Lights Out
Turn off every light. Each tap flips its neighbors.
How to play Lights Out
Goal: Switch off every light on the board.
- 1Tapping a light flips it and the lights above, below, left and right of it.
- 2Lit squares glow yellow.
- 3Plan ahead, since each tap affects up to five squares.
- 4Every puzzle can be solved.
On a computer
Click a square
On a phone
Tap a square
Play Lights Out free online. Toggle lights and their neighbors to switch off the whole grid. Every puzzle is solvable.
About Lights Out
Lights Out is a puzzle on a five by five grid of lights. Tapping a light flips it, and also flips the lights directly above, below, left and right of it. Your goal is to turn every light off.
The puzzle became famous as a handheld electronic game in the 1990s, and mathematicians have studied it because it can be solved with linear algebra. You do not need any math to enjoy it, though. Our free version builds every puzzle from random presses on a dark board, so every puzzle can be solved.
Lights Out is a short, satisfying logic puzzle. Each level takes a minute or two, and you can try to solve it in fewer moves. It works with a mouse or with taps on a phone.
The five by five version of the puzzle has an interesting property: some patterns cannot be solved at all, which is why our generator always starts from a dark board and works backwards. Once you learn the light chasing method, you will be able to solve any puzzle we give you, and the fun becomes finding shorter solutions.
Lights Out tips and strategy
- Use the light chasing method: go row by row from the top, and for every lit light, press the light directly below it.
- After chasing, only the bottom row will have lights left. Note the pattern, then press specific top row lights and chase again.
- Pressing the same light twice undoes it, so you never need to press any light more than once in a solution.
- The order of presses does not matter. Only which lights you press matters.
- Corners affect three lights and edges affect four, while middle lights affect five. Plan around that.
- If you get lost, tap New puzzle and practice the chasing method from the start.
Lights Out FAQ
Is every Lights Out puzzle solvable?
Not every random board is, but ours are. Each puzzle is made by pressing lights on an all-off board, so it can always be turned back off.
What is the trick to Lights Out?
Chase the lights down row by row, then use the leftover pattern in the bottom row to decide which top row lights to press first.
Does the order of moves matter?
No. The final board depends only on which lights you pressed, not on the order.
How many moves does it take?
It depends on the puzzle. Our game counts your moves so you can aim for fewer each time.
Is Lights Out free to play?
Yes. It is free in your browser, with no app or sign up needed.