29
Glowdrop Lab
Start with 2 glowing colors in 4 glasses and work up to 7 colors in 9 over 36 puzzles. Every layer wears a symbol, and 108 stars wait for you.
What is Glowdrop Lab?
Glowdrop Lab is a water sort puzzle game where you tap a glass of glowing liquid, then tap another to pour, until every glass holds one color. Its 36 puzzles are grouped into six collections of six, from First Light to Moonlit Lab, and the board gains a color every five levels: 2 colors in 4 glasses at the start, 7 colors in 9 glasses from level 26. Each layer carries a shape, like a circle on coral or a star on peach, and level 1 lights up its very first pour for you, which makes this a gentle first water sort for younger players.
Updated
How to play Glowdrop Lab
Goal: Pour until every glass is empty or full of one color, using no more moves than the target the win screen shows for 3 stars.
- Tap a glass with liquid in it. On level 1, the two glasses of the first pour glow to show you how it works.
- Tap where to pour: an empty glass or one with the same color on top. Every matching layer moves across while there is room.
- Changed your mind? Tap a different glass with loose liquid and it simply becomes your new pick.
- Each pour adds one move. Undo takes it back off the counter; Restart asks first, then resets every glass and the counter to 0.
- A glass with four layers of one color is sorted for good. Sort them all to finish the puzzle and unlock the next one.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tap / click | Pick a glass, then tap the glass to pour into |
| 1–9 | Pick a glass by its number |
| ← → | Move focus between glasses |
| UZBackspace | Undo the last pour |
| H | Show a hint |
| R | Restart the puzzle (asks first) |
| L | Open the level list |
| Esc | Drop the selected glass |
Tips & tricks
- The 2-star cushion is generous: up to 5 moves over the target still earns 2 stars, so finish a tough puzzle first and replay it for 3.
- In Moonlit Lab (levels 31–36) all 7 colors share 9 glasses. Before pouring into an empty glass, check whether a matching top color could take the liquid instead.
- When the glow makes violet and sky blue hard to tell apart, read the symbols: violet carries a sparkle, sky blue a pentagon.
- Following hints from the start never makes you wait, because Hint reads the level's stored solution first and only searches once you leave that path.
- Count the free layers in the target before pouring: if only 1 of 3 matching layers fits, the other 2 stay on top and can still block that glass.
Frequently asked questions
What are the six collections in Glowdrop Lab?
The 36 puzzles come in six collections of six, each with its own background art: First Light (levels 1–6), Coral Cove, Mint Garden, Golden Hour, Violet Sky and Moonlit Lab (levels 31–36). The top bar shows the collection name and how far you are through its six levels.
Which symbol goes with each color in Glowdrop Lab?
Coral has a circle, aqua a diamond, amber a triangle, violet a sparkle, sky blue a pentagon, mint a flower and peach a star. The symbols are printed on every layer at all times, so you can sort by shape alone, and screen readers also read each glass's colors from bottom to top.
How strict are the star targets in Glowdrop Lab?
They are friendly. Each target is the length of a checked solution stored with the level, from 3 moves on the first puzzles up to 18, and only levels 1–3 are proven minimums, so you can sometimes beat the target. You need the target or fewer for 3 stars and up to 5 extra moves for 2.
Does Glowdrop Lab teach you how to play?
Yes. On level 1 the glass to pick and the glass to pour into glow until you make your first move or ask for a hint, and the opening puzzles use only 2 colors in 4 glasses. Settings also holds a How to play panel with the pouring rules, plus the keyboard shortcuts when you play with a mouse.
Does Restart in Glowdrop Lab erase my stars?
No. Restart only puts the glasses back to their starting layout and sets the move counter to 0, after asking you to confirm. The best stars you have earned on each level are kept, and the level list adds them up into your total out of 108.
How do you unlock new levels in Glowdrop Lab?
Finish a puzzle to open the next one, in order from level 1 to level 36. Any finish counts, even with 1 star, and you can go back to an earlier puzzle at any time to improve its stars without losing your place.






