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Traffic Jam

Slide cars and trucks to free the red car.

Play today's daily
Level -Moves 0Best possible -Your best -

Drag cars along their lane to clear a path for the red car. Keyboard: Tab or [ ] to pick, arrows to slide.

How to play Traffic Jam

Goal

Clear a path and drive the red car out through the exit on the right.

  1. 1Cars and trucks only slide forward and backward along their own lane.
  2. 2Drag a vehicle as far as it can go. Each slide counts as one move.
  3. 3Get the red car to the exit gap on the right side of the board.
  4. 4Each level shows the fewest moves possible. Match it for three stars.

On a computer

Drag a vehicle, or press Tab or [ and ] to pick one and use the arrow keys. U undoes, H shows a hint.

On a phone

Drag a car or truck along its lane.

Play Traffic Jam free online, a sliding car parking puzzle. Move cars and trucks along their lanes to get the red car out. 75 levels plus a daily puzzle.

Traffic Jam tips and strategy

  • Start from the exit and work backward: which vehicle blocks the red car, and what blocks that one?
  • Trucks in the red car's column are often the real problem. Find space for them first.
  • A move counts once no matter how far the vehicle slides, so slide as far as is useful.
  • If a vehicle can go either way, think about which side leaves room for the next blocker.
  • Use Undo freely while exploring, then restart to chase the best possible score.
  • Hints show the next move of a perfect solution. Try to work out why it helps.

About Traffic Jam

Traffic Jam is a sliding block puzzle set in a crowded six by six parking lot. Cars take up two squares, trucks take up three, and every vehicle can only roll forward or backward along its own lane. Your goal is to shuffle them around until the red car has a clear road to the exit on the right side.

Puzzles like this have been popular since the 1970s, and they are a great test of planning, because the car you need to move first is often not the one blocking the exit. Every level in this game was generated by computer and solved with a breadth first search, so we know the fewest moves each one needs. Levels are grouped into easy, medium and hard by the length of that best solution, from a handful of moves up to long chains of more than twenty.

You can pick any level from the level list, undo moves, restart, or ask for a hint that shows the next move of a shortest solution. Your best move count for each level is saved, and a daily puzzle gives everyone the same lot to clear.

Traffic Jam FAQ

Is Traffic Jam the same as Rush Hour?

It uses the same kind of sliding car puzzle, but all of our levels are original and were generated by computer.

What counts as a move?

Sliding one vehicle any distance along its lane is one move. Undo also counts as a move.

Are all the levels solvable?

Yes. Every level was checked with a solver, which also found the minimum number of moves shown in the status bar.

How many levels are there?

There are 75 levels in three groups of 25, plus a daily puzzle.

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