Screw Puzzle Tips | How to Unscrew Planks in Order

There is something deeply satisfying about unscrewing a bolt and watching a plank slide away. Bolt Puzzle takes that feeling and turns it into a 20-level browser game you can play right now for free — no download, no sign-up, no app install.

What Is Bolt Puzzle?

Bolt Puzzle is a casual puzzle game where wooden planks are pinned to a board by bolts. Your job is to remove all the planks by unscrewing their bolts in the right order. The catch: planks overlap each other, so you can only access the bolts on the top plank first. Clearing the top plank exposes the bolts beneath — and so on until the board is empty.

Each level is short and focused. Early puzzles take under a minute. Later levels with six or more overlapping planks require real planning.

Play Bolt Puzzle Free →

How to Play

1. Tap any visible bolt to start unscrewing it. The bolt spins with a satisfying animation.
2. Wait a moment — each bolt takes a second to fully unscrew.
3. Once all bolts on a plank are removed, the plank falls away automatically.
4. Some bolts are greyed out and unresponsive. That means another plank is overlapping them from above. Remove the top plank first.
5. Clear all planks from the board to complete the level and move to the next.

The core mechanic is simple, but the puzzle depth comes from figuring out the correct removal order before you start tapping.

5 Tips to Solve Every Level

1. Plan Before You Tap

Before touching a single bolt, study the board for five seconds. Identify which plank is on top (highest layer), which is second, and which is at the bottom. Work from top to bottom — you cannot skip layers.

2. Count the Bolts Before Committing

Each plank has two or more bolts. If you start unscrewing one bolt on the wrong plank, you'll waste time waiting for it to finish before the board state changes. Pick the correct plank first, then commit.

3. Watch for Diagonal Overlaps

Not all planks are horizontal. Some are angled, which means a corner of one plank might block a bolt that looks reachable. If a bolt is greyed out and you can't see why, look for an angled plank crossing over it from an unexpected direction.

4. The Top Plank Is Always Your First Move

No matter how complex the board looks, find the plank with no other plank on top of it. That is always the correct starting point. In tight arrangements, there is usually only one valid first move — finding it is the puzzle.

5. Use the Falling Animation as Feedback

When a plank falls away cleanly, you made the right move. If you find yourself stuck and nothing will unscrew, you may have removed a plank that now blocks access to a bolt you needed — though in most levels, any valid first move leads to a solvable sequence.

Level Difficulty Breakdown

Bolt Puzzle vs Similar Games

Bolt Puzzle belongs to a growing category of satisfying casual puzzle games where the order of actions matters:

All four are pure logic puzzles with no timers, no lives, and no randomness. If you enjoy one, you'll enjoy the others.

Is Bolt Puzzle Like Screw Jam?

Yes — Bolt Puzzle is the same game type as Screw Jam (popular on Poki and mobile). The core mechanic is identical: identify which bolt or screw to remove first, work top-to-bottom through the layers, clear the board.

The PlayBrain version runs entirely in your browser. No app install, no account, no ads. Just the puzzle.

FAQs

Can I play Bolt Puzzle on mobile?

Yes. Bolt Puzzle is fully touch-optimized. Tap bolts on iPhone, Android, or tablet — it works in any mobile browser.

How many levels does Bolt Puzzle have?

20 levels with steadily increasing complexity. Level 1 has two planks. Later levels have six or more overlapping planks with diagonal angles.

Is there a time limit?

No. Bolt Puzzle has no timer and no lives. Take as long as you need to plan each move.

What happens if I get stuck?

The level resets automatically if you get into an unsolvable state. You can always retry the level from scratch.

Are there more screw puzzle games like this?

Bolt Puzzle is PlayBrain's take on the screw-jam puzzle genre. For more order-based logic puzzles, try Sokoban, Rush Hour, or Nonogram.