How to Play Sokoban

THE PLAYBOOK · CCTGJX

Find your footing in Sokoban

Try Sokoban at your own pace and keep its objective in view. Push every crate onto a target. Check the relevant rule before repeating a move. Read the objective before making your first input. Look at what changes after your first action.

Push two crates onto their targets in compact 7×7 rooms. The starting layouts can be solved; an unhelpful push may still trap a crate.

Bring this focus to a round

Take enough time to read a new position. If a game has a timer, learn its controls first rather than searching for them during the round. Make the next step deliberately.

What you need to achieve

Push every crate onto a target. Read that aim before choosing your first action. The example below illustrates a decision.

How a round unfolds

1. Move through empty floor.
2. Push one crate into empty space.
3. Never pull or push two at once.
4. Undo a deadlock and continue.

Your inputs

Arrow keys or direction buttons. On a smaller screen, keep the active part of the board within view. A new-round button replaces the current round.

Try this example

A crate in a non-target corner cannot be recovered by pulling. Your next round may have a different position, so inspect it before acting. Verify the rule before continuing.

An important reminder

Consider the player’s access behind crates. Read the feedback to see why an action did not have the expected result. Read one step at a time and try it on the playing area. Match the instruction to the control you use.

Helpful answers for players