How To Solve a 4x4 Sliding Puzzle (Easily and in under a minute!)

[@theegg4202]

Thank you. This saved me like 5 hours trying to solve the puzzles in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

[@fool9711]

Literally the exact reason I’m here lmao

[@ZDiStefano]

@@fool9711 also here for this and still cant get it LOL

[@HeelBJC]

Ahaha that's why I'm here too. I wanted to learn the logic vs just looking up the solution. This is so much more satisfying.

[@HeelBJC]

@@ZDiStefano You might've ended up just looking it up, but keep in mind the Wind Waker puzzles have their empty square in the TOP left rather than the bottom. So you'll want to follow this from bottom to top rather than top to bottom like the example in the video.

[@spyrofan6]

Haha when I was beginning I did to

[@samno2088]

God I love YT. I downloaded a picture slide puzzle app (gotta train for the one day I end up on Survivor and need to solve a slide puzzle) and I was like, “how the hell does anyone do this consistently??” And after 5 minutes on YT I can now solve ANY picture slide puzzle you hand me. The US education system could never.

[@jordandyck7590]

The exact reason I found this video was so I don’t look like an idiot during immunity challenges! Glad I’m not alone in that 😂

[@Chris-qp2ly]

Me too brother lol

[@JaydenLawson]

Survivor is also why I'm here lol

[@7fall]

You’re an excellent teacher- even 12+ years later, many are still making use of your knowledge :) that’s quite powerful. Thank you!

[@Chris_MarMar]

Dude thank you so much. These puzzles are the bane of my existence in horror games lol which is exactly what I’m watching this for. I’ll usually try looking up the solution but that didn’t work this time since the numbered blocks always randomize for this one. Your guide here is the only thing I could find that helped. You’re doing whatever gods out theres work with this. If anybody is curious about the game it’s Fatal Frame Mask of the lunar eclipse.

[@haiyangyu4462]

You can actually put the 3 in the first row, then put the 123 pair left(if not enough space, go down) and put 4 in its place and put everything back together.

[@depletedreaper7469]

This 12 year old video saved me from trying a puzzle 50 times or more possibly, huge thanks to you.

[@FreddyBoBeddy]

Dude, you're my hero. I thought I was never going to finish Fatal Frame Mask of the Lunar Eclipse because I couldn't figure out the puzzle. It's also pretty neat just to know how to do the puzzle now.

[@Soki7000]

Saaaame. I was getting seriously demotivated.

[@sapphixiana]

Hahaha. OMG same!

[@DevDreCW]

Damn, solved one after watching this and I felt like Neo from the Matrix. "I know sliding puzzles"

[@LoveEmm]

I was struggling with one of these for over an hour, and after this video, I solved it in a minute. Thank you so much!

[@Laytonzfan25]

Thank you! You saved my life, without you I wouldn't have been able to solve the Puzzle in "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD" :D

[@theveexperience1690]

Laytonzfan25 oh man I'm trying to do that right now and I still don't get it. its driving me crazy 😖

[@TRRSES]

Dandy boy adventures

[@TRRSES]

Dandy Boy adventures

[@damageYT666]

You, sir, are a legend. Concisely explained, easy to learn, singularly useful. Win! :-)

[@MrSnowmandeath]

This man has been helping gamers solve their quest puzzles for over a decade. He was the chosen one.

[@Arseny97MC]

I just finished coding this up in JavaScript and googled how to solve it, now I'm here! thanks :D

[@FunSizedDragon]

Thanks for the help. Cleared all 16 4x4 slide puzzle in Wind Waker without too much trouble because of you.

[@justtemm]

oh my god it actually worked, when i looked at the comments i thought i would still fail after this tutorial but after this, even with no skill in these types of puzzles, i can actually do these puzzles

[@utoherozv]

This solve method is actually god tier. Extremely sturdy.

[@charliedelao4119]

Thank you so much man! I struggled for super long to the point where I wanted to just break the thing so I looked it up and saw yours. After watching the video I managed to solve it in about 10 minutes. Thank you!

[@mindlessmeat4055]

I was struggling with the bottom two rows until you said to do the corner square. That is so helpful. Thanks.

[@rebekahfager127]

WOW! this was amazingly helpful...I had one of these when I was young and knew instinctively that there must be a method behind it. I just solved two in a row. Thank you.

[@VividDancer]

Thank you so much for this in depth guide these puzzles have been the most challenging for me when I was younger and up until now, much appreciate the help 🙏

[@fazzen8879]

There is a hint of cleveland brown in your voice...

[@danvize4284]

Junior or senior, lol

[@lizardbladez]

what the hell what a specific thing to notice

[@drsatan1202]

@@lizardbladez damn 😂😂

[@pkdrenaissance]

Thanks for showing how easy it is. This has always been the hardest puzzle for me to solve. As I was doing it your way, I noticed that you can back the three over to the two spot and click the four up and for the bottom two rows you can bring up the 9 with the 13 following it. I call it the 9 train and 13 is the caboose! or the 13 train with the 9 as the caboose! Depending on which row the train is on decides which number is the Locomotive and which is the caboose!

[@squatchjosh1131]

I enjoy how enthusiastic you are about the word caboose

[@Brandonrios365]

Thanks bro! Those sliding puzzles finally make sense in Wind Waker. I finally know how to do it after 10 years of not knowing.

[@krzysztofstankiewicz1158]

Thank you. One thing, though - an animated puzzle would make the movement of tiles easier to follow

[@bluecheesefactory]

you are an angel, ive been struggling throughout these my whole gaming life. you are the best

[@ibimon]

this works perfect. I had one scrambled by my daughter before I saw the original picture.I just took a photo of the puzzle, split in MS paint and put together to actually see the picture. Then just numbered the squares with marker. Now I can do straight forward pictures 4x4 without marker.It's all about the algorithm rather than the number.

[@sundvisson]

best video of solving this puzzle! so many videos I watched before this one that were so unlogical and took way more time to solve

[@cattyybluesky8660]

Wow, i feel smart right now. I watched the slide puzzle on survivor tv show, so i decided to try to solve one. Found one in google play, and within 15 minutes i came into my own method, witch alows me to solve in 1 minute the puzzle. So i decided to see on youtube if there was a better method than mine and it turns out you have the exact same method ;)

[@rockisfat582]

Cattyy BlueSky I love survivor

[@sapphixiana]

Helped a lot with that one puzzle from Fatal Frame 4. Many thanks, senior!

[@user-up3bl2pc6r]

my 12 and 14 are always switched, how do i fix this?

[@Cheera6666]

Oh Yeah....Very Thanks....I Normally Takes 800 or more than 800 moves.....But after trying this , I get it in less than 200 moves.....It was HELPFUL

[@ramonarias4836]

I made my own python slider game for my computer science class, but I could not solve it at all. Now thanks to this video I was able to solve it.

[@derbyman6523]

Very nice tutorial do u still do videos on this kind of puzzles?

[@famoussaturn3237]

For Wind Waker HD

[@drewfla]

Thanks to these tips I finally solved all of those damn sliding puzzles in Wind Waker HD! You know what happens when you finish them all? Absolutely nothing. You get 200 rupees for the last one instead of 50, and then the puzzles reset. Very anticlimactic lol.

[@CVerse]

@@drewfla yeah just like the mail sorting game

[@HydraSplatlingCEO]

Me too wtf

[@flurrieroblox8990]

Wow, I used to think it was impossible for me to finish one of these, I thought it was luck. After watching this I finished it in a few minutes. Start from top, left to right, down :D

[@ameshapatel6179]

But when it turn on impossible mode, we all are dead men.

[@randolm7698]

The funny thing is that these puzzles are now in so many video games thanks to AR/VR - any game that has puzzle solving elements almost always includes at least one slider. So being proficient at these are now a gaming staple.

[@Razlider]

this saved me a lot of headache in that later alligator sliding puzzle @.@

[@JayLKing]

Omg, thank you SO much for this. I watched a few other tutorial videos about this, and this was the best explanation. I play a game called The Tomorrow Children, and you have to solve puzzles like this to create things that the town needs, like housing and such. And I can never figure out the freaking puzzles until now! I just used this method and now I'M UNSTOPPABLE!! So thanks 😀

[@addictedtogw]

Np thanks for the kind comment :)

[@douggief1367]

Hi Steve. Thanks for the great explanation. I am trying to code a 4x4 puzzle in VB. I have looked at your source code, but I don't understand java/javascript. How do you make sure that the puzzle is solvable? Many thanks, Doug.

[@addictedtogw]

There are multiple ways, but here's how I did it. I start with a solved puzzle (2d array), and then look at the empty square. I then pick a random adjacent square (one not outside the bounds of the puzzle) and swap it with the empty spot. I repeat that process ~2000 times to essentially shuffle the board backwards from solved. Since the puzzle started solved and all we are doing is making legal random moves, it will always be solvable in the end. The logic is all in the function SlidingPuzzle.prototype.shuffleTiles. The tricky part is making sure to check your array bounds so that the random adjacent tile is valid. If not, then you you just pick another. (Empty corners will have 2 valid swap tiles, edges have 3, and an empty middle will have all 4 N/S/E/W as possible swaps). You can tinker with your total swap number, but i found 2k to be more then enough to get a really mixed up one every time. Hope this helps!!

[@wheatleythebrick2276]

didnt watch the whole thing but the initial tips really helped me out, so thanks!

[@tundetihanyi3161]

Thank you for this video! I just stuck in a game and I was always very bad with these puzzles, but with this help I have solved it.

[@lSteveTheTrooperl]

All this just to find out mine was unsolvable

[@kt3657]

At 7:16 I have my position reversed with 14 to the left side and 15 to the right. I found it impossible to solve the puzzle. Could it be that my 15 puzzle is unsolvable ?

[@Thavaneshkarthikofficial]

I think yes

[@bluegarren9361]

Question, if you have a puzzle that’s in the right order and you take out the 14 and 15 and swap them, is it possible to solve it by sliding the numbers in the correct order? No matter what I do I can’t get the last two in order. Doesn’t matter if it’s 14&15, 12&13, 10&11 it just doesn’t seem to work out. Thanks!

[@JonWylan]

Wow, a few minutes ago I haven't got a clue about this, and now it is super easy to do, thanks!

[@4Maestro1]

Hey Steve, I tried one of these and normally I have no trouble, but this time I ended up with 12 and 15 flip-flopped, and I can't figure out how to get those last 2 in the right places. Any suggestions?

[@addictedtogw]

double check to make sure all the others are in the right places. if they are then and its still messed up its an unsolvable puzzle

[@4Maestro1]

+Steven Burrell Ah ha! You were right. My puzzle was a picture of a toucan and 1 and 2 were almost identical and did not realize the were reversed. by the time I got those corrected and everything back in order, 12 and 15 were correct. I guess that's the trick with picture puzzles. Thx for the asst.

[@matej4949]

+Steven Burrell how to make sure that your code does not scramble it in such order which makes it unsolvable?

[@addictedtogw]

***** the way I did it I wrote some helper code to scramble the puzzle by obeying the way the puzzle works and moving squares around. You can't just put random numbers in random squares

[@wholesomebunnyva8159]

I've been doing them for fun in classes for a couple years, taught myself how to do them and my best time is just shy of 12 seconds

[@narutofan10036]

What do you do when the blank is 1 though?

[@gumtree7177]

I didn’t hear any stutter. You were fine. Perfect. Thanks Steven where’s the web link please

[@addictedtogw]

I've added a link to the puzzle in the description. I had to re-build it. Thanks!

[@zekesmith672]

I won a challenge on Survivor thanks to this video

[@addictedtogw]

Thats awesome!

[@PikaLink91]

Thanks for your help! I had no idea these dreaded puzzles could be so easy!

[@atsuko7593]

This helped me beat the later alligator game, thanks

[@tuschman168]

I wish some adventure game let's players would learn how to solve these because they always get stuck on these kinds of puzzles and a lot of adventure games have them.

[@raphaelkowolski5924]

Thanks a lot. This helped me solve Ruins of Void Claydol puzzle in Pokemon Unbound.

[@NK-ec8um]

How to solbe it if 11 and 12 are in the wrong order?

[@joewhittle801]

niggitheking I took hours with this. After 2 days of trying/leaving it/coming back to it I decided it wasn’t a valid puzzle and switched the 11 and 12 tiles

[@HoffaFett]

Thank you for the very clear instructions. I was going insane

[@canaldeumdesucupadoaleator853]

And i wold imagine it works for every size right?

[@Hyru1e]

Thank you so much! I practiced this for a little bit and got 17 seconds on my 3rd try! (with a little luck of course)

[@havocfr]

Thanks a lot man i've been stuck in pokemon unbound's tile puzzle, this was really helpful

[@9ger]

I did this 3 times but I just got worse and worse the more I thought about how I did it

[@sureyyaozbek7162]

Could you help me? I tried again again but result is always same 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 13 14 12 x Thank you so much

[@playmovingpictures]

Steve is it math ?? Algorithms? Or what’s the spatial logic process. Or is it too random to have exact process. Is it random spatial logic ?

[@Dreamy_Delight_3]

This is so much easier than solving outer horizontal and vertical lines first..

[@derandere4965]

„Trying to mess it up, but I can‘t“ is equal to „I cannot solve all 4x4 using my method.“ 😊

[@akshajkothamachu6245]

how do i do it i am at the end and i have 12 and 15 switched everything else is solved

[@PowerVideos1000]

God Damn, worked for a 5x5 too, thanks a lot man!!

[@Aiden_4000]

Thank you so much this actually helped so much you just got a new sub

[@mondavou9408]

That was nice and clear for me - thank you. I remember these puzzles from being a kid. Sadly, I either didn't have the brains or didn't have the patience, or maybe both. BUT NOW.... thanks to you - BRING IT! :-) BTW, I used to be able to easily solve a Rubix Cube in middle school - fast forward 40 years - not anymore. Based on how you taught the sliding puzzle, any chance of you doing a Rubix video?

[@genrukin]

Thanks i was stuck in a video game with a sliding puzzle.

[@Kyoman99]

thank you! I was struggling with RE4 sliding puzzle and pokemon unbound's slizing puzzle

[@leslieryan60]

¡Muchas gracias! es una muy buena lección. (Saludos desde Barcelona, Spain)

[@joekie]

I tried it, but failed, maybe because I'm doing a picture slider

[@DuarteSilva10]

do you have the source code for the shuffle method?

[@loktar00]

This helped me finally get that damned Welcome Park Trophy on the Vita, thanks! lol Started in like 2011 gave up finally decided to try it again.

[@junpre9721]

How do I get the 13 under the 9 and the 14 under the 10? I do mines up to down 123456789 just missing the 2 button rows. This is my first time playing.

[@junpre9721]

Omg thanks I did it in 2 minutes

[@3DxPOD]

This is how I do them too :) I was able to figure it out on my own and thought I would check out to see if there was a better/faster way. I think this is the most straight forward way there is. Nice job :)

[@suwums]

Have you found a faster way yet?

[@3DxPOD]

@@suwums I don't think it's possible

[@suwums]

OK :/ thank you anyway :)

[@christinelisi1107]

The ones I have don't have a blank square. Is the method the same?

[@swag-vy2xp]

Christine Lisi yes just use 16

[@kylerdayton4383]

When I go to your link it says this plugin is not supported! so now I can't play your game can you fix it some how?!

[@wallyevans3320]

Thank you for this method this helped me immediately!

[@danielcook251]

These have always frustrated me, This really helped me and now I can solve fast, Thank you again!

[@MCKyera]

But what if the last 3 don't solve automatically?!

[@shiro1598]

dude you're a god

[@philiplissel3231]

Cant get the last three on my puzzle for some reason

[@hbmummy06]

Thank you! Worked out my puzzle was incorrect and fixed it 🌟

[@edenchia8971]

how about the last three number? 9 10 11 15 13 14 12

[@gobrin4947]

Rewatch, if you still didn't get it, cause I did, and it worked

[@JustCubeIt]

If you have 1 2 3 solved, with 4 under 3, and the open spot to the left of the 4, move the 2 then 3 then 4 then whatever is in the 4 spot then move then in.

[@bookle5829]

I finally learned how to solve slide puzzle lmao

[@greenmemes4471]

A good tutorial. Solved my puzle ✌️

[@janinemujar9128]

Thanks for making this video! it really helped me a lot! :D Keep it up Steven!~

[@Casper-jx3vv]

just tried this on a puzzle I got for my birthday 2 years ago turns out it was not a valid sovleable puzzle had to pop a piece out on the last step where you have an empty space 11, 12 and 15

[@AdamNakonieczny]

Thank you! it was my nightmare when I was a kid. Maybe I'm not smarter now, but at least I can solve it :)!

[@theiojo9253]

I almost solved one but the last three pieces (15,12,11) are messed up. No matter what I do i can't put them correctly

[@litetrevlig]

Thanks! Wonderful method.

[@ChrisJeanSpears]

Thank you so much for this! I never understood how to solve a puzzle like this before now :D

[@________________8872]

great video. all puzzles like this are easy now lol

[@SzymekCSC]

Over a minute!

[@nathandev8110]

My P.B. on the 4x4 is 16 seconds and 3 sec on the 3x3 You should try the app on google play - SLIDE PUZZLE - It is developed by panagola This is one of my best puzzles along with the rubiks cube in which i currently have a p.b. of 23 secs ✌

[@carbonatedsuaceyt4124]

I can reliably get under 40 seconds thanks bro

[@shaunzhang733]

Followed your guides, but I am stuck in this situation where 11 and 15 are both in row 3, and 12 is on row 4, can someone tell me how to solve a puzzle like this? Like the following example 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 13 14 12

[@maciejwicher6348]

It's pretty much impossible to get into that situation

[@maciejwicher6348]

No matter how hard I tried to get into that I couldn't manage to do it.

[@maciejwicher6348]

I've recorded how to solve 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 12 14 13

[@maciejwicher6348]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpiXp4aij7N7aMk

[@shaunzhang733]

@@maciejwicher6348 If you couldn't get into the situation that I described, then there's something wrong with the program. Note, I got into this situation on a programmed slider puzzle game I made myself.

[@ConcreteAngelx3]

I do the same way but then I sometimes get stuck with 11, 12 and 15.

[@ConcreteAngelx3]

I have 9,10, 11,15 (13 and 14 are in the correct spaces) so how do I move 11,12,15 to the correct spaces? It’s not automatic like you are saying

[@jjflippfive3642]

my best time with this method is 48 seconds my best time with my method is 42 seconds, but that's just so far, I've been getting faster.

[@jjflippfive3642]

my best time with a 3x3 is 16 seconds.

[@Juhinvr]

Do you want a cookie 5 years later?