Sandslide: the block puzzle where blocks turn to sand
Drop a block and it crumbles into sand. Get one colour to stretch from the left wall to the right wall, and that whole patch vanishes. It's free, it runs in your browser, and a round takes about five minutes.
Play now – it's freeNo download. No sign-up. Works on phones, PCs and Chromebooks.
How to play
- 1
Move and turn the block
A block falls from the top. Slide it left or right and turn it before it lands.
- 2
It lands and turns to sand
The moment it touches down, it breaks into sand. The sand slides down slopes and fills gaps, the way real sand does.
- 3
Touch both walls with one colour
When sand of one colour connects the left wall to the right wall, the whole connected patch clears – even the part sitting on top of a pile.
- 4
Set up chains
Clearing sand makes the sand above it drop. If that sand forms a new bridge, it clears too. That's a chain, and each step of the chain multiplies your points.
The round ends when sand piles up past the dashed line at the top. The line starts flashing when you're getting close.
Controls
| What you want | Keyboard | Phone or tablet |
|---|---|---|
| Move | ← → or A D | Drag left or right |
| Turn | ↑ or W | Tap |
| Fall faster | Hold ↓ | – |
| Drop now | Space | Swipe down |
| Pause | P or Esc | Switch apps |
| Sound on/off | M | Speaker button |
Points, levels and colours
- 5 points for every block you place.
- 1 point per grain of sand you clear, times your chain. The second clear in a row is worth ×2, the third ×3, and so on.
- A new level every 1,500 points. Each level makes blocks fall a little faster.
| Level | Colours in play | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 3 | Slowest. Easiest to link a colour across. |
| 3–5 | 4 | A fourth colour shows up. Bridges get harder. |
| 6+ | 5 | Five colours and the fastest drops. |
Tips that actually help
- Give each colour its own side early on. Mixed colours make small islands that never reach both walls.
- Build flat, not tall. A wide, flat layer of one colour is one block away from a bridge. A tower is not.
- Lay the long I block flat to finish a bridge. It covers four cells in one go.
- Use slopes. Sand dropped on the edge of a slope spills sideways. That spill can carry a colour the last few grains to the far wall.
- Look at the next block. If it matches the colour you're building, leave a gap for it.
- Chains are where big scores come from. Clear a layer that's holding up another colour, and that colour may fall into a bridge of its own.
- Near the top, slow down. Hold ↓ to aim instead of hitting Space. One bad drop at the top ends the round.
Challenge a friend
When a round ends, tap Challenge a friend. You get a link to send. Your friend plays the exact same blocks, in the same order, with the same colours. Same start for both of you, so the only difference is how you play.
Their screen shows the score to beat. When they finish, they can send a challenge straight back.
Skins
Beat a score to unlock a new look. Each skin changes the sand colours and the sky behind the board.
- Desert Dusk free from the start
- Kinetic Sand best score 2,500
- Halloween free for everyone in October, or best score 5,000
- Neon Arcade best score 9,000
Played Sandtris or Sand Blocks?
People often call this kind of game “sand tetris” or “sand blocks”. If you've played Sandtris or Sand Blocks, you already know the idea: blocks turn into sand, and you clear colours that reach both sides. Sandslide adds chain bonuses, levels that bring in new colours, unlockable skins, and challenge links so you and a friend can play the same game.
Questions
- Is Sandslide free?
- Yes. It runs in your browser. There's nothing to download and no account to make.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. Drag left or right to move the block, tap to turn it, and swipe down to drop it.
- Can I play it on a school Chromebook?
- It's a normal website, so it runs on Chromebooks. Whether it opens on a school network depends on your school's filter.
- Does it save my score?
- Your best score is saved in the browser you play in. If you clear your browser data, it resets.
- How do I turn the music off?
- Tap the speaker in the top corner of the game, or press M.
- Why didn't my colour clear?
- The sand has to be one connected patch that touches the left wall and the right wall. Grains that touch at a corner count as connected, but a gap of one grain breaks the bridge.