Yarn Link is a connect the dots puzzle with a needlework look: glossy buttons, twisted threads of fuzzy yarn and a cloth on the table that changes as you play. Join each pair of buttons with a thread, keep the threads apart and leave no square bare. It is a calm, cozy puzzle for a few quiet minutes, and the levels are tricky enough to make you want just one more.

How to play Yarn Link

Each board has pairs of buttons, two of every color. Press one button and drag to the other one of the same color: a thread of yarn follows your finger and lays itself over the squares you pass. Let go on the matching button and the pair is joined. Join all the pairs and cover all the squares, and the level is done.

If you change your mind, press the end of a thread to carry on from there, or drag over another thread to cut it short. Undo takes back your last stroke, and Clear pulls every thread off the board so that you can begin again.

The rules in short

Every pair of buttons is joined by one thread. Two threads can never cross or share a square, and every square of the board has to be covered. In many pipe puzzles and flow puzzles it is enough to join the pairs. Here you have to fill the whole board, so each thread has to leave room for the others, and the puzzle is about finding the one tidy way that fits them all.

Tips for connect the dots puzzles

Start where there is least choice. A button in a corner has only two ways out, and a button on an edge only three, so begin with those threads. A corner square that is not a button has to be passed by a thread that turns right through it, and that already tells you two squares of that thread. A square with only one free neighbour can only be the end of a thread, so if it is not a button, something has to change.

Hug the edges. A thread that runs along the border keeps the middle of the board open for the others, and a thread that cuts across the middle often splits the board into two parts that cannot both be filled. After every thread, look at the bare squares: if one is sealed off from the rest, or sits alone with no free neighbour, undo and try another way round.

When you are stuck, step away for a moment. Many boards look impossible until you notice that a different thread has to give way. The hint is there for the very hard boards, and you can use it as a way to learn: watch where the thread it stitches goes, and why.

Chapters, levels and new tricks

There are nearly 300 levels in ten chapters, and a level opens when you solve the one two before it, so a tricky one never blocks the way. The boards grow from 4x4 to 10x10, and the number of colors grows from three to nine. Along the way the game brings in new ideas one at a time, and explains each the first time you meet it.

Sprout: the first boards

Square boards that start tiny, with only three colors, and grow gently, to learn how a thread behaves and what the rules feel like.

Hollow: boards with holes

Some squares are missing, so boards come in shapes such as a diamond, a heart, a donut, a plus or an hourglass. Only the squares that are there need a thread, and the holes change where a thread can turn.

Crossings: bridges

Two threads may cross on a bridge: one goes across, the other goes up and down. A thread has to go straight over a bridge, with no turning on it, which makes the bridge a clever way to let two threads trade places.

Fences: stitched walls

A thick stitched seam between two squares is a wall that no thread can cross, so the threads have to go around. Walls take away choices, so they make a board tighter.

Portals: rings in pairs

A thread that goes into a ring comes out of the matching ring somewhere else on the board. Both rings belong to the thread that used them, so they count as covered. Portals are the tricks that let a thread jump across the board.

Ink: marked squares

A square with a colored patch can only be used by the thread of that color, so every other thread has to keep out. Ink gives you strong clues about where a thread has to go.

Tangle, Wormhole, Grand and Master

The later chapters mix the tricks: bridges next to walls, portals next to ink, boards with holes and bridges at the same time. The last two chapters, Grand and Master, are the biggest boards with the most threads, for people who like a long think.

Hints, undo and gold buttons

When you are stuck, press Hint: the game stitches one thread for you and shows where it goes. There is no solve button, because the fun is in finding the route yourself, and hints are meant to unstick you rather than to finish the board for you. For every level you earn up to three gold buttons: three for no hints and a tidy finish, two for one hint or a few extra strokes, and fewer for more hints. The game keeps your best number of strokes and your quickest time on each level.

A new daily puzzle

Every day there is a new daily Yarn Link board, the same for everyone that day. It gets bigger and trickier through the week: a small square on Monday, then boards with holes, bridges and portals, and a large board on Sunday. Solve it each day to grow your streak.

Gold buttons open new cloths

The gold buttons you collect open new cloths for the game table: Linen, Blue Gingham, Denim, Green Felt, Plum Calico and Wool Knit. Each one has its own colors and texture, so the game slowly changes its look as you play.

Play online on your phone or computer

This free puzzle game opens right on this page, with nothing to download and no account to make. On a phone or tablet you drag a thread with your finger. On a computer you drag with the mouse, and you can press U for undo, H for a hint and C to clear the board. There is no time limit, and your game is saved automatically, so you can leave in the middle of a level and come back to it later.

Questions

Is Yarn Link free to play?

Yes. It is free, there is nothing to download and you do not need an account. Your gold buttons, best strokes and daily streak are saved on your device automatically.

How do you play Yarn Link?

Press one of the buttons and drag your finger or mouse to the button of the same color. The thread follows you and stays on the squares you pass. Join all the pairs, and make sure that every square of the board has a thread on it.

What are the rules of this connect the dots puzzle?

There are three rules. Every pair of matching buttons is joined by one thread. Threads cannot cross each other or share a square. And every square of the board has to be covered, so no square is left bare. That is all, and it stays the same on the tiny first boards and on the biggest ones.

Do I have to fill every square?

Yes. In some versions of this kind of puzzle you only have to join the pairs. Here you have to cover the whole board as well, which is what turns it into a planning puzzle: a thread that takes a lazy short cut leaves a square that nothing can reach.

Is this a flow puzzle, a pipe puzzle or a number link puzzle?

It belongs to the same family. Pipe puzzles, flow puzzles and number link puzzles all ask you to join pairs of endpoints with paths that cannot cross. Here the paths are threads of yarn and the endpoints are buttons, with no numbers to read.

How many levels are there?

Nearly 300 levels in ten chapters, and a new daily puzzle on top of them. They begin on a 4x4 board with three colors and end on boards of up to 10x10 with nine colors and several tricks at once.

Are the levels easy or hard?

Both. The first chapter is made for a first-time player: it starts with tiny boards and only three colors, and grows gently. Every chapter after it adds a new idea or a bigger board, and the last chapters, Grand and Master, are real challenges. A level opens when you solve the one two before it, so a tricky one can be skipped and come back to later.

What are bridges, fences, portals and ink?

Bridges let two threads cross: one goes across, the other goes up and down, and a thread has to go straight over a bridge. Fences are stitched walls that a thread cannot pass. Portals are pairs of rings: a thread that goes into one comes out of the other. Ink marks a square that only the thread of that color may use. Each one is explained the first time you meet it.

Are there boards with holes in them?

Yes. From the second chapter on, some boards are shaped like a diamond, a heart, a donut or a plus, with missing squares. Only the squares that are there need a thread.

Is there a daily puzzle?

Yes. A new daily Yarn Link puzzle appears every day, the same for everyone that day. It gets bigger and trickier through the week, from a small square on Monday to a large board on Sunday. Solve it each day to grow your streak.

Is there a hint, an undo and a clear button?

Yes, all three. Undo takes back your last stroke, Clear pulls every thread off the board and Hint stitches one thread for you. On a computer you can also press U, H and C. A puzzle solved with no hints and few strokes earns three gold buttons.

What are gold buttons and what do they unlock?

Gold buttons are your score for a level: three for no hints and a tidy finish, two for one hint or a few extra strokes, and fewer for more hints. The gold buttons you collect open new cloths for the table, from Linen and Blue Gingham to Denim, Green Felt, Plum Calico and Wool Knit.

Is there a time limit?

No. Nothing runs out and nobody rushes you, so you can stop and think, or leave in the middle of a level and come back to it later.

Can I play Yarn Link on my phone?

Yes. It works on phones, tablets and computers. On a touch screen you drag a thread with your finger, and on a computer you drag with the mouse. Your game is saved automatically.

Is it a good puzzle for kids?

The first boards are small, have only three or four colors and need no reading, so many children enjoy them. Adults can climb to the big boards for a real brain workout.

Is it a good brain game?

It is a gentle one. You plan where each thread will go, spot the squares that are hard to reach and think a few moves ahead, with no timer on you.

Can I print Yarn Link puzzles or get a pdf?

Not at the moment. This is a game made to be played on screen: you drag threads, undo them, ask for hints and collect gold buttons, so there are no printable sheets and no pdf to download.

Is there an app to download?

There is nothing to install. The game opens in your browser, works on a phone much like an app would, and keeps your progress on your device, so you can close the page and continue later.

Is this a cute, aesthetic puzzle game?

That is the idea. The buttons are glossy, the yarn is twisted and soft, and the board sits on a cloth that changes as you collect gold buttons. It is made to feel like a cozy little break with a needlework basket, not a test.