Minesweeper is a logic puzzle game where you search for mines on a grid, marking their location. Your goal is to reveal every tile on the grid without revealing a mine, getting hints from non-mine tiles. While not the first game of its kind, Microsoft’s Minesweeper popularized this type of game, and since then tons of games playing around with the concept have been created.
If you’re just looking to play some simple Minesweeper, there are loads of free web-based versions to try out. However, there are several games that have built upon the original Minesweeper concept, introducing different shapes, mechanics, and even gameplay. Below, we’ll take a look at several of the best Minesweeper-esque games.
7Hexcells
As its name implies, Hexcells is a logic puzzle game where the tiles are hexagons rather than typical squares. Completing these puzzles requires thinking very differently, as you have a different number of possible connections per tile. Additionally, the puzzles are constructed in nontraditional ways, so you aren’t solving the same square grid each time.
Hexcells also has a casual and charming interface, and its built-in tutorial makes the game very approachable, especially compared to Microsoft’s Minesweeper. What truly sets Hexcells apart from its inspiration is that every puzzle can be solved with deduction; you will never need to guess to proceed.
6Tametsi
In a similar vein to Hexcells, Tametsi offers over 100 puzzles to solve without guessing. While a lot of these use hexagonal tiles, there are also standard squares, some rectangles, and a few other non-standard shapes that make an appearance. The boards and hints are also cleverly designed, making for a satisfying solve every time.
Tametsi also has color-based tiles, where you have to take into account the number of mines within each color present on the board. There’s also a drawing feature where you’re able to take notes to help you solve the game’s increasingly difficult puzzles.
5DemonCrawl
DemonCrawl is a truly unique blend of minesweeper gameplay and roguelike elements. The game is presented as a series of quests, in which you need to solve the puzzles on each board to proceed. Along the way, you’ll pick up coins and items, which can greatly change how the remainder of the game is played out.
Being a roguelike, there is definitely RNG involved, which can feel punishing given the logical nature of Minesweeper puzzles, but DemonCrawl does a good job of letting you earn your power, primarily through the Mastery system that lets you boost your runs with passive effects.
414 Minesweeper Variants
14 Minesweeper Variants is an aptly named spin on Minesweeper, offering a combination of classic Minesweeper puzzles and, as the title implies, different variations on the original. There are 14 different rulesets that each provide a different take on the standard Minesweeper formula.
For example, the Triplet ruleset states that mines can’t form in sets of three, either orthogonally or diagonally, while the Chessboard ruleset has mines on the colored tiles count as two. There are hundreds of puzzles to solve throughout each ruleset, and each requires outside-the-box thinking. Like most other games on this list, you also don’t need to guess to complete any of its puzzles.
3Globesweeper
Globesweeper offers the standard Minesweeper gameplay, but in 3D. Most puzzles take place in a sphere, but there are other 3D objects to solve, like cubes. Additionally, tiles can take the form of triangles, squares, and hexagons, giving you quite a bit of variety.
Globesweeper also has guaranteed-solvable randomly generated puzzles, and you can choose to generate them in massive sizes, letting you work on the same puzzle for a long time. If you like solving Minesweeper puzzles, but want to do it in 3D, and with the benefit of an infinite number of randomly generated puzzles to solve, Globesweeper is one of the best options.
2Runestone Keeper
Runestone Keeper is another roguelite games that combines tactical Minesweeper-esque gameplay with RPG mechanics. You are tasked with exploring randomly generated dungeons one tile at a time, revealing items, rewards, and monsters along the way.
Unlike the other games on this list, Runestone Keeper is not a logic-based puzzle game, instead taking inspiration from Minesweeper in its exploration and threat discovery mechanics. Still, fans of Minesweeper and rougelite RPGs will definitely find a lot to enjoy here.
1Polimines 2
Polimines 2 is a unique blend of the rules of Minesweeper and Nonogram logic puzzles. With these two rulesets combined, Polimines is able to present entirely hand-crafted, complicated puzzles that never require guessing.
Both Polimines 1 and 2 are relatively short, with 30 and 60 puzzles respectively, but each puzzle offers a unique challenge as you work to uncover every tile. Fans of either of these types of puzzles will feel right at home in Polimines.
