Color Sort 3D is a calm sorting puzzle. You have tubes full of mixed colors. Move them around until every tube holds just one color. It sounds easy. With 9 or 11 colors it really makes you think ahead.
You can play with shiny 3D balls in glass tubes, or switch to metal hex nuts that spin onto bolts. Every level is tested by a small solver before you see it, so there is always a way to win. Undo, Hint, an extra tube and Skip are free. No ads stand between you and help.
Quick start – play in 3 steps
- Tap a tube. The top pieces of one color jump up.
- Tap another tube. The pieces fly over if the top there has the same color, or if that tube is empty.
- Fill every tube with one color. A full tube of one color gets a gold cap and is locked. Lock all of them to win.
Full rules
Setup
Each color has exactly 4 pieces. A tube (or bolt) holds 4 pieces. At the start the pieces are mixed over the tubes, and you get 2 empty tubes to work with. No tube starts already sorted.
What you may do
- You may only take pieces from the top of a tube.
- You may put them on top of the same color, or into an empty tube.
- If several pieces of the same color sit on top, they move together. If the target has less space, only as many as fit will move. The rest stay.
- A tube can never hold more than 4 pieces.
How a move works
First tap picks up. Second tap drops. Tap the same tube again to put the pieces back down. If you tap a tube where the move is not allowed, the game picks up that tube instead, so you never lose time.
When you win
You win when every tube is either empty or holds 4 pieces of one color. Locked tubes cannot be touched again, so you cannot break them by mistake.
When you are stuck
You can get stuck if you fill the empty tubes with the wrong colors. The game checks this after every move. If there is no legal move, or if the board can no longer be finished, a message tells you. Then press Undo as often as you need, or add a free extra tube.
Every button and number
| Button / number | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Your level in the chosen mode. Each mode counts its own levels. In Daily mode it says "Daily". |
| Moves | How many moves you made on this board. Undo takes one move back. |
| ⭐ | All stars you have collected so far. |
| 🔒 3 / 7 | Locked tubes out of all colors. The bar under it shows the same thing. |
| Mode menu | Easy (5 colors), Medium (7), Hard (9), Expert (11) or Daily. |
| 🔮 Balls / 🔩 Nuts | Changes the look: glass tubes with balls, or bolts with hex nuts. The puzzle stays the same. |
| ❓ Mystery | Hides the lower pieces until they reach the top. Starts a new board. |
| ◆ Symbols | Puts a small symbol on each color. Helpful for color blindness or on dim screens. |
| 🔊 | Sound on or off. |
| ↩️ Undo | Takes back your last move. No limit. |
| 💡 Hint | The solver finds a move that still leads to a win and plays it for you. |
| ➕ +1 Tube | Adds an empty tube. Two per level, free. |
| 🔄 Restart | Same board from the start. |
| ⏭️ Skip | Jumps to the next level. Free, no questions. |
On a computer you can also press the number keys 1–9 (and 0 for tube 10) to tap tubes, Z for Undo and H for Hint. The small number under each tube shows its key.
Modes and levels
- Easy – 5 colors, 7 tubes. Good to learn the moves. Most levels take 15–20 moves.
- Medium – 7 colors, 9 tubes. You start to plan two moves ahead.
- Hard – 9 colors, 11 tubes. Two rows of tubes on a phone. Empty tubes become precious.
- Expert – 11 colors, 13 tubes. About 40 moves or more. Real planning.
- Daily – 9 colors. One puzzle per day, the same for everybody. Nice to compare with friends.
- Mystery mode works with every mode. It adds memory and a bit of luck, because you learn the colors only while you play.
Levels are made from a number, so Level 12 on Medium is always the same board. You can tell a friend "try Medium 12" and they get the same puzzle.
How stars work
- ★★★ – no Hint and no extra tube.
- ★★ – up to 2 Hints and 1 extra tube.
- ★ – solved with more help.
Undo never costs stars. We want you to try ideas freely. A gold cap on a finished tube also plays a little chord, and the Moves counter lets you beat your own best.
6 tips that really help
- Keep one tube empty as long as you can. An empty tube is your best tool. Use it only when it opens something.
- Look for the color that is closest to the top everywhere. That color is easiest to collect first.
- Stack on colors, not on empty tubes. Moving red onto red costs nothing. Moving red into an empty tube uses up space.
- Count before you start. If three pieces of blue are already on top of different tubes, blue is your first target.
- Do not bury a color you need soon. Before a move, ask: what is under the piece I am putting down?
- Use Undo to test. Try a path, and if it goes nowhere, go back. That is how good players learn.
A short history of sorting puzzles
Stacking puzzles are old. The Tower of Hanoi, with discs on three pegs, was published by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1883. It has the same idea as Color Sort: you can only move the top piece, and space is limited.
Color sorting games with tubes became very popular on phones around 2020. First came water-pouring versions, then balls, and later nuts and bolts. This version adds real 3D, a Mystery mode, a daily puzzle and a built-in solver that checks every level.
What it does for your brain (honestly)
We do not claim that a game makes you smarter. But sorting puzzles do train a few useful things while you play:
- Planning ahead. You think two or three moves forward before you act.
- Working memory. Especially in Mystery mode, you keep colors in your head.
- Patience and focus. The calm pace and soft sounds help many people relax after work.
- Learning from mistakes. Undo makes it safe to try, fail and try again.
Short breaks with a puzzle can feel refreshing. Still, take real breaks from the screen too.
What the game can and cannot do
It can: run in any modern browser on phone, tablet or PC; make endless levels; check every level with a solver; give real hints; warn you at a dead end; save your levels, stars and settings in this browser.
It cannot: sync your progress between devices (there is no account); keep progress if you clear your browser data or use private mode; run without WebGL 3D support. If 3D does not work for you, try our 2D Ball Sort.
FAQ
Is every Color Sort 3D level solvable?
Yes. Before a level is shown, a small solver inside the game plays it to the end. If it cannot finish, the level is thrown away and a new one is made.
Is Color Sort 3D free?
Yes. It is free to play in the browser. Undo, Hint, the extra tube and Skip are free too. You never have to watch an ad to get help.
Can I move more than one ball at once?
Yes. All pieces of the same color on top of a tube move together, as many as fit in the target tube.
What is Mystery mode?
In Mystery mode the lower three pieces of each full tube are grey with a question mark. You see their color only when they reach the top of the tube.
What happens if I get stuck?
The game tells you when no moves are left or when the board can no longer be solved. Then you can Undo as often as you like or add a free extra tube.
How do I get 3 stars?
Solve the level without Hint and without the extra tube. Undo does not cost stars.
Where is my progress saved?
Your level, stars and settings are saved in your own browser on this device. There is no account. If you clear your browser data, the progress is gone.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Tap the tubes with your finger. It works on most phones, tablets and computers that support WebGL, which almost all modern browsers do.
Is there a daily puzzle?
Yes. Choose Daily in the menu. Everyone gets the same 9-color puzzle on the same day, and a new one comes at midnight.
Like sorting puzzles? Try them on the table
Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The price for you stays the same.