Arcade Whale
Arcade Whale OriginalMade in-house, free to play
Hexa Clue Sort
- Developer
- Arcade Whale
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Released
- Updated
- Platforms
- Browser (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Orientation
- Portrait or landscape
- Players
- Single player
How to play
Desktop H hint · R restart · L levels
Touch Tap two objects
About Hexa Clue Sort
Hexa Clue Sort is a swapping puzzle on a honeycomb. Gold clue hexes sit among the tiles, each naming one trait, a colour or a kind, that every object touching it must have, and you satisfy them by swapping objects across the grid.
The hexagonal layout is what gives it its character. On a square grid a tile has four neighbours; here it has six, so a single object sits within reach of more clues at once. That is the source of the game's best moments — one object placed well can satisfy two separate clues simultaneously, and the levels are built assuming you will find those overlaps.
Which means the naive approach, solving clues one at a time, works early and stalls later. Satisfying a clue in isolation is easy; satisfying it without breaking the one next door is the actual puzzle, and on later boards the only workable solutions are the ones where several clues share objects.
The productive way in is to look for the most constrained clue first, the one with the fewest objects that could fit it, and build outward from there, checking each swap against neighbouring clues before committing. Swapping freely and hoping to converge tends to undo as much as it achieves.
Clicking or tapping two object tiles swaps them, and a hint button is available when a board refuses to open up. There is no timer, so this is a thinking puzzle. Grid Detective is the neighbouring game if you enjoy the constraint-satisfaction feeling in a more explicitly logical form.
Desktop: click two object tiles to swap them; H = hint, R = restart, L = levels. Mobile: tap two tiles to swap. Blue dial clues can be tapped to change what they ask for. Tap the Level pill to replay any level you have reached — every level is the same puzzle for every player.
Every object is a single picture that carries two traits at once: a colour (red, yellow, green or blue) and a kind (heart, book or fruit). Each gold clue names one trait, and every object touching that clue must have it. That is why one object can serve two clues: a blue book sitting between a Blue clue and a Book clue satisfies both. An object turns green when it fits every clue around it, and the level ends when every object on the board fits.
The difficulty rises in steps, each bringing one new idea. Level 5 adds crossed clues, where the touching objects must not have the named trait. Level 11 adds jokers that match any kind or any colour. Level 15 pins some objects in place, level 20 adds a dial clue you tap to change what it asks for, and from level 32 the boards hold five clues with two jokers and two crossed clues. There is no last level, so the expert boards keep coming for as long as you want them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I swap tiles?
Click two object tiles on desktop, or tap two tiles on mobile, and they exchange places. Every move in the game is a swap.
What are the gold clue hexes?
Each gold hex names one trait, a colour or a kind of object, and every object touching it must have that trait. The level is solved when every object on the board fits all the clues around it.
Can one object satisfy two clues?
Yes, and on later levels it is usually necessary. Because a hexagon has six neighbours, a well-placed object can sit within reach of two clue hexes at once — finding those overlaps is the key to the harder boards.
Where should I start on a difficult board?
Begin with the most constrained clue, the one with the fewest objects that could fit it, and work outward. Check each swap against neighbouring clues before committing, since solving clues in isolation tends to break the ones next to them.
How many levels are in Hexa Clue Sort?
There is no fixed end. Each level is built from its number, so level 12 is the same puzzle for everyone and Restart brings back the same board. New mechanics arrive up to level 32, and from there every level uses the full expert set. The Level button lists every level you have reached with its best stars.
How do stars work in Hexa Clue Sort?
Each level has a par, the fewest swaps the game found to solve it. Finish at or under par for three stars, or within a small margin of it for two: two extra swaps, or half the par on bigger boards. Anything slower earns one. Turning a dial clue counts as a swap, and replaying a level can only raise your best.
Is there an undo in Hexa Clue Sort?
No. Every swap stands, and the only way back is Restart, which resets the swap counter and puts the same puzzle back exactly as it started. Tapping a selected object a second time cancels the selection, so you can still change your mind before you pick the other object.
How do hints and coins work?
A hint highlights the next two objects to swap, or, when the board cannot be solved until a blue dial clue is turned, it points at that dial. Each hint costs one coin. You start with five coins and get two more when you clear a level with fewer than three left.
What do the crossed, joker, pinned and dial tiles mean?
A crossed clue means the objects touching it must not have that trait. A plain coloured circle is a joker that counts as any kind, and a white, uncoloured object counts as any colour. A padlock marks a pinned object that cannot be swapped. A blue dial clue changes what it asks for when tapped, and it always starts on the wrong setting.
