Ball Sort

Pour matching balls into the same tube

Offline

Play against bots, no connection needed.

Difficulty

How to play

  • Pour all balls of the same color into one tube. Each tube holds 4 balls, and you win when every color fills a tube of its own.
  • Tap a tube to pick up its top balls, then tap another tube to pour them in, or simply drag. You can only pour into an empty tube or onto a ball of the same color. Matching balls stacked on top pour together; if they don't all fit, only as many as fit are poured.
  • Each color has its own symbol, so check the symbols if colors are hard to tell apart. Every puzzle is verified solvable, but wrong pours can still lead to a dead end.
  • Undo is unlimited, and you can restart the puzzle. Hint shows the next move toward a solution. You can add one empty tube per game, but doing so excludes that game from your fewest-moves record.
  • Difficulty sets the number of colors: Easy 4, Normal 7, Hard 10, Expert 12, each with 2 extra empty tubes. Each game lasts up to 60 minutes. This device keeps your fewest moves for each difficulty.

Playing guide

These options and rules describe the current JoyPip version. Choose a mode above before starting; rules are also available during play.

Worked examples and tips

Tube 3 has two blue balls together on top, and tube 6 also has a blue ball on top with two spaces free. Tap tube 3 and then tube 6: both blue balls pour across together. That takes fewer moves than splitting them into an empty tube, so save empty tubes for when you really need room to maneuver.

Practice options

Difficulty
Easy · 4 colors · Normal · 7 colors · Hard · 10 colors · Expert · 12 colors

Detailed rules and controls

Controls
  • Tap: tap a tube to pick up its top balls, then tap the target tube to pour. Tap the same tube again to put them back. Tubes you can pour into are highlighted.
  • Drag: press a tube, drag it onto the target tube and release.
  • Keyboard: arrow keys move between tubes, Enter or Space picks up or pours, Esc puts the balls back.
  • Hints come from a solver, so following them always leads to a solution. If the position can no longer be solved, you'll be prompted to undo or restart.
Move count
  • Each pour counts as one move. Undo takes moves back and restarting resets the count to zero, while the timer keeps running.
  • Adding an empty tube doesn't count as a move, but that game won't count toward your fewest-moves record.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a download or a linked email?

Play directly in your browser without a download. Linking email is an optional way to recover your account. Before clearing browser data, consider whether you need to keep your account or local records.

Do matches earn or spend coins?

Earn coins by checking in and spend them on cosmetics. Matches never cost or award coins.

Report a problem

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