Crab Game

Crab Game is a cute beach puzzle about a little hermit crab with big plans. Scuttle sideways across tide pool boards, climb rocks to change rows, and step into bigger and bigger shells until you reach the roomiest one on the beach. Play Crab Game free online in your browser, with no download or sign-up, on desktop or on your phone. There are 20 handcrafted levels, and a computer solver has checked every one.

How to play

The game is turn-based: the tide and the gulls only advance when you move or wait.

• Crabs walk sideways. On sand, the crab moves only left or right. It can go up or down only by climbing onto a rock or stepping down off one, so rocks work like ladders between rows. Deep pools can’t be crossed.
• Grow into bigger shells. Step into a shell exactly one size bigger than yours to swap into it: a size 1 crab takes a size 2 shell, then a size 3. A shell that is still too big blocks the square.
• Reach the biggest shell on the board to clear the level, and collect the sea glass along the way.
• The tide rises on a timer. When the Tide counter runs out, the low wet sand floods. On some boards it rises a second time and covers the dry sand too. Rocks always stay dry, but a crab on sand that floods is swept away.
• Gulls swoop on a timer. A gull icon beside a row or above a column counts down to its swoop, and the line darkens one move before. Be in seaweed or out of that line when it hits. Wait (or Space) passes a move, but the tide keeps counting.

Stars: one for reaching the biggest shell, one for collecting every piece of sea glass, and one for doing both in par moves or fewer. Par is the fewest moves possible with all the glass, found by a solver that tries every route. Undo works even after a gull or the tide gets you, and your stars and unlocked levels are saved in your browser.

Tips for a three-star tide pool

• Plan your rows first. Find the rocks that link the row you’re on to the row you need, then count the steps.
• Mind the shell order. A big shell in a corridor is a wall until you’ve grown, so the first job may be a detour to a smaller shell.
• Visit the wet sand early. Glass and shells on low sand go under once the tide rises.
• Count to the next swoop. Gulls never change their timing, so check each counter before you step into its line.
• Grab the glass before the last shell. Stepping into the biggest shell ends the level right away.

Real hermit crab facts

Hermit crabs aren’t true crabs. They are more closely related to squat lobsters and porcelain crabs, and there are over 800 species. Most have a soft, curled abdomen that they protect inside an empty shell, usually one left by a sea snail. As a hermit crab grows it needs a larger shell, and some species line up from largest to smallest to swap shells in what is called a vacancy chain. Many crabs run sideways, though others walk forward. Here, the sideways walk is a puzzle rule.

FAQ

Is Crab Game free to play?

Yes. It’s completely free with no account and no install.

How many levels are there?

Twenty. The first ones teach the sideways walk, rocks and shell sizes, then the tide, gulls and seaweed arrive one at a time before the later boards mix them together. Each level unlocks when you clear the one before it.

Is every level solvable?

Yes. A computer search explored every reachable position on every level, including the tide and gull timings, and confirmed that each par is the true minimum, so three stars are always possible.

Why can’t my crab move up?

On sand the crab only walks sideways. Move next to a rock and climb onto it first. The up and down buttons fade when that move isn’t available.

Does it work on a phone or Chromebook?

Yes. On touch screens, swipe on the board, tap a square next to the crab, or use the arrow and Wait buttons. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys or WASD, Space to wait, Z to undo and R to restart.

Like grid puzzles with animals? Lead a line of ducklings home in Duck Game, or push crates into place in Sokoban.