A complete guide to the rules, strategies, and common patterns of minesweeper.
Minesweeper is a classic logic puzzle game where your goal is to reveal all safe cells on a grid without detonating any hidden mines. This guide covers everything you need to know to start playing Bean Boom — a free online minesweeper game with a unique bead art style.
The game board is a grid of covered cells. Beneath some cells are mines (also called bombs). Your job is to reveal every cell that does not contain a mine.
The first click is always safe — you will never hit a mine on your first reveal.
When you reveal a safe cell, it may show a number from 1 to 8. This number tells you exactly how many mines are hidden in the eight surrounding cells (including diagonals).
By combining the numbers from multiple cells, you can deduce exactly where mines are and where it is safe to click.
Once you are confident a cell contains a mine, flag it so you don't accidentally click it later. Flagging is optional — you win by revealing all safe cells, not by flagging all mines — but it helps you keep track.
In Bean Boom, you can switch between Reveal mode and Flag mode using the buttons above the game board, or use right-click on desktop and long-press on mobile.
Experienced players recognize recurring number patterns that make it easy to identify mines and safe cells:
If two "1" cells are next to each other along a wall or edge, and one adjacent cell is already revealed, the mine must be under the unrevealed cell next to the "1" that has fewer unknown neighbors.
If you see a "1" next to a "2" along a straight edge, the cell beyond the "2" is always a mine. The "1" is satisfied by the mine next to the "2", and the "2" needs one more mine further along.
A corner cell has only three neighbors. If a "1" is in the corner, the mine is among those three cells. Use adjacent numbers to narrow it down further.
Yes. In Bean Boom, your first reveal will never hit a mine. The board is generated after your first click to ensure this.
Easy has fewer mines and a smaller board, making it perfect for beginners. Medium adds more mines. Hard has the highest mine density for a real challenge.
No. You win by revealing all safe cells. Flagging is just a tool to help you remember where mines are.
Yes. Bean Boom works on mobile browsers with touch controls — tap to reveal, long-press to flag.