Marbles Sorting

0 Played

About Marbles Sorting

Marbles Sorting is a colour sorting puzzle played with marbles and tubes. The marbles start jumbled across several tubes and your job is to move them one at a time until each tube holds only a single colour. The rules are minimal, which is what makes it work: you can only move the top marble of a tube, and only onto a matching colour or into empty space. Everything else follows from that. A puzzle that looks nearly finished can lock up completely because of one marble placed two moves ago, so the game rewards thinking a few steps ahead. It is quiet, undemanding and easy to play in short sessions, which is why sorting puzzles have become such a common way to pass a few minutes.

How to Play Marbles Sorting

Click or tap a tube to lift its top marble, then click or tap another tube to drop the marble in. A marble can only be placed on a marble of the same colour or into an empty tube. Tapping the same tube again puts the marble back. Most levels include an undo or restart if you reach a dead end.

Tips and Tricks

Keep at least one tube completely empty for as long as you can. It is your only room to manoeuvre when a puzzle tightens up.
Finish a colour completely before starting another. Half sorted tubes take up space and give you nothing.
Look under the top marble before you move it. Uncovering a colour you have nowhere to put is how most levels lock.
If you reach a dead end, restart rather than shuffling. A locked board rarely recovers, and a fresh attempt takes less time.