What are sorting games?
A sorting game gives you a set of containers, such as glass tubes, bolts or garages, filled with mixed colours, plus one or two empty containers to work with. You can only put a piece on top of the same colour or into an empty space. The puzzle is in the order of the moves: one careless move can block the only empty tube, while a good sequence clears the board in a handful of taps. There is no reflex test and nothing to aim, which is why sorting games are popular as a calm break and as a brain teaser.
The idea comes in several forms. In a ball sort you move coloured balls between tubes. A water sort (also called liquid sort or color sort) does the same with layers of liquid, poured one layer at a time. Newer games swap the tubes for other objects: hex nuts on bolts, cars in garages, balls of yarn, or stacks of hexagon tiles that merge on a honeycomb board.
The sorting games on this site
| Game | Type | Timer | Move rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Sort Game | Relaxed ball sort | No clock or move limit seen | One ball per move |
| Nut Sort | Nut and bolt sort | No clock or move limit seen | Same-coloured nuts on top move together |
| Car Sort | Car parking sort | No level clock seen; a timer by the hearts counts down | Tap a garage; front cars drive out and park by colour |
| Ball Sort 2D | Ball sort puzzle | No clock or move limit seen | One ball per move; same colour or empty tube only |
| Bubble Sorting Infinite Remastered | Timed ball sort | Countdown per level (about 1:04 on level 1, 2:00 on level 2) | Matching bubbles on top move together |
| Liquid Sort Deluxe | Timed water sort | Countdown per level (about 30 s on level 1) | Pour the whole top layer onto the same colour or into an empty tube |
| Hexa Color Sort | Hexagon stack sort | No clock seen on level 1 | Drag a stack onto an empty cell; matching tiles merge |
| Wool Sort | Yarn ball sort | No clock seen; stars depend on moves | A run of matching balls moves together as one move |
Which sorting game should you play?
For a classic ball sort
Ball Sort 2D is the cleanest version: grey background, four-ball tubes, Easy, Medium and Hard level lists, and an undo arrow. It moves one ball per tap, which makes it the most traditional of the group. Ball Sort Game is the friendliest for younger players, with big beach-ball artwork and simple red-and-blue first levels. Our ball sort puzzle guide compares the ball games in detail.
For a challenge against the clock
Bubble Sorting Infinite Remastered and Liquid Sort Deluxe put a countdown on every level. Level 1 of Liquid Sort Deluxe gave us about 30 seconds, and Bubble Sorting Infinite Remastered gave about a minute, rising to two minutes on level 2. When time runs out, both offer extra time in exchange for watching an ad, or you can simply start the level again.
For fewer moves and three stars
Wool Sort scores you on moves. Each level shows two targets (on level 1, 14 moves or fewer for three stars and 18 for two), and a group of same-coloured yarn balls moves as one move, so planning really pays. It also has three difficulties, Cozy, Crafty and Master, and a limited number of undos and hints.
For something different
Nut Sort uses 3D hex nuts that screw down onto bolts and starts playing the moment it loads. Car Sort has you tap garages so that cars drive out onto a small road and park by colour, and it unlocks new cars for a collection as you win. Hexa Color Sort is closest to a merge game: you drag stacks of hexagon tiles onto a board, matching colours slide together, and tall single-colour stacks clear to fill a level bar.
How to get better at sorting puzzles
- Protect the empty tube. An empty container is the only place any colour can go. Fill it only when you know what comes next.
- Finish the nearest colour first. A tube that is one piece away from complete frees up space as soon as it is done.
- Know your game's move rule. Some games move one piece per tap (Ball Sort 2D, Ball Sort Game); others move a whole run of matching pieces together (Wool Sort, Nut Sort, Bubble Sorting Infinite Remastered, Liquid Sort Deluxe). The second kind saves moves but can overfill a tube.
- Use undo before restart. Most of these games have undo, sometimes with a limited count. A single step back is often enough.
- Read the clock first. In the timed games, look at the countdown as soon as the level opens.
Playing sorting games on phones and tablets
All of these games are played with taps or clicks, so they work on touch screens as well as with a mouse. Hexa Color Sort is the only one here that uses drag and drop. Some games are laid out in portrait, which leaves dark bars on each side on a wide monitor; the Fullscreen button under every game gives you a bigger view. Like every game on PlayHoleGames, they are free and run in a normal browser tab.
Prefer games where you eat the world instead of tidying it? Our hole games and black hole games are on the home page.
Sorting games FAQ
What are sorting games?
Colour puzzles where you move balls, liquid or other pieces between containers until each container holds one colour.
Are these sorting games free?
Yes. All of them are free to play in your browser, with no download and no account. The games are funded by ads shown by the game platform.
Which sorting games have no timer?
In our tests we saw no level clock in Ball Sort 2D, Ball Sort Game, Nut Sort, Car Sort, Wool Sort and on level 1 of Hexa Color Sort. Car Sort does show a separate timer next to its hearts. Bubble Sorting Infinite Remastered and Liquid Sort Deluxe have a countdown on each level.
What is the difference between ball sort and water sort?
Ball sort moves coloured balls between tubes; water sort pours layers of coloured liquid. The rule is the same: only onto the same colour or into an empty tube.
Do sorting games work on mobile?
Yes. They are controlled by tapping (or dragging, in Hexa Color Sort), so they work on phones and tablets.