threesjs.io is offline. NOVA is a free browser alternative.
If you came looking for the sliding-merge puzzle that used to sit at threesjs.io, it no longer loads. NOVA is a free browser game in the same genre — one grid, one cell of travel per slide, tiles that fuse as they meet. You can play it right now, on desktop or on your phone.
What happened to threesjs.io?
The domain stopped serving the game. No public explanation was posted, so we genuinely do not know why it went down or whether it is coming back — anyone claiming otherwise is guessing. What we can tell you is that the genre is easy to rebuild, and NOVA is a working version that is not going anywhere.
How NOVA compares
NOVA is not a copy. It is an independent game with its own engine, artwork and rules, and the design deliberately diverges in a few places:
| Classic sliding-merge puzzles | NOVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Number ladder | 1 + 2 = 3, then doubling | 2 + 3 = 5, then doubling |
| Wildcards | none | Flux ★ merges with anything |
| Undo | none | 3 per run |
| Grid | 4 × 4 | 4 × 4 |
| Travel per slide | one cell | one cell |
| Price | varies | free, no signup |
| Install | varies | none — runs in the browser |
The rules in thirty seconds
- Slide the 4 × 4 grid with arrow keys, WASD, or a swipe. Everything moves one cell, never all the way to the wall.
- 2 and 3 fuse into 5. Neither will merge with anything else, so pair them off early.
- From 5 upward, equal tiles double — 5+5=10, 10+10=20, and so on.
- A new tile enters from the edge you slid away from. The Next preview tells you what is coming.
- Reach 40 and the Flux ★ wildcard starts appearing. It doubles any tile it meets, or turns a stray 2 or 3 into a 5.
- The run ends when no slide changes anything.
Why this one loads fast
NOVA is a single page of plain JavaScript with no framework and no third-party libraries. There is no bundle to parse and no server round-trip to start a game, so it opens in well under a second even on a slow phone connection. Sound is synthesised in the browser rather than downloaded, which is why there are no audio files to wait for.
Questions
Is NOVA the same game as threesjs.io?
No. Different code, different artwork, different number ladder, and two mechanics that the classic formula does not have. It scratches the same itch, which is the point.
Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no paywall, no install. The site carries advertising to cover hosting.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes — swipe to slide. You can also add it to your home screen and it will open like an app.
Does my progress save?
Your best score is kept in your own browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded, and clearing your browser data will reset it.
Can I play offline?
Once the page has loaded, the game itself needs no network. Reloading requires a connection unless your browser has cached the page.
Disclaimer: NOVA is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to threesjs.io, the game Threes, Sirvo LLC, or any other publisher. Those names are referred to here only to describe what visitors were searching for. All artwork, code and text on this site are original.