Pixel Riddles Free nonogram puzzles that turn into pixel art
Use the number clues to fill the grid, then watch the black-and-white picture turn into full-colour pixel art for your sticker album.
About Pixel Riddles
Pixel Riddles is a free picture-logic puzzle you can play in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Every board is a hidden pixel picture. The numbers beside each row and above each column tell you how many squares in a row to fill in that line, in order, with at least one empty square between the runs. Work out which squares must be filled and which must stay empty, and the picture appears. When you place the last square, the plain grid fades into the full-colour pixel art with a sparkle, and the picture is stuck into your sticker album.
There are four board sizes: 5 by 5 for a one-minute warm-up, 10 by 10 for a short coffee break, and 15 by 15 and 20 by 20 for longer, calmer sessions. The bigger boards can be zoomed and moved with two fingers, the zoom button or the Move tool, and the clues always stay beside the squares you are looking at. Hundreds of pictures are sorted into themed packs: Snack Shelf, Critter Club, Garden Patch, Toy Chest, Home Sweet Home, Sea and Sky, Playtime and Fairytale Trunk. Each picture can be played at several sizes, and every one has a sticker to collect.
Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved by pure logic. A puzzle is only kept if a line solver can finish it without a single guess, and its difficulty, Breezy, Cosy, Tricky or Puzzling, is measured by how much cross-checking that solver needs. A new riddle arrives every day, the same for every player, with the size climbing through the week from a tiny Monday board to a big Sunday picture. Solve a daily riddle each day to grow your streak.
Tap to fill a square, switch to the cross tool to mark squares you know are empty, or press and hold for a cross. Drag along a row or column to paint many squares at once. Finished lines grey out their clue and cross out the leftover squares for you. Choose Relaxed for a no-pressure puzzle with an optional Check button, or Classic with three hearts, where a wrong square is corrected on the spot and costs a heart. A Hint explains one line that can be settled right now, such as a clue that fills its whole row, so the hints teach you the tricks as you go. Undo is always there.
Tips: start with the biggest numbers. A clue that nearly fills its line leaves only a few ways to place the runs, so the squares in the middle are certain. Mark crosses as you go, because every cross makes a crossing line easier. Look for lines with a zero or a clue that fills the whole line, then move to the lines they cross. If you get stuck, scan every row and column again, because each new square can unlock a line you already tried.
Pixel Riddles plays instantly, needs no sign-up, and saves your boards, stickers and streak on this device or to your account when you are signed in.
How to play
Each number is a run of filled squares in its row or column, in order, with at least one gap between runs. Tap a square to fill it and drag along a line to fill several. Switch to the cross tool, or press and hold, to mark squares that must stay empty. On bigger boards zoom with the zoom button or two fingers and move with two fingers or the hand tool. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys to move, Space to fill, X to cross, Z to undo and H for a hint. Finish the picture to add its sticker to your album.
Controls and devices
- Controls: Touch, Mouse, Keyboard
- Works on: phones, tablets and computers
- Screen: portrait orientation
- Price: free, no download or sign-up
FAQ
- Is there always one right answer?
- Yes. Every board has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone. A board is only included if a line solver can finish it without guessing.
- What is the difference between Relaxed and Classic?
- Relaxed has no mistake checking, so you can fill freely and use the Check button to see wrong squares. Classic gives you three hearts: a wrong square is corrected for you and costs a heart. Classic scores 20 percent more.
- How do I zoom and move on the big boards?
- Use the zoom button, pinch with two fingers, or scroll your mouse wheel. Move with two fingers, the hand tool, or by dragging the number clues. The clues always stay beside the squares you are looking at.
- When does the daily riddle change?
- At midnight UTC. Everyone gets the same riddle on the same day, and its size grows from a small board on Monday to a 20 by 20 on Sunday.
- Does my progress save?
- Yes. Open boards, your stickers, your streak and your best score are saved on this device, and to your account when you are signed in.
Credits
- Game design, code, art and sound: Playora Games