Carousel Tiles

What is Carousel Tiles?

Classic mahjong solitaire lays its tiles out flat, so the edges of the pile are where you start. We wondered what happens if a board has no edges at all. In Carousel Tiles the tiles sit in rings around a tall carousel drum. You see the front of the ride, the sides curve away into the dusk, and you spin it to reach the rest.

The goal is the same as always: clear every tile, two at a time. Carousel Tiles is free, runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and doesn't need a download or an account.

If you'd like a flat board too, our mahjong games page shows every style of mahjong solitaire we make.

How to play

• Tap a free tile, then tap a matching free tile. The two lift off, meet in the air and burst into confetti.
• A tile is free when nothing sits on top of it (on the outer layer) and at least one of the spots beside it on its ring is open.
• Because every ring goes all the way round, a full ring has no free tiles. Each ring starts with an opening, and the tiles on both sides of that opening are the ones you can take.
• Swipe the drum to spin it, tap the round arrows, or use the Left and Right keys. Tapping a free tile near the edge also turns it toward you.
• Blocked tiles are shaded a little darker, so the bright ones are the tiles you can play right now.
• Clear every tile to finish the ride.

The tiles

Our tiles are drawn as fairground suits: stars, ribbons and horseshoes, each numbered 1 to 9, four pennants (N, E, S and W), and three lanterns in red, mint and gold. Every suited tile shows its number in the corner, and every color comes with its own shape or pattern, so you never have to tell tiles apart by color alone.

Two groups match as families, the way flowers and seasons do in a classic set. Any two balloons match each other, whatever their color, and any two fair treats match (candy apple, cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream).

Rings, layers and the round board

Each drum has 3 to 7 rings up its side and 12 to 20 columns around it. The outer layer sits on top of the inner one, and a tile under another tile can't move until the top tile is gone. Later rides have up to three layers.

The round shape is what makes this different from a flat layout. When you take a tile next to an opening, the opening grows, and you can keep eating along the ring in both directions. The two ends of that opening are right next to each other at first, then drift apart as you play, so you'll find yourself spinning back and forth to follow them.

Scoring, stars and the tune combo

Every match in a column next to your last match plays the next note of the carousel tune. Keep matching side by side and you'll hear the whole waltz build up, one note at a time. A chain also adds points.

Stars work like this: 3 stars for a clear with no hints and a time under par, 2 stars if you used one hint or went over par, and 1 star for any clear. Nothing ever ends a ride on a clock. Par just tells you how quick the band is.

The five fairs

The main path runs through 300 levels in five fairs, with something new every 8 to 12 levels and a gentle intro ride whenever a new idea arrives. Roughly one level in five is marked Tricky, and the one after it is always a breather.

• Village Fair (levels 1 to 40): one layer, then two, then three, plus balloons and fair treats.
• Seaside Fair (41 to 100): the brass ring, a tile that matches anything once per board, along with taller and wider drums.
• Winter Fair (101 to 160): frosted tiles hide their face until a tile next to them is matched.
• Night Fair (161 to 230): mirror panels. Tap one and its twins light up, with a glowing arrow if they're round the back.
• Grand Fair (231 to 300): two drums turning side by side, and pairs can match across them.

Helpers

Helpers are earned in play and only used when you tap them. We never sell them.

• Hint shows a good pair. The first one on every level is free.
• Put back returns your last two pairs to the ride. It's free once per level.
• Undo takes back one pair.
• Shuffle re-deals the tiles that are left, and the new deal can always be cleared. If you get completely stuck, we offer a free shuffle.
• Peek turns the drum see-through for 5 seconds so you can spot pairs on the back.

You earn more from Today's Goals (three small goals a day, each worth one helper), a star gift every 12 stars, finishing a full set of one animal, and the weekly stamp.

Daily Ride, Grand Carousel and leaderboards

The Daily Ride is the same carousel for everyone that day (it changes at midnight UTC). Your first finished run is the one that posts to the daily leaderboard. Replays are just practice. Ride it on back to back days to grow a streak. If you miss a day, we bend the streak instead of breaking it, once a week.

Every Monday there's a new Grand Carousel, a double-height drum shaped by hand. Clear it for a rare animal stamp. The other leaderboard counts your total stars across all 300 levels.

Animals and the fair map

Every column you clear down to the drum shows a painted animal that starts to bob. There are 48 to collect (twelve kinds, from horses and swans to dragons, roosters and frogs, each in four paint colors), and each one has its own little tune. A new one arrives every six levels. On the fair map, each fair has five rides, like a Ferris wheel, teacups and a helter skelter, and their bulbs light up as you clear the levels around them.

Tips and strategy

• Spin before you commit. The pair you want is often just round the side, and the edges hide more than they show.
• With four of the same face in play, think about which two to take. Take the pair that opens a ring or uncovers a lower tile, and leave the other two for later.
• Clear the outer layer early. Tiles underneath can't move until the tile on top is gone, and they're usually what blocks you at the end.
• Work both ends of an opening. A ring that's open on one side only gives you one tile at a time.
• Save the brass ring for a tile that's hard to reach or has no easy partner. It matches anything, and we make sure the board can still be cleared afterwards.
• Chase the tune when it's free. Matching next to your last pair costs nothing and adds 15 points a note, which adds up on the daily.

Questions