Quick start – play in 3 steps
- Pick a size: Leicht 3×3, Mittel 4×4 or Schwer 5×5.
- Tap a lamp. It switches, and so do the lamps right above, below, left and right of it.
- Switch off every lamp. When the whole board is dark, you win.
Full rules
Setup
The board starts with some lamps on. A lamp that is on is a solid glowing circle. A lamp that is off is an empty ring. You can tell them apart by shape, not only by colour.
What a tap does
When you tap a lamp, it changes state: on becomes off, off becomes on. Its direct neighbours above, below, left and right change too. Diagonal lamps do not change. So:
- a corner lamp changes 3 lamps,
- a lamp on the edge (not a corner) changes 4 lamps,
- a lamp in the middle changes 5 lamps.
When you win
You win the moment every lamp is off. The win screen opens and your round is saved once.
When you are stuck
You can never truly get stuck: every board can always be solved from where you are. If you feel lost, press Hinweis for the next good move, Rückgängig to take back moves, or Neu starten to go back to the start.
Is every puzzle fair?
Yes. On 4×4 and 5×5, some random patterns can never be solved. That is why the game never uses random patterns. It starts with all lamps off and presses real lamps to build the puzzle. Pressing the same lamps again turns everything off, so a solution always exists. A board that is already dark is thrown away and a new one is made.
Every button and number
| Button / number | What it does |
|---|---|
| Freies Spiel / Tagesrätsel | Random new puzzles, or today's fixed daily puzzle. |
| Leicht / Mittel / Schwer | Board size 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5. |
| Züge | How many lamps you have tapped this round. |
| Hinweise | How many hints you used. |
| Zeit | Time since your first tap. It stops when you win and pauses when you leave the app. |
| Lampen an | How many lamps are still on. |
| Line under the numbers | Shows the shortest possible solution ("Bestlösung") and short messages. |
| ↶ Rückgängig | Takes back your last tap. You can go back step by step to the start. |
| ⟲ Neu starten | Puts the same puzzle back to its starting position. Moves go back to 0. Time and hints keep counting. |
| 💡 Hinweis | Marks one lamp with a green dashed frame. Tapping it brings you closer to the shortest solution from your current board. |
| 🎲 Neues Rätsel | Makes a brand new puzzle in the chosen size (in Freies Spiel). |
| 🎓 Tutorial | Plays the short tutorial again. |
Modes and boards
| Level | Board | Typical shortest solution |
|---|---|---|
| Leicht | 3×3 – 9 lamps | 3 to 5 taps |
| Mittel | 4×4 – 16 lamps | 4 to 7 taps |
| Schwer | 5×5 – 25 lamps | 6 to 12 taps |
Tagesrätsel: for each date and each size there is one fixed puzzle. Everyone who plays it on the same day gets the same board, so you can compare with friends. Your result is marked as done for that day.
Stars
- ⭐⭐⭐ – solved in the shortest possible number of taps (or fewer than shown) and with no hint.
- ⭐⭐ – solved in up to twice the shortest number of taps.
- ⭐ – solved.
Using a hint gives at most two stars. Your best time and fewest moves are saved for each size.
6 tips
- Order does not matter. Tapping A then B gives the same board as B then A.
- Never tap a lamp twice. Two taps on the same lamp cancel each other out.
- Chase the lights down. Clear the top row by tapping the lamps right under each lit lamp. Then do the same row by row. The lights move down to the bottom row.
- Learn the bottom patterns. When only the bottom row is lit, a few fixed taps in the top row fix it. Then chase again.
- Look for crosses. A plus shape of five lit lamps is solved by one tap in its middle.
- Use the hint to learn, not only to finish. After a hint, ask yourself why that lamp was chosen.
A short history
Lights Out became famous as a handheld toy from Tiger Electronics in 1995. It had a 5×5 grid of buttons that lit up. An older toy, Merlin by Parker Brothers from 1978, already had a similar game called "Magic Square" on a 3×3 grid. Mathematicians love the puzzle because it can be solved with linear algebra, using only the numbers 0 and 1. Our hint button uses exactly this math.
What it can do for your brain
Honestly: it is a puzzle, not a medicine. But it trains some real thinking skills:
- Planning ahead: you think about what a tap will change before you make it.
- Seeing patterns: crosses, rows and corners start to look familiar.
- Systematic thinking: the "chase the lights" method is a real step-by-step strategy.
- Calm focus: no clock pressure, no flashing effects – just you and the board.
What the game can and cannot do
- It can make endless solvable puzzles, give a daily puzzle, and solve any board for a hint.
- It can work fully offline once the page is open.
- Progress is saved on your device in the browser: the current puzzle, best times, fewest moves and solved daily puzzles. Nothing goes to a server. Clearing browser data deletes it.
- It cannot sync between phones, and there is no online leaderboard.
FAQ
Is every Lights Out 3D puzzle solvable?
Yes. Every board is built from real presses, starting with all lamps off. Pressing them again switches everything off.
Which lamps change when I tap one?
The tapped lamp and the lamps directly above, below, left and right. A corner changes 3, an edge 4 and a middle lamp 5. Diagonals never change.
Are hints free?
Yes. Hints, undo and restart are always free and never behind an ad. Hints are counted on your result.
How does the hint work?
The game solves your current board and marks one lamp of the shortest solution from where you are now – even after wrong moves.
What is the Tagesrätsel?
The daily puzzle. For each date and size, everyone gets the same board. It changes at midnight on your device's clock.
Does pressing a lamp twice do anything?
It cancels itself out. In a best solution every lamp is pressed at most once, in any order.
Where is my progress saved?
On your device, in the browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I play offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, new puzzles and the daily puzzle are made on your phone.
Can I see the lamps without colour?
Yes. On is a solid filled circle, off is an empty ring.