How to play Boop Sort
Boop Sort is a calm sorting puzzle: jars full of mixed-up critters, and you put every colour in a jar of its own.
The goal
Each jar holds four critters. Move them from jar to jar until every jar is either empty or full of one colour. A full jar closes its lid and its critters smile. Solve a level with few moves to earn three stars; the stars make your points, and your points are your score on the Top 50.
The rules
- Tap a jar: the critters of one colour on top hop up.
- Tap another jar to put them there. It must be empty, or have the same colour on top, and room for them.
- All the critters of that colour on top move together, as many as fit.
- Every level has two empty jars to help you, and every level can be solved.
Controls
| Action | Phone | Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Pick up and put down | Tap a jar, then another | Click, or the keys 1 to 9 and 0 |
| Undo a move | The Undo button | U |
| Start the level again | The Restart button | R |
| A hint | The Hint button | H |
| Top 50, sound | The buttons on screen | T, M |
What you will meet
- Easy levels to start with, then a new colour every ten-odd levels, up to ten colours and twelve jars.
- From level 40, sleepy critters: first the bottom one of each jar, from level 55 all the ones underneath, sleep and hide their colour. They wake up when they get to the top.
- Every critter has its colour's little mark on its belly (a dot, a star, a heart...), so colours that look alike can still be told apart.
- Stars: three within the level's number of moves, two a little over it. A hint or an extra jar gives at most two.
More to discover
- A daily challenge: the same puzzle for everyone today, on a board of its own. Fewer moves score more.
- Missions (three at a time) and 9 looks for your critters: a bow, a crown, cat ears and more.
- The first hint of a level is free. Hints and extra jars you collect (a daily gift that grows every day in a row, milestone levels) come next, then an ad gives another hint, or one more empty jar.
- The online Top 50 of the players with the most points.
Tips
- Keep an empty jar for as long as you can: it is your best help.
- Look for a colour that is already near the top of several jars, and gather it first.
- Stuck? Undo a few moves rather than restarting: the moves you take back still count.
About the game
Boop Sort is a calm sorting puzzle with a lot of personality. The jars are full of little critters of different colours, and your job is to give every colour a jar of its own. When a jar is full of one colour, the lid closes and the critters smile.
The first levels teach the rules gently. Then new colours and more jars arrive every ten-odd levels, and from level 40 sleepy critters hide their colour until they reach the top of the jar. Every critter has a little mark on its belly, such as a dot, a star or a heart, so colours that look alike can still be told apart.
There is no timer. You can think as long as you like, undo moves and ask for a hint when you are stuck. Stars reward solving a level in few moves, and the daily challenge gives everyone the same puzzle for the day.
Questions and answers
Can every level be solved?
Yes. Every level can be solved, and every level has two empty jars to help you.
How do I get three stars?
Solve the level within its number of moves. A little over it gives two stars. Using a hint or an extra jar gives at most two.
What are sleepy critters?
From level 40 the bottom critter of each jar sleeps and hides its colour, and from level 55 all the critters underneath do. They wake up when they get to the top.
Are hints free?
The first hint of every level is free. After that you can use hints and extra jars you have collected, or watch an optional ad for another one.
Articles about Boop Sort
-
How to solve sort puzzles: a guide to the harder levels of Boop Sort
Tips for colour sort puzzles: how to use empty jars, which colour to gather first, how to handle hidden colours and how to solve a level in few moves.
-
Daily challenges, ghosts and the Top 50: how playing together works on Boop Arcade
How the daily challenges, ghosts, missions and online Top 50 boards work on Boop Arcade, and how your name and progress are kept, without an account.
Recent updates
Version 1.0.0
- Boop Sort is here: tap a jar, then another, and fill every jar with one colour.
- Easy levels to start, then new colours as you go, and later sleepy critters that show their colour only on top.
- Daily challenge: the same puzzle for everyone today. Fewer moves score more.
- Top 50, missions and nine looks for your critters.