Spot the Difference

Spot the Difference puts two pictures side by side and asks one question: what changed? Play Spot the Difference online free in your browser, with no download or sign-up. Every scene is drawn fresh by the game, from a sunny park to a kitchen counter, the sea floor, a busy city street, outer space and the beach, so there is always a new picture to study.

How to play

Picture A is the original. Picture B has a set number of changes hidden in it, and the counter at the top tells you how many are left.

• Tap or click a change in either picture. A correct find is circled in green on both pictures.
• A tap on the wrong spot shows a red X and costs 5 seconds.
• Stuck? The Hint button (or H) circles one difference for you in yellow. You get 3 hints per puzzle.
• Find every difference before the clock runs out to clear the picture. If time runs out, the ones you missed are circled in red so you can see what you overlooked.

The changes come in seven kinds: an object that disappeared, a new object that appeared, a new color, a bigger or smaller object, an object flipped to face the other way, a small detail such as a chimney, a ring around a planet or the hands of a clock, and an object that moved a short distance. Every change is checked by the game when the puzzle is built, so each one makes a visible change to the picture and no two differences sit on top of each other.

Game modes

• Levels: 24 fixed puzzles. Levels 1 to 4 have 5 differences, and each block of four adds one more, up to 10 in levels 21 to 24. Later levels use smaller and subtler changes, such as a slight shift in position or a color that is closer to the original. You earn up to 3 stars per level: lose one for using a hint and one for 3 or more wrong taps.
• Daily puzzle: one new picture each day with 8 differences, built from the date. Here the clock counts up instead of down. A wrong tap adds 5 seconds and a hint adds 20, so your final time is your score. Solve it on consecutive days to build a daily streak.
• Endless: clear one picture after another. Each new picture gets a little harder and has more differences, up to 10. You have 3 hints for the whole run, and the run ends the first time the clock beats you.

Your stars, best times, daily streak and endless record are saved in your browser,. Pause with P or Esc. The pictures are hidden while the game is paused, so you can’t keep studying with the clock stopped.

Tips for finding differences faster

• Work in strips. Scan the sky, then the middle, then the ground. Looking at the whole picture at once lets small changes slip by.
• Count things. Count the clouds, fish or bottles in each picture. A missing or extra object shows up in the count before you spot it by eye.
• Check which way things face. Birds, cars, fish, boats and rockets can be mirrored. Look at where the head, beak or nose points.
• Look at the small parts. In later levels the change might be a chimney, a stripe on a fish, a flag on a sandcastle or the light on a traffic signal.
• Don’t guess. A wrong tap costs 5 seconds and can cost a star. If you are down to the last one, a hint is often cheaper than three wild taps.

FAQ

Is Spot the Difference free to play?

Yes. It’s free with no account and no install. All 24 levels, the daily puzzle and endless mode are open to everyone, and new levels unlock as you clear the ones before them.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. On a narrow screen the two pictures stack one above the other, and you tap a difference in either one. On a wide screen they sit side by side.

Does everyone get the same daily puzzle?

The scene is. The daily picture is built from the date, so everyone who plays on the same day searches the same park, kitchen, sea floor, street, space scene or beach. Your own result for the day is saved, and solving it on consecutive days builds your streak.

How many differences are there?

Between 5 and 10. Early levels have 5, the daily puzzle has 8, and the last levels and later endless pictures have 10.

Like puzzles that test your eyes and memory? Try Memory Match or Visual Memory, or browse our list of the best spot the difference games you can play in a browser.