How to play Tile Match
- Press Start. Level 1 points at a find to tap and explains the bucket.
- Tap a bright find, one that nothing else is lying on. Finds that sit under another one are shaded and cannot be picked yet.
- The find drops into the bucket at the bottom, next to any finds of the same kind already there.
- Three of the same kind in the bucket pop and give back their spots. Quick trios in a row build a tide streak worth more points.
- Collect every find to clear the beach. If all seven bucket spots fill up without a trio, the round ends and you can try the same beach again.
About Tile Match
This triple tile match puzzle is set on a beach at low tide. The sea has left a heap of treasures on the sand: scallop shells, starfish, crabs, sea glass, little sailboats and more, stacked in layers like a pile of driftwood. Tap a find that nothing is resting on and it drops into your bucket. The bucket has seven spots, and the moment three finds of the same kind sit in it together, they pop and free their spots. The challenge is choosing what to pick up. Grab a find without a plan and the bucket fills with odd ones out; once all seven spots are taken, the round is over. Look ahead, finish pairs before starting new kinds, and watch for finds still hidden under sand. Every beach is built together with a winning order, so it can always be cleared. One hundred levels grow from a nine-piece warm-up to tall stacks of seventy finds, and a new daily beach is the same for every player.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap or click | Collect a free find |
| Arrow keys | Move between free finds |
| Enter or Space | Collect the picked find |
| U or undo | Put the last find back |
| W or wave | Lift three finds to the shelf |
| 1 to 3 | Take a find from the shelf |
| P and R | Pause and restart |
Tips and strategy
- Finish what you start. A find that makes a pair is worth more than one that opens a new kind, because a new kind ties up a spot until two more of it turn up.
- Count what you can see before you tap. If only one crab is free and the other two are buried deep, leave the crab alone for now.
- Keep two spots open. With five finds in the bucket you still have room to fix a mistake; with six, the next tap has to be a match.
- Dig where the stack is tallest. The middle of a beach usually hides the most finds, and every layer you clear there uncovers several new choices at once.
- Sand mounds are surprises. Uncover them early so you can plan with them, instead of finding out what they are when the bucket is nearly full.
- Save the wave for an emergency. It lifts the first three finds out of the bucket onto a shelf, where you can pick them up again whenever they help make a trio.
Questions and answers
Can every level be cleared?
Yes. Each beach is generated together with an order of taps that clears it without ever filling the bucket, and the level picker also checks that a careful, simple strategy can finish it.
Why are some finds shaded?
A shaded find has another find lying on top of it, even partly. Clear the one above and it brightens and becomes free to tap.
What are the sand mounds with a question mark?
Some covered finds are buried under sand from level 21 onward. They show what they are as soon as nothing rests on them any more.
How do stars work?
Clear a beach without using the undo or the wave for three stars. Each booster you use costs one star, and a cleared beach always earns at least one.
What is the daily beach?
A new board of sixty finds every day, the same for everyone. Share your result to compare points and time with friends.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Tile Match runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars and beach themes are saved on your own device.
