Multiplayer jigsaw puzzles, live and co-op
Pieceware is a jigsaw built for more than one person from the first line of code. Everyone in a room works on the same board at the same time: you see each other's cursors, a piece your friend drags moves on your screen as they drag it, and when two sections meet they snap together for everybody. It runs in the browser, it is free, and nobody needs an account.
Three ways to play together
A private lobby
Pick a picture on the home page or upload a photo, choose anything from 24 to 1500 pieces, a piece shape and whether pieces can be rotated, and press Create lobby. The room's address is the invitation: send it to whoever you want on the board. There is no public list of rooms, so only people with the link can join.
The global puzzle
The global puzzle is one room that always exists and that anybody on the site can drop into. It is a random picture from the catalog at about 300 pieces, classic shape, no rotation. When it is solved there is a short celebration and a new picture starts; if nobody finishes it within 15 minutes, it moves on anyway. It is the quickest way to try multiplayer when nobody you know is around.
The daily puzzle (solo, but shared)
The daily puzzle is the one mode that is not co-op: everyone gets the same 100-piece picture with the same cut, each on their own board, timed by the server. The fastest solves go on the day's leaderboard. It is multiplayer in the sense a crossword in the paper is: everybody does the same one and compares notes afterwards.
How the live part works
- Live cursors. Each player gets a colour and a name badge; cursor positions are sent about 20 times a second, so you can watch someone hunt for an edge piece.
- Locking, not turns. Picking up a piece locks it to you; everyone else can still move everything else. Drop it and it is free again. A piece left held for 30 seconds without moving is released automatically.
- Shared snapping. The server decides every snap, not your browser, so all players always see the same result. Drop a piece near its neighbour (within about a third of a piece) with the same rotation and they join into one group that moves as one.
- Islands merge. You can build a section anywhere in the scatter area while a friend builds another; when they meet, the two groups become one. One drop can join several groups at once.
- The board is the finish line. Pieces that snap into place on the board are locked there, and the puzzle is solved when the board holds every piece. Everyone sees the solve time at the same moment.
- A players list and a small chat in the toolbar, for groups who are not on a voice call.
- Drop in, drop out. Late joiners get the whole current board on arrival. The room stays for 12 hours after the last person leaves, so a big puzzle can carry on the next morning.
Solo or co-op?
| Solo | Co-op | |
|---|---|---|
| How to start | Create a lobby and just do not share the link, or play the daily | Create a lobby and share the link, or join the global puzzle |
| A 500 piece puzzle | About 1.5–2.5 hours | About 40–60 minutes with four players |
| Best sizes | Anything; 300–500 for one sitting | 500–1500, so everyone has a region of their own |
| What it feels like | Quiet, methodical, your own order | Chatty; split the picture, then converge on the hard bit |
| Rotation and hard shapes | Good way to stretch a small puzzle | Better once everyone has played once with classic pieces |
More time estimates per size and player count are in the size guide.
Start a co-op puzzle now
One click makes a 300 piece lobby with that picture; then copy the link from the toolbar and send it round.
Pictures that suit a group
Busy pictures give every player something to work on. These are suggested at around 500 pieces:
The Carina Nebula
The Hunters in the Snow
Mandelbrot Seahorse Valley
Amsterdam canal
Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon
Mediterranean Chameleon
Questions
How many people can play one multiplayer jigsaw?
Up to 50 in a room, and at most 6 from the same internet connection. Two to eight is comfortable; beyond that, make a second lobby.
Is it real-time or turn-based?
Real-time. Everyone moves pieces at once; the piece you are holding is locked to you until you drop it, so two people can never tug the same one.
Do the others need to install anything or sign up?
No. They open the room link in a browser and type a display name. Nothing to download, no account, no friend request.
Can I join a multiplayer puzzle with strangers?
Yes: the global puzzle is one room the whole site shares. Private lobbies are only reachable by their link, so strangers cannot wander into yours.
Is the daily puzzle multiplayer?
No. The daily puzzle is one 100-piece picture that everybody solves on their own board, so the leaderboard times mean something. Invite friends to compare times instead.
What happens if my connection drops?
The game reconnects on its own and picks up the current board. If you were holding a piece, it is released for the others. The room itself stays for 12 hours after the last player leaves.
