About Netwalk
What Is Netwalk?
Netwalk is a free, browser-based logic puzzle game where you rotate network tiles to connect all computer nodes to a central server. It's inspired by the network topology diagrams that system administrators use to map out data centers and office networks.
There's no time limit, no account required, and no download. Just open the page and start playing. Each puzzle is procedurally generated, so you'll never run out of new boards.
How It Works
Every board starts with a solved network —all nodes connected to the server through underground pipes. Then the tiles are randomly scrambled. Your challenge: click tiles to rotate them 90 degrees until the network is reconnected. Pipes that are linked to the server glow cyan, giving you real-time feedback on your progress.
The core algorithm grows a randomized spanning tree. Bounded and Torus keep that tree; Classic may add reciprocal edges. Restoring the saved orientation gives a solution, but this implementation does not check uniqueness or guarantee a deduction-only solve.
Key Features
- Customizable grid: From 3×3 up to 25×25, plus a Daily Puzzle for everyone
- Two maintained languages: English and 中文. Older German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Korean addresses redirect to the English game.
- Mobile-friendly: Responsive design with touch support for phones and tablets
- No time limit: Play at your own pace —the timer only counts up
- Keyboard shortcuts: Z to undo, R for a new game
- Sound effects: Subtle audio feedback on tile rotation and puzzle completion
- Procedural puzzles: Generate varied boards or replay a date-seeded Daily challenge; uniqueness is not guaranteed
History
Network-rotation puzzles have several implementations. Simon Tatham's Net manual credits Pavils Jurjans' FreeNet as its inspiration and notes other games named NetWalk. We do not claim that this independent website created the puzzle or is affiliated with those projects.
This web version is an independent tribute that preserves the original gameplay while adding modern features: English and Chinese play pages, responsive design for mobile devices, and instant access through any browser. Read the full history on our blog.
Our Mission
We believe the best puzzle games are simple to learn, impossible to master. Netwalk combines tile rotation, matching openings and whole-network connectivity, with different boundary and cycle rules across modes. We keep the game free and accessible because logic puzzles should be for everyone.
Maintenance and contact
The operator of playnetwalk.com maintains this independent game and its documentation under the Netwalk site name. That name is a site byline, not a claim of affiliation with another puzzle project or a research organization.
For game bugs, guide corrections, accessibility reports or privacy questions, write to privacy@playnetwalk.com. The same address is on the contact page, including a Chinese section. Include the page address, mode, dimensions and browser; for Daily, include the UTC date. Do not send passwords or sensitive account details. We do not promise a particular response time.
Our editorial standards describe the current tests, correction process and known limitations.