Torch Bridge is a free online version of the bridge and torch puzzle. A group reaches a rope bridge in the dark with one torch. At most two people may be on the bridge at once (three on the wide bridges), nobody crosses without the torch, and a group walks at the pace of its slowest member. Each walker wears a badge with their minutes, and the torch burns for a fixed time. Tap who carries the torch over, tap who walks it back, and get everyone to the far side before it goes out. It starts with three friends and a roomy torch, reaches the famous four walkers of 1, 2, 5 and 10 minutes with a 17-minute torch, and ends with eight villagers on a bridge for three. A computer search sets the best time for every level, so three stars are always possible, and the Hint button can name the next group or tell you how far to undo. No download, no sign-up, works on phones.
How to play Torch Bridge
- Everyone starts on the near side with the torch. Each walker has a badge showing how many minutes they take to cross alone.
- Tap walkers on the torch’s side to line them up with it — two at most, or three on the wide bridges. Tap again to send one back.
- Press Cross (or G on a keyboard). The group walks at the pace of its slowest member, and that many minutes burn off the torch.
- Now the torch is on the far side. Somebody has to carry it back before anyone else can cross, so pick who walks back and press Walk Back.
- Keep going until everyone is on the far side. If a walk would take longer than the torch has left, the game will not start it.
- Finishing in the best possible time earns three stars; matching the plan of the fastest walking everyone over earns two; any finish before the torch dies earns one.
- Stuck? Hint names the next group on a fastest route from wherever you are, or tells you how many crossings to undo when the torch can no longer last.
- On a keyboard, number keys pick walkers, G crosses, U undoes and H gives a hint.
Tips
- The two slowest walkers should usually cross together, so their slow minutes are paid once instead of twice.
- For that to work, a fast walker must already be waiting on the far side to bring the torch back. Send the two fastest over first.
- Bring the torch back with the fastest walker on that side. Every return trip costs the walker’s full time.
- The trick does not always pay. Compare twice the second-fastest time with the fastest plus the second-slowest: if it is not smaller, the plain escort is as good or better.
- On a bridge for three, the slowest three can cross in one walk. Count how many return trips each plan needs before you start.
FAQ
Is Torch Bridge free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All twelve levels are included and unlock one after another as you finish them.
How do you get 1, 2, 5 and 10 minutes across in 17 minutes?
The 1 and 2 cross together (2 minutes) and the 1 walks back (1). The 5 and 10 cross together (10), and the 2 walks back (2). Finally the 1 and 2 cross again (2). That is 2 + 1 + 10 + 2 + 2 = 17 minutes, and no plan is faster.
Why not just let the fastest walker take everyone over?
With 1, 2, 5 and 10 that takes 2 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 10 = 19 minutes, because the 5 and the 10 each walk on their own. Sending the two slowest together saves their slower walk, at the cost of one extra trip by the second-fastest.
Does sending the two slowest together always win?
No. Level 5 has walkers of 1, 4, 5 and 6 minutes. Sending the 5 and 6 together takes 19 minutes, while the 1 escorting each of the others takes 17. The trick pays only when twice the second-fastest time is less than the fastest plus the second-slowest.
How are the best times and stars worked out?
A computer search tries every possible sequence of crossings and finds the fewest minutes, so three stars are always possible. Two stars mean you did as well as the plan where the fastest walker escorts everyone. One star means you got everyone over before the torch burned out.
What happens when the torch is about to run out?
The game will not start a walk that takes longer than the torch has left, and it says so. From level 4 on, the torch lasts exactly the best time, so one wasted minute means you must undo. The Hint button tells you how many crossings to take back.
What is the hardest level?
The Night Patrol, level 11: seven walkers from 1 to 14 minutes on a bridge for two, with a 38-minute torch and eleven crossings in the best plan. The Whole Village, level 12, has eight walkers but a bridge for three, which takes only seven crossings.
Does Torch Bridge work on a phone?
Yes. Tap walkers and the buttons with a finger. On a phone held upright the bridge sits above the rules; on a wider screen the rules sit beside it.