Mosaic
Every number tells you how many squares are filled in its block: its own square and the eight around it. Fill the right squares and a hidden picture or pattern appears.
Also try Nonograms → Also try Minesweeper →
How to play Mosaic
The rules
Every number is a clue about its block: the number's own square and the squares around it, nine in all, or fewer along the edges. It says how many squares of that block are filled. Fill squares so that every clue is right. There is exactly one way to do it, and once you have it the filled squares show a hidden picture or pattern.
How to play
Tap a square to fill it, tap again to mark it empty with a dot, and a third time to clear it. Press and hold, or right-click, for a dot straight away, and drag to make the same change on a whole run of squares. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys, then F to fill, X to mark empty, 0 to clear or Space to cycle; hold Shift with an arrow to paint as you move. A clue dims and shows a tick once it has all its filled squares (a 0 once its whole block is marked empty). Dots are only notes: the puzzle is solved when every filled square is in place.
Techniques
Start with 0s and 9s: a 0 empties its whole block and a 9 fills it. A clue that already has all its filled squares empties the rest of its block, and a clue with exactly as many open squares as it still needs fills them all. On the bigger grids, look at two clues side by side: the squares they share can only hold so many of their fills, and that settles the squares only one of them covers.
Levels and daily
About half of the 10×10 puzzles need only single clues; the rest, and every 15×15 and 15×20 puzzle, need two clues together at least once. The hidden images are pictures from our Nonograms collection, tall pictures drawn for the 15×20 grid, and symmetric patterns. The daily puzzle is a 15×15, the same for everyone, and changes at midnight UTC.
Questions
What are the rules of Mosaic?
Each number tells you how many squares are filled in its block: its own square and the squares around it. Fill squares until every number is right. Solving it reveals a hidden picture or pattern.
What is a Mosaic puzzle?
A Mosaic puzzle is a picture logic puzzle with numbers inside the grid instead of along its edges, a little like a Minesweeper board you fill in yourself. Mosaic puzzles are similar to Fill-a-Pix puzzles. The puzzles and pictures here are our own.
Does every puzzle have exactly one solution?
Yes. Every puzzle was checked by a search that found exactly one filling that matches all the numbers, and solved by a step-by-step solver that uses only logical deductions, so you never need to guess.
How does the hint work?
Hint finds the next squares that follow from your position, fills them or marks them empty, and explains in one sentence which clue, or which two clues together, prove it. If one of your squares is wrong, it clears that first.
Is there a daily Mosaic puzzle?
Yes. The daily puzzle is a 15×15 that is the same for everyone and changes at midnight UTC. Earlier dailies are under Past dailies.