App updates can sometimes shuffle the order of puzzles. If this level 168 walkthrough doesn't match your screen, don't worry! You can browse our All Levels guide to find your exact puzzle by its picture.
Prioritize the pairs that are next to each other or have empty space between them first to open up lanes for the trapped ones.
Level Overview
What Makes This Puzzle Tricky
You’re greeted with a cluttered 5x5 grid packed with vibrant balls and the simple instruction: “merge the balls.” Your brain immediately jumps to familiar match mechanics—swiping, dragging, swapping. But nothing responds. It feels broken… until you realize the real rule isn’t missing—it’s just hiding in plain sight.
Your Goal
Your mission is to eliminate every ball by merging all matching color pairs—but this isn’t a traditional match game. Instead of swapping tiles, you trigger a precise slide: tap one ball, and if it has an unobstructed path to its twin, it’ll glide across the grid and vanish on impact.
Key Mechanics
- Tap-to-Action: Dragging does nothing. Tapping is the only input.
- Line of Sight: Balls can only merge if they can "see" each other horizontally, vertically, or diagonally without obstacles.
- Sequential Logic: You must clear outer/easy pairs first to unclog the path for inner/blocked pairs. It’s not a twitch reflex test. It’s a traffic jam puzzle.
What Appears on Your Screen
The screen presents a classic 5x5 grid against a dark background.
- Top Center: The text simply says "merge the balls."
- The Grid: Inside the gray box, there are numerous colored circles (Pink, Green, Teal, Lime Green, Orange, Red, Brown, Purple/Magenta).
- The Layout: Some colors appear twice (pairs), while the grid has some empty black squares between them. It looks crowded. There are no obvious buttons or sliders, just the balls themselves.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The Trap
Years of mobile puzzle habits tell you to drag—and Game Is Hard leans into that expectation… only to shut it down completely. This level ignores every swipe, drag, or shake. It rewards only one action: a deliberate tap—but only when the line of sight is clean. Tap a blocked ball, and nothing happens—making you doubt the mechanic itself.
First Instincts That Fail
- Swiping: You will try to swap the Pink ball with the Green one next to it. It won't work.
- Tapping Randomly: If you spam tap the screen, you might get lucky and merge one pair, but you won't understand why, leading to frustration when the next pair refuses to move.
- Shaking the Device: A common solution in this game series, but useless here. The physics are grid-based, not gravity-based.
Player Reactions
I wasted nearly a minute trying to draw invisible lines between balls with my finger—convinced it was a “connect-the-dots” challenge. Then, out of sheer frustration, I tapped a Green ball—and watched it zip across the grid to collide with its match. Instant clarity. The answer wasn’t complex—it was just different from what my instincts assumed.
Step-by-Step Solution
Preparing the Move
Put down the swiping habit. Treat the grid like a tactical map: scan for direct visual paths. Two same-colored balls can merge only if you can draw an unbroken straight or diagonal line between them—with no other balls in the way.
Executing the Solution
Scan for "Free" Pairs: Look for pairs that are immediately adjacent or separated only by empty black squares.
Tap to Merge: Tap one of the balls in that valid pair. It will slide automatically to the other and vanish/merge.
Repeat: Once a pair is gone, those squares become empty. This opens up new "lines of sight" for other colors that were previously blocked.
Clear the Board: Continue this process until the grid is empty. Example Order (May vary slightly depending on your specific grid layout, but the logic holds):
Usually, the Purples or Lime Greens near the center or edges often have clear shots early on.
Once those vanish, the Teal or Orange balls that were blocked by them now have a clear path.
Save the diagonal crosses for last, as they usually require the most open space.
If It Did Not Work
- "I tapped it and nothing happened!" That means the path is blocked. There is another ball in the way. You need to clear the obstruction first.
- "I have one ball left." This shouldn't happen. If the game glitches, restart the level. Every ball has a match.
- "Is there a time limit?" No. Take your time to trace the lines with your eyes before tapping.
Why This Solution Works
This level sharpens spatial awareness and strategic sequencing. It strips away flashy gimmicks and replaces them with clean, logical cause-and-effect: remove one pair, and you instantly create opportunity for the next. It teaches that progress isn’t always about tackling the hardest thing first—it’s about removing barriers so the hard things become easy. And yes—it quietly reminds you that in Game Is Hard, the simplest gesture (a tap) often holds the deepest logic.
Bonus Tip
If you are stuck staring at the grid:
- Focus on the corners and edges first; balls here have fewer potential blockage points.
- Trace lines with your finger physically on the screen to check for blockers.
- Don't guess. If a tap fails, don't keep tapping it. Move to a different color.
- There is no penalty for a "wrong" tap, so you can technically brute-force it by tapping every ball in sequence, but solving it logically is faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why won't the balls move when I drag them? A: This level doesn't support drag controls. It uses a "tap-to-send" mechanic. You tap, and the game handles the movement if the path is valid.
Q: Can balls merge diagonally? A: Yes! Diagonal paths are valid as long as no other balls interrupt the line.
Q: What if I clear the pairs in the wrong order? A: You generally can't "fail" by clearing in the wrong order. Clearing any valid pair opens up space. You can't soft-lock yourself; if a pair can merge, it's always a good move.
Q: I'm colorblind, does this level have a mode for me? A: Unfortunately, the level relies heavily on color matching. If you struggle distinguishing Red from Brown or Green from Teal, try turning up your screen brightness or asking a friend to spot the pairs.
More Game Is Hard Solutions
If you’re stuck on another puzzle that’s bending your brain, check out the rest of our guides. We write these to get you unstuck in under a minute so you can get back to the game. Send this to your friends when they start raging at the screen—they’ll thank you later.