Sliding Puzzle

A puzzle where pieces move within a confined board rather than being removed from it. You shift things around each other to reach a goal - usually getting one specific piece out, or arranging everything into a set order.

Unblock It 3D, because the goal is immediately obvious: get the marked piece to the exit. Everything you need to understand is visible on the first screen, so the difficulty comes from the solution rather than the rules.

Most sliding puzzles restrict pieces to one axis, so a block placed horizontally will only travel left and right. Arrow Slide Puzzle takes that further by fixing the direction each piece can travel at all.

Generally not. They're built for thinking rather than reacting, so you can stare at a board as long as you like. Some track your move count, which encourages a tidier solution without ever rushing you.

Undo and work backwards from the goal. Sliding puzzles are usually easier to solve in reverse, since the last few moves are heavily constrained and knowing them tells you what the middle of the board has to look like.