Color Tile Match
Color Tile Match is a timed swapping puzzle on an 8x8 board of rounded tiles in six colors. Trade the places of two neighbors to line up three or more of a kind, and that line clears.
Alexander Bazhanov built this open-source version for phones first, so it handles taps and slides well, and it also plays in any browser tab on a laptop. A timer bar keeps every round short and tense.
How to play Color Tile Match
Select a tile, then one of the four tiles touching its sides. If the swap forms a row or column of matching colors, those tiles disappear, the ones above fall, and new tiles drop in from the top. A swap that matches nothing snaps back.
A line scores its length times itself, so three tiles give 9 points, four give 16 and five give 25. The round starts with two minutes on the bar. It drains every second, faster as your score grows, and each score gain refills part of it.
The round ends when the bar empties or no swap can make a match. Your best score is saved in the browser for next time.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swap tiles | — | Click two neighbors, or drag one onto another | Tap two neighbors, or slide one onto another |
| Show a hint | — | Click the magnifier | Tap the magnifier |
| Use a booster | — | Select a tile, then the brush, bomb or palette | Select a tile, then the brush, bomb or palette |
| New game | — | Click the circular arrow | Tap the circular arrow |
Tips
- Start matches low on the board. Falling tiles often line up on their own and give you free points and time.
- Chase four- and five-tile lines when you can. They score far more than a short line and buy back more of the clock.
- The palette booster arrives every 250 points, the bomb every 500 and the brush every 1,000, so plan to spend them rather than hoard them.
- Point the brush at the color with the highest count on the strip under the board for the biggest clear.
- Keep an eye on the number on the magnifier. When it drops to one or two, use a bomb before the board locks up.
If you like Color Tile Match, try these
Bubble Pop ShooterMatching three of a color still clears space, now by firing bubbles into a well that slowly sinks.
Flood Fill PuzzleStrategic color choices without a clock: spread one patch from the corner until the board is a single shade.
Questions
How do you get more time in Color Tile Match?
Score points. About a third of each gain goes back onto the timer bar, up to the two-minute maximum, so steady matching keeps the round going.
What do the bomb, brush and palette do?
The bomb clears a selected tile and the tiles around it. The brush clears tiles of one color, and the palette places a wild tile that matches any color.
Does the timer stop while I read the rules?
Yes. Opening the in-game FAQ pauses the clock, so you can check how the boosters work without losing time.
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