Parking Escape is a free sliding puzzle where a crowded car park blocks your red car from the exit. There are 40 levels, from easy warm ups to real head scratchers, and every level can be solved. It runs in your browser with no download or sign up, works on phones and desktops, and keeps working offline once loaded.
Inspired by: Rush Hour and the sliding car puzzles that followed it.
How to play Parking Escape
- Look at the grid and find the red car. Its exit is the gap on the right edge.
- Drag any car along its own line. Cars only move forwards and backwards, never sideways.
- Slide the blocking cars out of the way until the red car has a clear road to the exit.
- Try to finish in as few moves as the par number shown. Three stars means you matched it.
- Stuck? Use Undo, Restart or Hint. The hint shows the next move of a shortest solution.
Controls
- Keyboard: Click a car, then use the arrow keys to slide it. X picks the next car. Z undoes the last move.
- Mouse: Drag a car along its row or column and let go to park it.
- Touch screen: Drag the cars with your finger. Use the buttons under the grid for Undo, Restart, Hint and Levels.
Tips to score higher
- Work backwards. Look at what stands in front of the red car, then ask what blocks that car.
- Long trucks are the hardest to move, so free them early.
- A single move can slide a car several squares, so look for long slides instead of many small steps.
- If you are lost, restart. A fresh look often shows a shorter path.
- Use the Levels screen to replay old puzzles and collect all three stars.
The story behind Parking Escape
Sliding block puzzles are very old, and the 15 puzzle became a craze in the 1880s. The traffic jam version came much later. Rush Hour was designed by Nob Yoshigahara in the 1970s and sold as a board game in the United States from 1996, with little plastic cars you slid in a tray. It is famous for the way a plain grid can hide puzzles that are very hard to solve. Computer scientists have even used it to study search and planning. If you grew up solving puzzle books on long train journeys, this will feel familiar.
Questions players ask
Is Parking Escape free?
Yes. It is free to play, with no sign up, no download and no in-game purchases.
How many levels are there?
There are 40 levels. They start with puzzles that take three moves and grow to puzzles that need over twenty.
Can every level be solved?
Yes. Every level was checked with a computer search, and the par number is the fewest moves possible.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. Your level and stars are saved in your browser on this device. Pick Continue to carry on where you stopped.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. Drag the cars with your finger. The grid and buttons fit on a phone screen.