Color Sort

Color Sort (also called Water Sort, Tube Sort, or Sort Puzzle) is the deceptively simple mobile puzzle that took over app stores in 2021. Tubes filled with stacked layers of coloured liquid; pour from one to another; goal is one colour per tube. Restricted pour rules force you to think 3-4 moves ahead.

How to play

• Click a tube to pick up its top colour (it lifts up with a yellow border).
• Click another tube to pour. Destination must be empty OR have same colour on top with room.
• All consecutive layers of matching colour pour at once.
• Each tube holds 4 layers, and each puzzle starts with 2 extra empty tubes for shuffling.
• Goal: every tube empty or filled with 4 layers of a single colour.
• Every puzzle is a fresh random shuffle. Pick Easy (5 colours), Medium (7) or Hard (10); Next Puzzle after a win moves you up a level.
• Stuck? Add empty tube gives you an extra empty tube, as many times as you like. Your fewest-moves solve for each difficulty is saved in your browser; solves that used an added tube don’t count toward it.

Beginner strategy

• Don’t pour into mismatched colours. Sorting later will be a nightmare.
• Look at bottom layers first. Determines what eventually goes in each tube.
• Use empty tubes as buffer. Precious — don’t fill with first colour.
• Pour to match, not clear. Pouring to “get rid of” creates new problems.
• Plan a target tube per colour. Pick which tube holds which color.

Intermediate strategy

• Sequence multiple pours. Setting up sequential matches.
• Don’t fill a target tube prematurely. Save space for future pours.
• Identify “trapped” layers. Layers between mismatched colours need careful planning.
• Sometimes pour back and forth. To rearrange order.
• Use Undo. Step back as many moves as you need while learning the mechanic via trial-and-error.

Common mistakes

• Pouring randomly. Locked configurations result.
• Burning empty tubes. Empty = flexibility.
• Ignoring layer order. Layer beneath determines later moves.
• Pouring “to clear” without target. Creates messes.

FAQ

• Q: Can I pour mismatched colours? A: No — pour destination must be empty or have matching top colour.
• Q: What’s the goal? A: Each tube holds only one colour, or is empty.
• Q: Are there always solvable layouts? A: Puzzles are random shuffles, so solvability isn’t checked in advance. With two empty tubes nearly all of them can be solved, and if you get stuck you can add an extra empty tube or start a new puzzle.
• Q: Best strategy? A: Plan multi-pour sequences, preserve empty tubes, focus on target tubes per color.

For other puzzle games, try 2048, Tower of Hanoi, 15 Puzzle, or Block Puzzle.