Games / Puzzle Games / Domino Boardwalk / Guide
Domino Boardwalk
Domino Boardwalk is a domino solitaire game set on a seaside pier at sunset. You lay dominoes from a layered pile onto the open ends of a growing boardwalk, and you score big whenever those ends add up to a multiple of five.
Quick answers
Does Domino Boardwalk work on my phone?
Yes. Domino Boardwalk works with touch on phones and tablets, and with a mouse or keyboard on a computer. It runs in the browser you already have, so there is no app to download.
Do I need an account to play Domino Boardwalk?
No. Just open it and play, with no sign-up. If you like, a free account (username only, no email, for players 13 and older) puts your scores on the leaderboards and backs up your progress so it follows you to any device.
Is there a daily challenge in Domino Boardwalk?
Yes. Domino Boardwalk has a new daily challenge every day, the same one for every player, with its own daily leaderboard. Find it alongside the others on our daily challenges page.
Does Domino Boardwalk save my progress?
Yes. It saves on this device on its own, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off. Sign in with a free account to keep the same progress on your phone and your computer.
Is Domino Boardwalk OK for kids?
Yes, players of any age can enjoy it. There is no chat and no way to message other players, and nobody needs an account to play. Accounts are for players 13 and older, so younger players just play and their progress stays on their device. For ages 4 to 11 we also have learning games in their own kids area, with no ads, no accounts and no tracking.
What is Domino Boardwalk?
In a table game of dominoes, players add tiles to a line, matching numbers end to end. One of the oldest scoring styles is All Fives, also called Muggins: after each play you add up the open ends, and if the total is a multiple of five, you score it. We built a solitaire around that idea.
Instead of a hand of seven tiles, you play from a pile of face-up dominoes stacked in layers. A domino is free when nothing sits on top of it. Every level starts with one double already laid on the boardwalk. Clear the pile and the level is done. Domino Boardwalk is free, runs in your browser on phone, tablet or computer, and there's nothing to download.
New to dominoes? Our domino games page explains the set, the boneyard and the classic table games like Draw, Block and All Fives.
How to play
- Tap a free domino whose number matches one of the open ends. It slides along the boardwalk and lays itself, turning a corner when the line gets near the edge.
- Each open end shows a badge with the number it needs. If a domino fits more than one end, those ends light up with what the ends would add up to, and you tap the one you want.
- Nothing fits? Tap the boneyard to draw a domino into your hand. Each shell under the boneyard is one draw. Hand dominoes can be laid just like free ones. If your hand is full, lay a hand domino first.
- Clear every domino from the pile to win. The boneyard doesn't need to be empty.
- If no domino fits and you can't draw, you're stuck. Nothing is lost: use Put back, a helper, or try again.
Doubles and crossroads
A double is laid crosswise. From level 12, the first double you lay becomes a crossroads and opens two more ends, one on each side. From level 41, every double does. More ends means more choices, and bigger totals for the five count.
How fives scoring works
After every domino you lay, we add up the open ends of that boardwalk. Each end counts its number, and an end that sits on a double counts both halves. If the total is 5, 10, 15 or any multiple of five, you score that total times ten. The sign at the top always shows the total and how far it is to the next five.
| What you do | Points |
|---|---|
| Make the ends add up to a multiple of five | The total x 10 (15 is worth 150) |
| Lay any domino | 20 |
| Each play in a run (a play right after a play, no draw between) | 60 |
| Lay a gold ticket domino | 100 |
| Clear the pile | 800 |
| Each shell left in the boneyard when you clear | 50 |
Stars work from those points. Any clear earns one star. Each level has two point targets for the second and third star, shown in the level panel on a big screen and on the results card.
Controls (phone and computer)
Tap or click to play, or drag a domino onto an end. You can drag the boardwalk to look around. On a computer the keyboard works too:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys or Tab | Move the focus ring between free dominoes, your hand and the boneyard |
| Enter or Space | Lay the focused domino, or pick the highlighted end |
| D | Draw from the boneyard |
| U | Undo |
| H | Hint |
| Esc | Pause, or cancel a choice |
Helpers
- Undo takes back your last move. The first one in every level is free.
- Put back takes back your last 3 moves when you're stuck. It's free once per level.
- Wild Shell lets your next domino fit any end.
- Peek shows the next 3 dominoes in the boneyard.
- Extra Draw adds one more shell to the boneyard.
Helpers are earned, never bought, and only used when you tap them: from Today's Goals, a gift every 5 new levels, the pier lights and the weekly stamps. The light bulb gives a free hint.
The seven stretches of pier
Each stretch brings in new pieces, and each new piece starts with a short, gentle level that shows how it works. Now and then a level is marked Tricky, never more than one in five, with an easier one right after.
| Stretch | Levels | What's new |
|---|---|---|
| Arcade End | 1 to 40 | Boneyard, first crossroads, sealed crates, second hand slot |
| Fishing Deck | 41 to 80 | Every double a crossroads, tides, gulls, gold tickets |
| Bandstand | 81 to 120 | Starfish double, taller stacks |
| Ferris Wheel Plaza | 121 to 170 | Double nine dominoes |
| Lighthouse Point | 171 to 220 | Two boardwalks |
| Moonlit Pier | 221 to 260 | Night, every piece mixed |
| Festival Lights | 261 to 300 | The longest piles |
Tide tiles go under water for 2 plays out of every 4. A gull rests on a domino for a few plays, then flies off. The starfish double counts twice in the five count. With two boardwalks, the five count is for the line you just grew.
Every level can be won
We build each pile backwards from a real winning game, so there's always a way to clear it, and our tests solve all 300 levels, a year of dailies and every weekly festival before they ship. You can still paint yourself into a corner, which is what Undo and Put back are for.
Daily Boardwalk, Pier Festival and the pier
The Daily Boardwalk is the same pile and the same boneyard for everyone on the same day (it changes at midnight UTC). Your first finished run counts for the daily leaderboard and your streak. Later runs that day are practice. Your streak is gentle: one missed day a week is covered by a free rest day.
The Pier Festival is a special double nine level with two boardwalks that changes every Monday. Clear it once that week to earn its stamp.
Stars light up the pier, from the lamps and the ice cream stand to the Ferris wheel, the lighthouse and a starlight arch. Each light brings a new regular to the rail. You can also earn domino sets: Driftwood at 25 stars, Sea glass for finishing all three daily goals on 3 days, Shell inlay for 2 festival stamps and Neon night at 120 stars. Sets only change the look.
Tips and strategy
- Before you tap, look at the sign. If the ends add up to 12, a play that changes one end by 3 makes 15. Count which end to grow, not just whether a domino fits.
- Doubles are your big scoring chances. A double counts both halves on its end, so a 5 double on its own adds 10.
- Dig into the tallest stacks early. A domino you can see but can't reach yet only helps once the ones on top are gone.
- Don't draw while you still have a play. Every draw breaks your run, and runs are worth 60 a step. Each shell you never use is worth 50 when you clear.
- Hold a hand domino as a spare. With two hand slots, keep one that fits a common number so it can rescue you later.
- On two boardwalks, grow the line that is closer to a multiple of five.
Questions
Is Domino Boardwalk free?
Yes. It's free to play in any browser on phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no ads.
How do you play domino solitaire?
You lay free dominoes from a layered pile onto the open ends of a line, matching numbers. Clear the pile to win. When nothing fits, you draw from the boneyard.
What is All Fives in dominoes?
All Fives, also called Muggins, is a scoring style where you add up the open ends after each play and score when the total is a multiple of five. Domino Boardwalk uses it: you score the total times ten.
Can every level be cleared?
Yes. Every pile is built from a real winning game and checked by a solver, so there's always a way to clear it.
What happens when I get stuck?
Use Put back (free once per level), Undo, a helper, or try again at no cost. There are no lives and no timers.
