Minesweeper Guides
Every RetroSweep guide to playing Minesweeper, from your very first click to taking seconds off an Expert board. Each guide stands on its own, but they’re in a sensible reading order below. There’s no quiz at the end.
Start here
New to the game, or coming back after years away? Start with the rules, then play your first board with the walkthrough. If you’re coming back, the smiley face missed you.
- How to Play MinesweeperThe rules, difficulty levels, chording, and playing on a phone.
- Minesweeper for BeginnersYour first board, step by step: where to click, what to flag, and how to finish.
- What the Numbers MeanHow each number counts its eight neighbors, plus blank tiles, colors, and satisfied numbers.
Get better
Once you can clear Beginner, these cover the patterns that solve most boards, how to handle a forced guess, and how to play faster. This is where casual players become people with opinions about 3BV.
- Minesweeper Patterns1-1, 1-2, 1-2-1, 1-2-2-1 and reduction: the shapes that solve most of a board.
- Strategy and TipsThe order to solve in, when to flag, using the mine counter, and the mistakes that cost games.
- Do You Have to Guess?What a real 50/50 looks like, how to spot a missed deduction, and how to pick the safest guess.
- How to Get Faster3BV and 3BV/s, chording, no-flag play, and how to practice.
Background
Where the game came from, and how it ended up on every Windows PC. Useful for trivia night. Not useful for clearing Expert.