Tile match games

What is a tile match game?

A tile match game hands you a pile of picture tiles, layered on top of each other, and asks you to clear it by matching. The rule that makes it a puzzle is the same everywhere: you can only take a tile that isn't covered. Every tile you take uncovers something new, so the order you pick in decides whether the pile comes apart cleanly or leaves you stuck with the wrong tiles on top.

There are two big styles. In triple match games you tap tiles into a small tray, and three of a kind in the tray clear. In pair match games, the style mahjong solitaire made famous, you pick two matching tiles straight off the board and they clear together. Same pile, very different planning.

Triple match or pair match?

If you want short, snappy levels you can finish on a coffee break, start with triple match. If you like to sit back and read a board before every move, go with pairs. Our mahjong games page covers the pairs side in more depth.

How triple tile match works

In Trinket Trio a shelf is stacked with little trinkets like croissants, seashells, rockets and ladybugs. Tap any trinket that isn't covered and it drops into the tray at the bottom. When three of the same trinket meet in the tray, they pop and clear their slots.

• The tray has 7 slots. If it fills up with no trio to clear, the level is over.
• Covered trinkets wear a soft shade, and when the last tile on top leaves, the shade lifts and the trinket gives a little hop so you can see it's open.
• The tray keeps matching trinkets side by side, and a gold line under two of a kind shows they need just one more.
• Clear every trinket on the shelf to win.

Levels start with just nine trinkets in one layer and grow to big shelves up to six layers deep. Stars come from time, but there's no time limit, so you can never lose a level to the clock. Undo, Put back, Shuffle and Magnet help when the tray gets tight, and every trio you clear for the first time adds a sticker to your album.

How pair matching works

Pair games skip the tray. In Mahjong Cloud Steps a tile is open when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is clear, and two open tiles with the same face clear together. Carousel Tiles puts the same idea on a spinning 3D carousel with no edges, so you spin the ride to find pairs round the back.

Frost Pairs turns pairing into a sliding puzzle. Twins melt when they can see each other along a row or column, and you get them in line by pushing tiles across a frozen pond. On snow a tile stops where you leave it. On ice it keeps gliding.

Which tile match game should you start with?

Short on time: Trinket Trio. Early shelves take a minute or two, and the Daily Shelf is the same puzzle for everyone that day.

Want the classic: Mahjong Cloud Steps. It starts on small 20 tile boards and climbs through six worlds to the full 144 tile summit, and every deal can be won.

Want something you haven't seen before: Carousel Tiles for mahjong on a ride you spin, or Frost Pairs for pairs that slide on ice.

Want tiles without matching faces: Domino Boardwalk is a domino solitaire where you lay tiles from a layered pile end to end, matching numbers. See our domino games page for how dominoes work.

Triple match tips

• Never take a lone tile you can't pair soon. Every single tile sitting in the tray is a slot you've lost. Before you tap, look for two more of that kind.
• Finish trios before starting new ones. Two of one kind in the tray is fine. Two each of four different kinds is how trays fill up.
• Dig toward the shaded tiles. Covered tiles are the ones that end runs, because you can't reach them when you need them. When you have a choice, take the tile that uncovers the most.
• Count what's left. Every kind comes in multiples of three. If three of a kind are all uncovered, they're a safe trio to take whenever you need room.
• Keep two slots spare. A tray with five tiles in it leaves you very little room for a lucky uncover. Clear down before you dig deeper.

Pair match tips

• With three open tiles of a kind, choose. Take the two that uncover the most and leave the one that blocks nothing.
• All four open? Take both pairs. No other tile depends on which ones you pair together.
• Work the tall stacks early. The tile buried deepest is usually the one that traps you at the end.
• Watch for twins stacked on twins. If a pair sits on top of its own match, you can't take both until one is lifted away. Plan for it early.

For a longer read, see how to win at mahjong solitaire.

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