Puzzle · 40-second runs

Flow Merge

Slide through 3 or more touching orbs of one color — diagonals count — then let go to pour them into the last one. Long chains forge bombs and rainbows, quick merges stack a combo, and your score is your longest chain.

Connect3+ orbs of one color, any direction. Slide back to undo.
Forge6-chain makes a bomb. 8-chain makes a rainbow that links any color.
Level upLevel targets add seconds. Chains of 6+ add +1s.
Plan around stonesFrom level 3, stones land on the board and block chains. Merge right next to one (up, down or sideways) to crack it for +1s.

∞ UnlimitedNo timer · own leaderboard · up to 200 XP

About Flow Merge

Flow Merge is a connect-the-dots style merge puzzle. Link touching orbs of the same color into a chain and let go to pour them into the last orb.

How to play

Chains need at least three orbs and can run in any direction, including diagonals. Slide back to undo the last link.
Long chains forge special orbs: six makes a bomb and eight makes a rainbow. Quick merges build a combo.
Your score is your longest chain in the round. If no moves are left, the board shuffles itself.

Controls

Press an orb and slide your finger or mouse through matching neighbours, then release to merge.

Good to know

Free to play, no account needed. Plays in any modern browser on phone, tablet or computer. Sign in to put your scores on the Flow Merge leaderboard.

More about Flow Merge

Flow Merge is a short, timed puzzle about planning chains before you draw them. The board is a six-by-eight grid of colored orbs, and you want to see the longest path of one color rather than the nearest match. Because orbs fall and refill after every merge, the best players look one move ahead at what the board will look like afterward.

A run lasts 40 seconds, with more time added as you clear levels. From level 3, gray stones start landing on the board and block your chains. Merging next to a stone, or blasting it with a bomb, cracks it and wins a second back. If the board ever has no chain of three left, it shuffles itself, and if you hesitate for a moment the game lights up the longest available chain.

Scoring and progress

The leaderboard score is your longest chain in a run, and a best is saved for each difficulty: Easy uses four colors, Medium five and Hard six. A chain is worth length × (length − 1) × 5 points, so longer chains pay far more, and merging again within about two seconds stacks a combo that adds 20 percent per step up to 2.6 times. Grades from S to D are based on your longest chain.

Common questions

What happens when no moves are left?
The board shuffles itself and shows a short notice, so you never get stuck.

Why does the game end even if I am doing well?
The run is on a clock. You can extend it by clearing levels, merging long chains and cracking stones, but it stops when time hits zero. Unlimited mode removes the timer.

Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Use the arrow keys to move, Space to start and finish a chain, Backspace to cancel and P to pause.

Tips and strategy

Look for the biggest cluster of one color, not the closest. A six-orb chain forges a bomb, and a bomb is worth more than two quick three-orb merges.
Chain through a bomb to blast the eight orbs around it. That clears space and adds bonus points, and it can crack nearby stones.
Use a rainbow orb as a bridge. It links to any color, so it can join two separate groups into one very long chain.
Keep merging at a steady pace. The combo window is only a couple of seconds, so planning the next chain while the board settles keeps your multiplier alive.
Long chains are also a time source: chains of six or more add a second, and each level you clear adds more, with earlier levels adding the most.
If you drag too far, slide back over the last orb to undo a link. Cancel with Backspace or release on fewer than three orbs if the chain is not worth it.

More advice in the Streaky guides.

More games like Flow Merge