How to play Shift
Shift is a sliding-number puzzle played on a loop. Every row has a target number, shown beside it. Move the numbers until every target sits in the marked column. A move affects the selected row and the next row in opposite directions. The last row is coupled to the first. The minimum move count is calculated for each puzzle.
A fixed move limit. Three daily lives.
Solve each attempt within the displayed move limit, which is the puzzle's exact minimum. The last allowed move can win. If the board is still unsolved, the attempt stops immediately and costs one life. Retry the same starting board with a fresh move budget. The daily gives you three lives; practice allows unlimited retries. Undo never refunds a move. Ending an attempt with Restart also costs a life.
One daily. Plenty of practice.
The daily challenge is the same for everyone, in every language. A new daily begins at 00:00 UTC. Practice offers four difficulty levels, from a 4 × 4 board to a 7 × 7 board. The seed, level, difficulty and engine version identify a challenge, so a shared link opens the same board.
Time, hints and personal records
The timer starts when the board appears and continues across retries, reloads and time away from the tab. It stops at a win or when all daily lives are lost. Results show the winning attempt's moves and lost lives; grading also counts all moves and hints across retries. Daily lives persist on this browser, separately for each game and date. Classic results from before the life rules remain stored and are excluded from current records. These are informal browser records, not a verified worldwide ranking. Clearing browser storage removes progress and records, including local lives.
Send the challenge
Share a completed result to invite a friend to try the exact same puzzle and compare times. The link does not include the solution. A practice link stays on its own difficulty and seed.