How to Play Zip Game
Learn the rules, master the number path puzzle, and discover winning strategies for every grid size.
The Rules
Zip is a number path puzzle where you connect numbered cells in sequence while filling every space on the grid. Here's how to solve each puzzle:
- 1Start on cell 1 — Begin your path on the cell marked with the number 1.
- 2Draw through adjacent cells — Move up, down, left, or right. Diagonal moves are not allowed.
- 3Visit numbers in sequence — Pass through numbered cells in order: 1 → 2 → 3 and so on.
- 4Fill every cell — Your path must visit every cell on the grid exactly once.
- 5Avoid walls — Thick borders between cells are walls. Plan your route around them.
- 6Pass through waypoints — Cells marked with dots are waypoints. Your path must include all of them.
- 7End on the final number — Complete your path by reaching the highest numbered cell.
Pro Tips
Strategies to help you solve puzzles faster
Plan from both ends
Look at where 1 starts and where the final number ends. Plan your route to connect them through all cells.
Watch for dead ends
Walls can create corners. Make sure you don't trap yourself — check that cells remain reachable.
Visit waypoints early
The dots (waypoints) are mandatory. Plan to hit them while the path is still flexible.
Use drag for speed
Click and drag to draw quickly through multiple cells in one motion.
Undo freely
Click the second-to-last cell or use Undo to step back. Don't be afraid to backtrack!
Look for forced paths
Sometimes a cell only has one possible neighbor. Start with these obvious moves.
Worked examples — solving patterns step by step
The fastest way to internalise Zip is to watch the rules combine on a small board. Each example below isolates one pattern, shows the grid at every step, and points to the cell each rule is forcing.
Example 1 — Endpoint cell + wall forces the opening
Every Zip board has two cells whose role is fixed: cell 1 is where the path begins, and the highest-numbered cell is where it ends. Both have exactly one path edge attached to them — the start’s exit, and the end’s entry. That means whenever those endpoint cells have few neighbors, the first or last step is often forced before you draw anything else.
Step 1 — Look at the neighbors of cell 1
From (0,0) the only two adjacent cells are (0,1) to the right and (1,0) below. The wall between (0,0) and (0,1) rules out the rightward step entirely. With one option closed and the path obliged to leave cell 1, the move below it is the only legal first step.
Step 2 — Draw the forced step and reassess
Once you commit the forced step, cell (1,0) is now an interior cell of the path — it has an entry from above, so it needs exactly one exit. Repeating the same “count the open neighbors” check at each new path head is how most early-game cells get decided on Zip boards with walls.
Why this matters: the very first move on most walled boards is forced. Spending a few seconds scanning the endpoint cells before you start drawing is almost always worth it.
Example 2 — A wall barrier funnels the path through one passage
Walls do more than block a single step. When a row of walls separates one region of the grid from another, the “fill every cell” rule combines with the wall layout to dictate large stretches of the path in one shot — because every cell in the cut-off region has to be visited before the path crosses the only opening.
Step 1 — Identify the only opening
Row 0 is sealed off from row 1 everywhere except between cells (0,4)and (1,4). Every other vertical neighbour-pair between rows 0 and 1 is blocked. Whatever route the path takes, it has to cross row 0 through that single open edge.
Step 2 — The row-0 sweep is forced
Cell 1 starts the path in the top-left corner. Every cell in row 0 has to be visited, and the path can never come back through the wall barrier once it leaves. The only consistent order is to sweep row 0 left-to-right, exit at the column-4 opening, and continue into row 1. Six cells of the path nailed down by one wall-layout observation.
The takeaway: count the openings through any wall barrier. A barrier with one gap almost always pins down a long stretch of the path on whichever side has the endpoint cell.
Example 3 — Corner numbered cell forces both adjacent moves
A subtler rule combines two facts you already know: the path visits the numbered cells in order, and every cell along the path has either one or two path neighbours — one for the endpoints (cells 1 and the largest), two for every interior step. When an interior numbered cell sits at a corner, both of its neighbours are forced to be in the path the moment you spot it.
Step 1 — Count cell 3’s neighbours
Cell 3 is at (4,4). As a corner cell it has exactly two neighbours: (3,4) above and (4,3) to its left. Because cell 3 is not cell 1 (the start) and not the largest number (the end), it has to be an interior step of the path — and every interior step uses both of its path edges. With only two neighbours available, both are forced.
Step 2 — Sketch the local L-shape
You don’t need to know which neighbour is the entry yet — but you do know the path bends through cell 3 in an L. That fixes three consecutive cells of the eventual path before you’ve drawn anything else, and it constrains where cells 2 and 4 can sit (one must be reachable from (3,4), the other from (4,3)).
Generalise: any numbered cell that is neither cell 1 nor the largest number — and that sits at a corner — forces both of its neighbours. On edges (non-corner border cells) the same logic forces two of the three neighbours; you just have one extra option to rule out.
How to use these examples
Re-read each example without looking at the next board snapshot — try to spot the forced cell before you scroll. After a few read-throughs the patterns become instant recognition. Then play a few smaller Unlimited boards to drill the same forces at speed; the pattern muscle transfers directly to harder grid sizes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zip Game Unlimited the same as LinkedIn Zip?
No. LinkedIn Zip is LinkedIn's own daily game at linkedin.com/games/zip and requires a LinkedIn account. Zip Game Unlimited is an independent, free-to-play site built around the same puzzle rules.
Do I need to sign up to play?
No signup, no email, no download. The site runs in any modern browser and saves your progress locally on your device.
How do I play Zip Game?
Start on the cell marked 1, drag a single continuous path through the numbered cells in order, and finish when every cell on the grid is part of your path. Walls block your path where they appear.
Can I play past daily Zip puzzles?
Yes. Every past daily puzzle is in our archive. LinkedIn's own daily game has no archive, but ours does — replay any puzzle you missed.
What's the difference between Daily, Unlimited, and Progressive modes?
Daily is one shared curated puzzle per day that everyone sees. Unlimited serves vetted puzzles on demand at any grid size from 6×6 to 12×12. Progressive starts easy and ramps through the same curated puzzle pool as you climb.
What grid sizes can I play?
Zip Game Unlimited supports grid sizes from 6×6 up to 12×12. Start with 6×6 if you're new and work up to larger grids as you get faster.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The game is built for touch controls — drag your finger across cells to draw a path. It also works offline once the site has loaded.
Ready to Play?
Now that you know the rules, put your skills to the test with today's puzzle!
Play Daily Puzzle