to play Minesweeper and the objective of the game, you’ll quickly understand that random clicking is very much the enemy when it comes to moving towards success.

Minesweeper is a puzzle game that requires logic. Ultimately, you shouldn’t be guessing at any stage of the game. If you’re not sure which cells will contain a mine, then look at assigning probability to each cell. You’ll still need to take a degree of risk, but it’ll be much better than simply clicking randomly and hoping for the best.

Playing Too Quickly

You’re not just trying to complete a Minesweeper puzzle; you’re aiming to do so as quickly as possible. However, that doesn’t mean that you should try to rush through your clicks. Playing quickly increases the chances of making a mistake. It’s always best to be 100% sure (or close to it) before clicking.

It’s normal to want to complete the game as quickly as you can, but remember that the first priority is to successfully complete the puzzle. Playing methodically can slow you down at first, but once you get better at playing, things will speed up.

Failure to Learn

Here at 247minesweeper.com, we’re big believers that practice makes perfect. The more you play, the better you’ll be — or at least, the better you should be. If you’ve hit a mine and failed to complete the puzzle, then it’s important to take a look at the thought processes that resulted in making the decision. No one likes to make a mistake, but it’ll turn out to be a good thing if you can learn from it.

You can also pay attention to how things have gone right for you, too. By taking a look at how you were able to complete the puzzle, you can develop your own Minesweeper strategies and put yourself on the fast track towards becoming a quality player.

Slow to Flag

Think you’ve identified where a mine is located? Then make sure you put a flag down! It’s easy to simply move to the next part of the board, but keep in mind that you’ll run the risk of accidentally clicking the square if it’s not marked by a flag. Getting into the habit of using your flags will prevent this issue. Trust us, there’s nothing worse than accidentally destroying your game all because you clicked a cell that you’d figured out contained a mine long ago.

Or Flagging Incorrectly

Being too slow to flag can cause problems. But equally, flagging too quickly can also be problematic. Marking a cell as a mine when it’s not won’t immediately cause you to lose a game, but it can make it much more difficult to complete the puzzle later on. Indeed, if you’re stuck on the puzzle and don’t know where to turn, then it’s possible that you’ve incorrectly flagged a cell. It’s best to be 100% sure (or close to it) that a cell contains a mine before flagging. If you only suspect that there’s a mine there, then just make a mental note instead.

Moving Around the Board

It’s best to work through the board, rather than clicking around. Once you’ve completed one section of the board, move on to the next section. Successfully completing Minesweeper puzzles requires deep thought and concentration, and that won’t be possible if you’re continually focusing on different parts of the board.

Getting Locked Into Difficult Areas

With that said, if you’re struggling to complete an idea, then at some point it’s advisable to move to a different area of the board. In doing so, you can help to open up some parts of the board which may then help you complete the section that you were having difficulty with.

If you’re in the final stages of completing a puzzle but can’t figure out what to do, then take a short break. When you return to the puzzle, you may find it easier to identify the correct move.

Failing to Dig Deep

Remember that Minesweeper puzzles do require a little bit of brain work — and in some cases, a lot of brain work! Many newcomers give up too quickly once they get stuck, but if you stick with it, then you’ll find the solution.

Playing Above Your Level

Finally, playing above your level is perhaps the most common mistake that’s guaranteed to make completing your Minesweeper puzzle more difficult. While your Minesweeper puzzle should present a degree of difficulty, it shouldn’t be so difficult that completing any section of the board is headache-inducing. If you’re struggling, then look at moving down a level or two. Once you’ve completed those levels, then you can look at playing at a higher level.

Play Today At 247Minesweeper.com

Ready to begin your journey towards becoming a great Minesweeper player? Then get started today at 247minesweeper.com. You can play the game as many times as you like, completely free of charge. We also offer Minesweeper in a variety of difficulty levels (Easy; Medium; Hard; Expert), so you can also find the right level for your current ability. Once you’re routinely winning games, step up to the next level. You can also compete in our ‘daily challenge,’ and see if you can complete the puzzle in the fastest time.

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