About Water Sort
Water Sort is one of the most popular color-sorting puzzles on phones. Our version adds a satisfying pouring animation, where the bottle tilts over its target and a stream of color flows in, and five difficulties built around bottle size.
It is a timed rush: sort as many levels as you can in about three minutes, with every sorted level adding a little time back. That keeps it fast-paced without losing the "think before you pour" feel.
Water Sort at a glance
| Genre | Sort game |
|---|---|
| Price | Free, no download or sign-up |
| Controls | Tap |
| Typical game length | About 3 minutes |
| Lives | None (timed) |
| Works on | Phones, tablets and computers, in any modern browser |
| Daily challenge | Yes, the same puzzle for everyone each day |
How to play Water Sort
- Tap a bottle. It lifts to show it is selected.
- Tap where to pour. The top color pours into the second bottle.
- Match colors. Color can only go onto the same color, or into an empty bottle.
- Sort every bottle. When each bottle holds one color, the level is done.
Rules
- A pour moves as many layers of the top color as will fit.
- You cannot pour onto a different color.
- Every sorted level adds bonus seconds, and every two levels earns a free booster.
- If you run out of moves, use a booster or restart the level.
Levels and difficulty
Easy uses small 3-layer bottles and extra time. Medium uses the classic 4-layer bottles. Hard switches to big 5-layer bottles. Expert keeps big bottles but hides the colors below the top layer until they are uncovered, and Insane combines huge 6-layer bottles with hidden colors.
Scoring
Each sorted level scores points based on how many colors and layers it had, with a bonus for sorting in few moves. Harder difficulties multiply the score. Daily challenge scores can be shared with friends.
Tips and strategy for Water Sort
- Use empty bottles as parking spaces, not as final homes, until you know which color belongs there.
- Before pouring, check what the move uncovers. The best pours reveal a color you can finish.
- Try to complete one bottle early: a finished bottle simplifies everything else.
- On hidden-color levels, uncover the bottles with the most hidden layers first.
- Save the Shuffle booster for when you are genuinely stuck, and use Undo for single mistakes.
How we built and tested Water Sort
Every level is checked by a solver before you see it, so no board is ever impossible. We tested generation with bottle sizes from 3 to 6 layers and up to 11 colors, and levels are created and verified in a few milliseconds, even on phones. The Shuffle booster only accepts a new arrangement after the solver confirms it can still be completed.
Frequently asked questions
How many levels are there?
Levels keep coming until the timer runs out. Each one adds more colors.
What are hidden colors?
On Expert and Insane, layers below the top show as gray question marks until they reach the top of their bottle.
What do the boosters do?
Undo takes back your last pour, Bottle adds an empty bottle, and Shuffle remixes the unsorted bottles into a new solvable layout.
Is every level solvable?
Yes. Each level is verified by a solver before it appears.