Box Push
Swipe or arrow keys to move
What is Box Push?
Box Push is a free browser version of Sokoban, the warehouse puzzle from 1981. You move around a grid pushing crates onto marked squares, and the catch is in the physics: you can push a crate but never pull it. One crate shoved into a corner or flat against a wall can make a level unsolvable without you noticing for several moves, which is why the undo button is part of the game rather than a concession.
How to play Box Push
Controls: Swipe or arrow keys to move
- 1Swipe, or use the arrow keys, to move one square at a time.
- 2Walking into a crate pushes it one square in the same direction.
- 3A crate will not move if there is a wall or another crate directly behind it.
- 4Push every crate onto a marked square to clear the level.
- 5Tap Undo at the bottom if you push a crate somewhere it cannot come back from.
Box Push tips and strategy
- Never push a crate into a corner unless the corner is a marker. A cornered crate can never be moved again, and the level is over even though the game will let you keep playing.
- The same applies to walls. A crate flat against a wall can only slide along that wall, so if there is no marker on it, you have lost that crate.
- Work out which crate goes on which marker before you move anything. Solving Sokoban is mostly deciding the assignment; the pushing is the easy part.
- Do the crates furthest from your route first. Finishing a near crate early often leaves it blocking the path you needed for the far one.
Box Push FAQ
What is Sokoban?
Sokoban is a Japanese puzzle game from 1981 whose name means 'warehouse keeper'. You push crates around a warehouse onto marked storage squares. Box Push is a browser version of it, with eight hand-built levels.
Why can I not pull the crates?
Pushing only is the entire design. Being unable to undo a bad push in-world is what makes the puzzle hard, and it is why deciding where each crate is going before you move is more important than clever manoeuvring.
How do you know if a Sokoban level is ruined?
The usual signs are a crate pushed into a corner that is not a marker, or a crate flat against a wall with no marker along that wall. Either one is permanent, so if you spot it, undo rather than playing on.
Can I undo a move?
Yes, unlimited undo is available from the button at the bottom of the screen, or by pressing U or Z on a keyboard.
