A logic puzzle where numbers on the edge tell you how many cells in a row or column are filled in a row. Solved correctly, they reveal a picture. It is also known as Picross, Griddler or Hanjie.

Do I have to guess in nonograms?

No. Every puzzle here has a unique solution that can be found by logic alone. The tutorial shows you the techniques you need.

Are there easy nonograms for beginners?

Yes. The tutorial is five small 5×5 puzzles, and every pack starts with 5×5 and 10×10 before it moves on to 15×15 and 20×20.

Can I play nonograms on my phone?

Yes. The game runs in the browser on phone, tablet and PC, with no app and no download. Large puzzles can be zoomed with two fingers.

Yes. The tutorial and the first pack need no sign-up. A free account adds all packs, the big pictures and the gallery. There is nothing to buy.

Is my progress saved?

Yes, puzzles in progress are saved after every move – in the browser without an account, on the server with one, so you can continue on another device.

193 Free Nonograms Online – Picture Puzzles

Play 193 nonograms online for free

A nonogram (also called Griddler, Picross or Hanjie) is a picture puzzle with numbers: the clues next to each row and column tell you how many cells in a row are filled there. Satisfy every clue and a pixel picture slowly appears – a flower, a cup, an animal.

On PanicLines you play 193 nonograms for free in your browser, calmly and without a timer pushing you: 135 puzzles in nine packs and 58 parts of nine big pictures. Every puzzle has a unique solution that needs no guessing; a solver checks this for every single picture.

Nonogram rules

Each number on the edge stands for a block of filled cells in that row or column, in the given order. "3 1" means: first three filled cells in a row, then at least one empty cell, then a single filled one.
Mark cells that must stay empty with an X. It helps you think ahead.
When every row and column matches its clues, the picture is complete.

Puzzles and packs

Tutorial: five small 5×5 lessons teach the rules and the key tricks – afterwards you can solve any puzzle without guessing.
Nine packs (Nature, Kitchen, Animals, On the move, At home, Sea, Music and games, Holidays, Landmarks) with 15 puzzles each, from 5×5 up to 20×20 – 135 pictures in all.
Big pictures: nine large scenes from a lighthouse to a pirate ship, each made of 4 to 9 puzzles. Every part you solve uncovers a piece of the picture.
Without an account you can play the tutorial and the Nature pack. With a free PanicLines account all packs and big pictures are open, and your solved pictures go into a gallery on every device.

Easy nonograms for beginners

Start with the tutorial: its five lessons are 5×5 and explain every step.
After that, the Nature pack is the best place to begin. Every pack starts with small 5×5 and 10×10 puzzles and works up to 15×15 and 20×20.
A 5×5 puzzle takes a minute or two, a big 20×20 can take half an hour or more – just right for a quiet break.
Mark safe empty cells with an X from the start. On easy nonograms this is the quickest way to see how the logic works.

Where nonograms come from

They were invented in Japan in 1987, independently by graphic designer Non Ishida and puzzle author Tetsuya Nishio.
The name combines Non Ishida with "diagram". Under that name the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph printed them every week from 1990.
Nintendo's Picross games made them famous worldwide from 1995 on. Picross is short for "picture crossword".

Controls

Tap or click to fill a cell; with the X tool (or a right click on a PC) you mark it as empty.
Drag to fill whole stretches at once. Undo and redo have no limit.
Keyboard: arrow keys move, Space fills, X marks empty, Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y undo and redo.
Large puzzles from 15×15 can be zoomed (buttons, two fingers or Ctrl+mouse wheel); the clues stay visible at the edge.

Solving tips

Big numbers first: if a row of 10 has a clue of 8, the middle six cells are filled no matter where the block sits.
Overlap: push a block as far left as possible, then as far right. Cells filled in both positions are certain.
Use the edges: a filled cell right at the edge fixes the first block. Count it out and put an X after it.
Place X marks: once a row is complete, mark the rest as empty. The columns often become solvable right away.
Stuck? "Hint" reveals a cell that follows logically right now and tells you which row or column it comes from. "Check" shows wrongly filled cells in red.

Frequently asked questions

What is a nonogram?: A logic puzzle where numbers on the edge tell you how many cells in a row or column are filled in a row. Solved correctly, they reveal a picture. It is also known as Picross, Griddler or Hanjie.
Do I have to guess in nonograms?: No. Every puzzle here has a unique solution that can be found by logic alone. The tutorial shows you the techniques you need.
Are there easy nonograms for beginners?: Yes. The tutorial is five small 5×5 puzzles, and every pack starts with 5×5 and 10×10 before it moves on to 15×15 and 20×20.
Can I play nonograms on my phone?: Yes. The game runs in the browser on phone, tablet and PC, with no app and no download. Large puzzles can be zoomed with two fingers.
Is the game free?: Yes. The tutorial and the first pack need no sign-up. A free account adds all packs, the big pictures and the gallery. There is nothing to buy.
Is my progress saved?: Yes, puzzles in progress are saved after every move – in the browser without an account, on the server with one, so you can continue on another device.