Better Minesweeper Docs
Gameplay

Game Modes

Classic Minesweeper, No-Guess boards, Daily Runs, and a handful of alternative modes.

Classic Minesweeper

Standard Minesweeper with three preset difficulties and a fully customizable mode.

DifficultyBoard SizeMinesShortcut
Beginner9×9101 / B
Intermediate16×16402 / I
Expert30×16993 / E
CustomAny sizeAny countSet in Game Mode menu

By default the first click always opens a zero-tile flood region. This can be changed in settings (first_click_mode): 0 = Always Empty, 1 = Any Safe, 2 = Off.

Enable classic_beginner_8×8 in settings to use the original 8×8 beginner board instead of 9×9.

No-Guess Mode

Every board is guaranteed solvable by logic alone — no 50/50 guesses, no luck required. Enable it in Settings > Gameplay.

How It Works

After the first click, the solver runs on the board and looks for tiles it can determine with certainty. If it gets stuck, it makes a small adjustment to the mine layout and tries again. Once a fully solvable layout is found, only the user’s first-click reveal is shown. The board seed changes to reflect the adjusted layout, so replays still work.

Specifically:

  1. Board is generated normally with the user’s seed.
  2. First click reveals as usual (flood-fill for zeros).
  3. The constraint solver finds deterministic moves (0% or 100% probability tiles).
  4. When stuck, a “nudge” moves a frontier mine to a better position and retries.
  5. Once fully solvable, the board resets to first-click state and play begins.

Boards that can’t be made solvable within the attempt limit are regenerated automatically.

Generation Modes

ModeSettingBehavior
Post-click (default)no_guess_generation_mode = 0Mines are placed on first click, then the board is solved and adjusted if needed. Normal feel.
Pre-click (random tile)no_guess_generation_mode = 1A random starting tile is picked before you click; the board is solved and a highlighted tile shows where to click first.
Pre-click (fixed tile)no_guess_generation_mode = 2A fixed tile (center or corner, set via no_guess_preclick_tile) is always used as the starting point.

Reveal Rules (Post-click)

In post-click mode, no_guess_reveal_rule controls what happens on first click:

  • 0 — Always reveal: First click reveals immediately, then the solver runs in the background.
  • 1 — Require second click: First click selects the start tile and triggers a pre-solve; a second click begins play. This ensures the board is fully solved before any tile is revealed.

Seeds & Replays

No-guess boards use a modified seed that reflects the adjusted mine layout. Replays work correctly because the seed captures the final layout. When loading a specific seed via the replay library or Ctrl+V, no-guess pre-click generation is suppressed to honor the exact seed. Seeded runs are excluded from personal best records.

Daily Runs

Daily challenges always use no-guess boards. The daily seed database contains pre-verified solvable layouts, so no in-game adjustment is needed when the game starts.

Daily Runs

One board per day, same seed for all players. Available in Intermediate (16×16, 40 mines) and Expert (30×16, 99 mines).

Rules

  • One attempt per day. If you lose or abandon, that’s it until tomorrow.
  • The run is resumable — if you close the game mid-run, it picks up where you left off.
  • Automation features (auto-flag, auto-chord) are disabled.
  • The timer starts on your first tile reveal.
  • Every daily board is no-guess guaranteed.

Seed Database

Daily seeds come from a pre-generated binary database rather than being computed on the fly.

PropertyValue
Start dateJanuary 1, 2026
Seeds per difficulty10,000
CoverageThrough May 2053 (~27 years)
Lookup time<1 ms (100-entry LRU cache)
FallbackHash-based generation for dates outside the database range

Streak Tracking

Two streak types are tracked independently:

  • Play streak — How many consecutive days you’ve attempted a daily run (wins and losses both count).
  • Win streak — How many consecutive daily runs you’ve won.

Stats & Personal Bests

Daily runs are tracked in your stats history but are excluded from personal best records, since the boards are fixed and shared across players. When you revisit a completed daily, the replay is automatically loaded so you can watch it back.

Russian Roulette

Like classic Minesweeper, but flagging is instant death. Every right-click is a gamble. The board has no flags — only reveals and explosions.

Internally, this is classic Minesweeper with force_lose_on_flag_attempt enabled and flags disabled.

Last Tile Remaining

A small board with exactly one safe tile left. Reveal it before the timer runs out.

SettingDefaultDescription
last_tile_remaining_mode"timed""timed" or "untimed"
last_tile_remaining_size_index0Board size preset
last_tile_remaining_duration45 sTimer duration (timed mode)
last_tile_remaining_hardOffHarder pattern generation

Aim Trainer

A click-speed exercise mode:

  • Boards appear in rapid succession
  • Each board requires a single reveal or chord to clear
  • Measures click accuracy and reaction time
  • No mines — pure targeting practice