Water Sort
Also known as ball sort, colour sort, liquid sort or water sorting puzzles.
Free online Water Sort with a guarantee nobody else advertises: the par is the proven minimum — an exact A* solver verifies every level and computes its true fewest-move count. Boards are built backwards from a solved state, so every level is solvable. Unlimited undo, colors readable by white symbols too, and the daily board is the same worldwide.
Daily Puzzle
Settings
Every board solvable — optimal moves shown ✓
Solved!
How to play Water Sort — the rules
- Goal: sort the colors so that every tube holds just one color, or is empty. Each color has exactly four units on the board.
- Tap a tube to lift it, then tap another tube to pour its top color across. Tap the same tube again to set it back down.
- You may only pour onto an empty tube or onto the same color, and only while there is room — several same-colored units on top pour together.
- Stuck? Undo is unlimited — step back as far as you like. Restart replays the very same board; New board deals a fresh one.
- The move counter shows your moves next to the optimal (par) count, so you can chase a perfect solve — and every board is guaranteed solvable.
Keyboard: number keys 1-9 and 0, then Q, W, E, R pick tubes (up to 14); choose two tubes to pour, and press U to undo.
Our guarantee, honestly kept: every board is generated backwards from a completed state and then confirmed by an independent solver, which also computes the exact fewest moves. So every board can be fully cleared — and the optimal move count you see is real, not an estimate. See the proof data →
Strategy and tips
Frequently asked questions
Is every Water Sort level solvable?
Here, yes — always. Each board is generated backwards from an already-solved arrangement, so a winning line is built in by construction, and then an independent solver confirms the board can be cleared and calculates the fewest possible moves. Boards that cannot be verified are never dealt, so you will never meet an impossible level.
How do I solve a Water Sort puzzle that is stuck?
Free up a tube first: an empty tube is the most valuable thing on the board, because any color can move into it. Try not to split one color across many tubes, pour a color onto its matching color whenever you can, and remember undo is unlimited here — you can back out of a dead end and try another line without restarting.
What do the two numbers by the move counter mean?
The first number is how many pours you have made; the second is the optimal (par) — the fewest moves in which this exact board can be solved, computed by our solver. Matching par is a real achievement, while simply finishing is always possible.
Is there a limit on undo in Water Sort?
No. Undo is unlimited, all the way back to the start of the board — no coins, no ads, no waiting. Restart replays the identical board from the beginning, and your game is saved automatically, so you can leave and come back.
Is the daily Water Sort board the same for everyone?
Yes. Each day one board is generated from a public seed and everyone in the world gets exactly the same puzzle, with the same optimal move count — switching over at midnight in your local time zone. Solve it to keep your streak going.