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How to play Pivotly
Everything you need to know about moves, scoring, new colours and the Daily puzzle.
The basics
Pivotly is played on a 4×4 board of coloured tiles. Between the tiles sit nine white dots. Tap a dot and the four tiles around it spin a quarter-turn clockwise.
Make a whole row or column one colour and it clears. The tiles above drop down to fill the gap and new tiles fall in from the top. If that makes another line, it clears too. That’s a chain.
Moves
- Every game starts with 20 moves.
- Each spin uses one move.
- Every line you clear gives you 3 more moves.
- When you run out of moves, the game is over.
Out of moves in a classic game? You may be offered one continue with 5 extra moves, either by watching a short video ad or for free if you’ve bought Remove Ads.
Scoring
Each clear is worth 100 × lines² × chain:
- lines is how many lines clear at the same moment;
- chain is where that clear falls in the chain: 1 for the first, 2 for the next, and so on.
A worked example. One spin finishes a row and a column at the same time. That’s 2 lines in the first clear: 100 × 2² × 1 = 400 points. The tiles fall and complete one more line, the second link in the chain: 100 × 1² × 2 = 200 points. That’s 600 points, and 9 extra moves, from a single spin.
New colours
Every game starts with four colours: red, yellow, green and blue. When your score reaches 1,000, purple joins the board. At 3,000, orange arrives too. More colours make lines harder to build, so every clear counts.
Score tiers
Your score changes colour as it climbs:
- Grey from 0
- Green from 500
- Blue from 1,500
- Purple from 3,000
- Gold from 5,000
The Daily puzzle
Tap the calendar at the top of the game screen to play today’s Daily puzzle. A red dot on the calendar means today’s puzzle is still waiting for you.
Everyone gets the same board each day, and the same new tiles as lines clear, so you can compare scores with friends. There are no continues on the Daily: everyone gets the same 20 moves, plus 3 for every line they clear. You can play it once a day, and a new one is ready at midnight.
Streaks
Finish the Daily on consecutive days to build a streak. The flame next to the calendar shows how many days in a row you’ve played. Miss a day and your next Daily starts a new streak. Your longest streak is kept with your stats.
Achievements and stats
Tap the trophy at the top of the game screen to see your lifetime score, games played, best score, streaks, lines cleared of each colour and your progress towards all 17 achievements.
All 17 achievements
Some take a single great move, others take weeks of Daily puzzles. How many can you collect?
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Seeing Red
Clear 20 red lines
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Mellow Yellow
Clear 20 yellow lines
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Green Machine
Clear 30 green lines
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Feeling Blue
Clear 30 blue lines
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Royal Purple
Clear 10 purple lines
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Orange Crush
Clear 10 orange lines
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Rainbow
Clear a line of every colour
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Chain Reaction
Reach a ×3 chain
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Crossroads
Clear 2 lines with one move
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High Roller
Score 2,000 in one game
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On a Roll
Play the daily 3 days in a row
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Week Warrior
Play the daily 7 days in a row
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Daily Devotee
Finish 30 daily puzzles
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Regular
Play 10 games
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Getting Started
Earn 5,000 points in total
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Dedicated
Earn 25,000 points in total
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Pivotly Master
Earn 100,000 points in total
Gameplay questions
Why didn’t my spin clear anything?
A line only clears when all four tiles in a row or a column are the same colour. Diagonals don’t count, and three out of four isn’t quite enough.
Can I spin the tiles anticlockwise?
No, every spin turns clockwise. To get the effect of an anticlockwise turn, tap the same dot three times. Just remember that uses three moves.
Why can’t I tap the dots for a moment?
The dots pause while lines are clearing and tiles are falling, so a chain can play out. They’re ready again as soon as the board settles.
Is clearing two lines at once worth more?
Yes, a lot more. Points grow with the square of the lines cleared together: one line is worth 100, but two at once are worth 400. Chains multiply that again. See Scoring above.
When does a game end?
When you run out of moves. Clearing lines is the only way to earn more, at 3 moves per line. In a classic game you may be offered one continue with 5 extra moves.
Can I play the Daily puzzle more than once?
Each Daily can be played once. After that, play as many classic games as you like, and come back after midnight for a new one. Starting the Daily ends any classic game you’re in the middle of.
How do streaks work?
Finish the Daily on consecutive days to grow your streak. If you miss a day, your next Daily starts a new streak, but your longest streak is always kept.