How to Play Bumper 2 Bumper: Rules, Controls, Par and Stars
A complete beginner's guide to Bumper 2 Bumper, the free 3D sliding-car puzzle: how vehicles move, how moves are counted, par and stars, hints, packs and the four parking lots.
Bumper 2 Bumper is a sliding-car puzzle in a packed 3D parking lot. Your hot dog cart is boxed in by cars, vans, buses and trucks, and your job is to shuffle them out of the way so the cart can drive out through the gate. Here’s everything you need to know to start.
The goal
Clear a path so the hot dog cart can drive out through the gate.
The gate is on the edge of the lot, in the cart’s row. Once nothing stands between the cart and the gate, slide the cart out and the level is won. The whole lot cheers it on its way.
How vehicles move
Every lot is a 6x6 grid, and every vehicle sits on it lengthwise:
- Cars take two spaces. (The school bus counts as a car here.)
- Trucks take three spaces: the city bus, the delivery truck, the garbage truck and the fire truck.
- Every vehicle slides only along its own lane, forward or back. Nothing turns, and nothing can be lifted out.
So a car parked across the cart’s row can’t just drive off sideways. If it lies across the row, it has to slide up or down its own lane until it clears the row, and that might mean moving other vehicles first.
Controls
You can play however suits you:
- Drag a vehicle along its lane with a finger or the mouse.
- Tap a vehicle to pick it, then tap a spot in its lane to send it there.
- Keyboard: Tab picks a vehicle, the arrow keys slide it, and Z, R and H are Undo, Reset and Hint.
When you pick a vehicle it gets a gold outline and a little hop, so you always know which one is selected. Bump into another vehicle and it reacts with a shove, a brake-light flash and a toot.
How moves are counted
The move counter sits at the top of the screen, next to Par.
One move is one vehicle moved, however far it slides. Sliding a truck one space or four spaces is the same single move. And if you move the same vehicle again straight away, without touching anything else in between, it still counts as that one move. That way, adjusting a vehicle you just placed is never punished.
Par and stars
Every level has a par: the fewest moves it can possibly be solved in. It isn’t a guess. A solver worked it out for every level, so par is an honest target that is always reachable.
| Result | Stars |
|---|---|
| At par or better | ★★★ |
| Within one and a half times par | ★★ |
| Any other win | ★ |
Stars are shown after you win, with a little celebration that grows with the result.
Undo, Reset and Hint
- Undo takes back your last move. Use it as often as you like; it’s free.
- Reset puts the whole lot back to the start.
- Hint is one tap. It outlines the vehicle to move next, from wherever you are on the board, and shows a ghost and an arrow for where it should go.
The first hint on a board caps that board at two stars, and the game tells you so the first time. If you’re chasing three stars, try Undo and a fresh look before you reach for Hint.
Packs and unlocking
There are 180 levels in three packs:
| Pack | Levels | Opens |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 1 to 60 | From the start |
| Medium | 61 to 120 | After 10 Easy solves |
| Hard | 121 to 180 | After 10 Medium solves |
Every level inside an open pack is playable, so you can skip around. The Levels screen shows your stars on every tile and tells you how many more solves open the next pack.
Four places to park
The lots aren’t all the same parking lot. Levels move between four places: the Beach, Downtown, the Farm and the Ski Lodge, each drawn in 3D with its own scenery. The place changes every 15 levels within a pack, and the time of day shifts from pack to pack, so the game keeps looking fresh as you climb.
Your first visit
The first time you play, a short lesson walks you through a three-step board, so you learn by doing rather than by reading. Your progress then saves in your browser, and Continue on the home screen takes you straight back to your next unsolved level. With a free HulaGames account, your progress syncs to your account too.
The Daily Drive
Beyond the 180 levels, every day brings three Daily boards, Easy, Medium and Hard, the same for everyone. Read all about them in our Daily Drive guide.
Ready for strategy?
Once you know the rules, our Bumper 2 Bumper strategy tips show how to read a lot and hit par more often. For the general theory behind this kind of puzzle, see how to solve sliding block puzzles.
Play Bumper 2 Bumper
Play Bumper 2 Bumper free in your browser, on a phone or a computer, and get that hot dog cart out of the lot.
FAQ
How do you play Bumper 2 Bumper?
Slide the cars and trucks along their lanes until the hot dog cart has a clear path to the gate. Every vehicle moves only forward or back along its own lane.
How are moves counted in Bumper 2 Bumper?
Moving one vehicle is one move, however far it slides. Moving the same vehicle again straight after counts as the same move.
What is par in Bumper 2 Bumper?
Par is the fewest moves the level can be solved in, worked out by a solver. Finish at par or better for three stars.
How do I unlock Medium and Hard levels?
Solve 10 levels in a pack to open the next one: 10 Easy levels open Medium, and 10 Medium levels open Hard.
