Game guide
How to play Pipes
In Pipes, every cell holds a piece of pipe. Rotate the pieces until the water from the source, in the center, reaches every cell, with no open ends.
Updated on October 5, 2026
The rules in 3 lines
- 01
Rotate the pieces
Each tap rotates a piece 90°. Pieces never move from their cell.
- 02
Water comes from the source
Everything connected to the source, in the center, fills with water right away.
- 03
Whole network, no open ends
The level ends when every cell has water and no pipe points at the edge or at nothing.
How to play
On your phone
- Tap a piece to rotate it clockwise.
- A long press rotates it the other way.
- The circles are endpoints and light up when the water reaches them.
- Restart and Hint sit below the grid; the Hint turns one piece to its right position and locks it.
On a keyboard
- ← ↑ → ↓ move between cells.
- Enter or Space rotate clockwise; Shift + Enter rotates the other way.
- With a mouse, the right button rotates the other way.
Step-by-step example
A nearly finished 3×3 network, with the source in the center:
Before
After 2 taps
Beginner strategies
- Start with the edges. A piece on the edge cannot point outward; often only one position works.
- Solve the corners first. In a corner two directions are forbidden, so the piece nearly solves itself.
- Endpoints never join endpoints. Two neighboring circles cannot point at each other, or they are cut off from the source.
- Follow the water. Rotate the pieces right after the wet part; each correct piece carries the water further.
Common mistakes
- Closing a loop. The right network has no loops: if water goes in a circle, some piece is rotated wrong.
- Thinking water everywhere is enough. There can be no open ends either, not even on a wet cell.
- Rotating blindly. Before tapping, think about which way the piece needs to face; every tap counts on the scoreboard.
Levels and scoring
The levels never run out: the grid grows from 3×3 to 7×7. Every level has a solution, and level 10 is the same for everyone. The scoreboard shows your rotations (the Hint’s count too) and how many cells have water. Your best is the number of levels completed.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The network is created fully connected, and only then are the pieces rotated at random.
It is “Net”, from Simon Tatham’s puzzle collection (MIT license). The code here was written by us.
Completed levels are saved on this device. A level left halfway starts over.
Playing makes you better at building networks in this game. There is no evidence it changes your IQ.
IQNorth games are a pastime with a challenge. Practice makes you better at this game; it does not raise your IQ or your memory, and nothing here is a consultation with a psychologist. The games are in the member area.
Guides for the other games
Sudoku · Word search · Sun and Moon · Colors · Sequence · 2048 · Challenges · Blocks · Pairs · One Line · Shape Fit · Sum Maze
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