How to play Escape Grid
Escape Grid is a sliding block puzzle played on a 6×6 board. Every level gives you a small set of coloured blocks and one goal: clear a path so the marked block can slide out through its exit. Nothing is random, nothing is timed by default, and every level has been solved by a computer before it reaches you — so if a puzzle looks impossible, it isn't. You just haven't found the order yet.
The one rule that matters
Blocks only slide along their own axis. A horizontal block moves left and right. A vertical block moves up and down. They never rotate and they never jump over each other. That single restriction is what turns a simple board into a puzzle: to free the block you care about, you usually have to move two or three blocks that seem completely unrelated to it.
Controls
On a phone or tablet, press a block and drag it in the direction you want it to travel. The block snaps to the furthest legal cell in that direction, so short flicks are enough — you don't need to drag the whole distance. On a desktop you can click a block to select it and then use the arrow keys, which is the fastest way to play once you know a solution and want to beat your move count.
Exits and the escape block
Each level has one highlighted block and a matching exit cut into the border of the board. The exit sits on the same row or column as the escape block, so the block never needs to change direction — it needs a clear lane. When the last obstacle leaves that lane, the block slides out and the level completes. Some later levels have more than one blocking layer in front of the exit, which is where planning starts to pay off.
Walls, keys and ice
Walls are fixed grey cells that never move; treat them as part of the board and use them to park blocks against. Locked blocks cannot move at all until you collect the matching key, so a level with a key is really two puzzles: reach the key, then solve the board it unlocks. Ice tiles make a block keep travelling until something stops it, which means you cannot place a block precisely on ice — you have to build the wall that catches it first. Once you understand those three elements, you have seen every mechanic in the game.
Moves, par and stars
Every level records how many moves you used and compares it to the shortest possible solution, which the game already knows. Finish anywhere near that number and you earn stars; finish exactly on it and you have solved the puzzle the way it was designed. Extra moves never block your progress — you can always advance — but chasing par is where the game becomes properly addictive.
Undo, reset and hints
Undo steps back one move at a time and costs nothing, so experiment freely. Reset returns the board to its starting position, which is often faster than untangling a mess. Hints show the next move of an optimal solution; they are limited, so save them for the moment you are genuinely stuck rather than the first time a level looks unfamiliar.
Your first ten minutes
Start with Classic Level 1 and play the first few levels without hints — they exist to teach the movement rules rather than to challenge you. From around level 10 the boards start hiding their solution behind a block that must move away from the exit before anything else can happen. That moment of "wait, I have to go backwards first" is the real beginning of Escape Grid.
Ready for sharper play? Read the strategy guide for the techniques experienced players use to cut their move counts.