Help & FAQ

Learn about playing the game, creating puzzles, and managing your account.

Quick Links

How to Play
Watch this quick 2-minute video to learn how to play.

Forgot your username or password?
Use this form and we'll send you your username and a link to reset your password.

Feedback & Support Portal
Share ideas on how to improve the game or contact us directly.


Frequently Asked Questions


General

What is Falcross?

Falcross is a picross (or "nonogram") puzzle game where you use numerical clues and logic to uncover a hidden image. Falcross has the biggest collection of picross puzzles in the world (over 100k) due to its unique puzzle creator and online publishing features. Thousands of users create and publish puzzles with beautiful pixel art every single day!

How do I play?

It's easy to learn! Graybeard Games has created a simple 2-minute video tutorial that explains how picross/nonogram puzzles work. The best way to learn is to start with easy 5x5 puzzles and learn by trial and error.

Where can I download the game?

Falcross is a picross app for iOS and Android. It's available on the App Store and Google Play. There is currently no way to play picross online with just your browser.

When will the Android version be coming out?

The Android version finally came out on August 23, 2017! Check it out on Google Play!

What does the star counter in the top left of the screen mean?

This is simply a count of all of the stars you've earned by solving puzzles. There will soon be a stars leaderboard so you can see how you compare to your friends and the larger community.

Where can I find larger puzzles?

You can play picross puzzles up to size 20x20 on a phone and 25x25 on a tablet. 25x25 puzzles will not show up in puzzle packs or in an artist's profiles on a phone.

Gameplay

How are stars calculated?

Stars are awarded based on how fast you solve a picross puzzle compared to its average solve time. Mistakes do NOT have any bearing on the amount of stars you earn, so don't worry if you slip up.

How do I zoom in on a puzzle?

Currently the zoom features is only available for picross games played on iOS due to technical limitations. If you have an iOS device, you can press the magnifying glass on puzzles 15x15 and up to zoom in. You can drag the puzzle to move around, and tap a square to fill it in.

How do I use the cursor mode?

Cursor mode can help you easily solve large picross puzzles on small screens. Drag anywhere on the screen to move the cursor around. Tap once to select the current pixel. Tap and hold until the cursor lines turn purple to lock your dragging in a certain direction.

Puzzle Creation

How do I create a picross puzzle?

Just go to the create tab any press the "New Puzzle" button. You can create puzzles up to 25x25 pixels on tablets, and up to 20x20 on phones.

How do I publish a picross puzzle for others to play?

First, sign up or login in the Profile tab. Then, tap your puzzle and select Publish. You'll need to give your puzzle a name and it has to be logically solvable in order to be published.

What does "logically solvable" mean and why is it a requirement?

Picross puzzles need to be solvable without making any guesses, or "logically solvable". The algorithm that determines logical solvability is complex, so you'll need to play around with creating picross puzzles to get a feel for how it works. Two achilles heels of logical solvability are having high amounts of symmetry in your puzzle, and having too few pixels filled in.

Can I create a picross puzzle from a photo?

No. There have been picross games in the past that have tried features like this and it never comes out right. Try looking at the photo you're trying to re-create on a another device while you're in the editor--you will get the hang of it!

Online Puzzles

What does it take to get my puzzle chosen as the Daily Puzzle?

Daily puzzles are chosen by the Falcross editorial team 7-14 days in advance. If you want to get featured, focus on creating an outstanding picross puzzle with a clear theme that has wide thematic and visual appeal. The Daily Puzzle gets a lot of puzzle plays, so getting featured will put your profile in the spotlight and get you tons of likes and followers!

What does it take to get into the Featured section?

Make a picross puzzle that people really like! Puzzles with a lot of likes will naturally float into the Featured section.

Why do some artist profiles say they've published lots of puzzles, but I can't see any of them?

If you're on a phone, it's possible that the artist created 25x25 puzzles. Those picross puzzles are only visible on tablets.

Accounts

I forgot my username or password! How do I recover them?

No problem! Go to the account recovery page and you'll be able to enter your e-mail address to recover your account.