Grow a deserted island into a fishing village in just 8 moves
A free GROW-style pixel puzzle in your browser. Place 8 things in the right order and watch them evolve. 40,320 orders, only 3 are perfect.
8 things. Which one goes first?
One run, eight moves
Click the toolbar left to right, and this is how it ends.
Real screenshots from the game, one per move: the same island and the same eight things, placed in toolbar order.
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Day 1
An empty island
Sand, grass, a bare mountain and a patch of red earth. Eight things wait on the toolbar.
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Move 1 Fire
A campfire with nobody to tend it
Fire grows only when there are people around. There are none, so it just sits there.
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Move 2 Fish
A shoal, and nothing to fish it
Fish need a proper boat before they grow. The fire is still waiting too.
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Move 3 Tree
The sprout dies the same turn
There is no water anywhere on the island yet. A tree can’t survive that.
Withered: Tree
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Move 4 Boat
A raft on the beach
The fish finally see a boat, but a raft is too small for them. Nothing grows.
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Move 5 Water
A spring in the mountain
Water at last. It would have saved the tree two moves ago.
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Move 6 Wind
One gust, two losses
The spring grows into a stream on its own. The breeze puts out the small campfire and tips over the raft.
Blown out: Fire
Capsized: Boat
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Move 7 People
A castaway with nowhere to stand
People need water and stone. There is no stone yet, and the waves take them.
Swept away: People
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Move 8 Stone
Sunset. 6 points out of 27.
Rocks arrive and the stream becomes a river, too late for half the island. Four of the eight things are gone.
6 is the most common score in the game. 12,180 of the 40,320 possible orders end exactly here.
Eight moves apart
And this is what a good order builds
Same beach, same eight things. Drag across the picture to compare Day 1 with the island at sunset after a strong run.
Every order, played once
40,320 orders, all played.
Each bar is a final score. Most islands lose three or four things and finish under 12 points. The far right is where it gets interesting.
| Final score | Orders |
|---|---|
| 5 | 2,520 |
| 6 | 12,180 |
| 7 | 2,520 |
| 8 | 8,064 |
| 9 | 3,000 |
| 10 | 2,160 |
| 11 | 4,980 |
| 12 | 360 |
| 14 | 2,442 |
| 15 | 1,616 |
| 16 | 385 |
| 17 | 38 |
| 20 | 1 |
| 22 | 18 |
| 23 | 1 |
| 26 | 32 |
| 27 | 3 |
▶ FIND YOURSWhere will your first run land?
01 · The rules
How to Play Island Evolution
One rule, endless consequences: the order is everything.
Pick an item Each turn, choose one of the 8 items (Fire, Fish, Tree, Boat, Water, Wind, People or Stone, the same order as the toolbar) and place it on the island.
Watch the island grow After each placement, everything already on the island tries to evolve one level. The new item waits until next turn.
Mind the time budget The first item you place can grow up to 8 times; the last one only once. Early picks shape everything.
Reach the sunset After all 8 are placed, one final sunset round plays out and your island is scored. Perfect score: 27.
Growth is conditional
Every level-up has a requirement. A sapling needs water on the island. A lighthouse only lights up once boats and fire are advanced enough. If the requirement isn't met, the item simply waits, and its remaining turns quietly run out. The full requirements are in the evolution chart below.
Some things are dangerous together
Order mistakes don't just slow you down. They kill. A tree with no water withers. People without water and stone are swept away. Fire next to a young forest starts a forest fire. Wind blows out a small campfire and capsizes a raft. When something dies, a banner tells you exactly why, so every failed run teaches you something.
02 · Reference
Evolution Chart: Every Item, Every Level
What each item becomes, and what it needs to get there. Levels are checked at the start of each growth phase; an unmet requirement just means "wait".
| Item | Max | Evolution chain (requirement to reach each stage) |
|---|---|---|
 Fire | Lv 3 | Campfire → Hearth (People ≥ 2) → Kiln (Stone ≥ 2) |
 Fish | Lv 2 | Shoal → Fish Farm (Boat ≥ 2) |
 Tree | Lv 4 | Sprout → Sapling (Water ≥ 1) → Big Tree (Water ≥ 2) → Forest (Water ≥ 3) |
 Boat | Lv 3 | Raft → Sailboat (People ≥ 3, Tree ≥ 3) → Pier (Stone ≥ 3) |
 Water | Lv 4 | Spring → Stream (always) → River (Stone ≥ 1) → Lake & Falls (Tree ≥ 3) |
 Wind | Lv 2 | Breeze → Windmill (People ≥ 5, Tree ≥ 4) |
 People | Lv 5 | Castaway → Hut (Water ≥ 2, Tree ≥ 3) → Village (Fire ≥ 1) → Market (Stone ≥ 2, Boat ≥ 1) → Festival (Boat ≥ 2, Fish ≥ 1) |
 Stone | Lv 4 | Rocks → Stone Path (People ≥ 1) → Cottage (People ≥ 2) → Lighthouse (Boat ≥ 2, Fire ≥ 3) |
The five ways to die
| Cause | Trigger | Victim |
|---|---|---|
| Withered | Tree on an island with no Water | the Tree |
| Swept away | People with no Water or no Stone | the People |
| Forest fire | Fire while Tree ≥ 2 and Water < 3 | the Tree |
| Fire blown out | Wind while Fire is still small (Lv 1-2) | the Fire |
| Raft capsized | Wind while Boat is still a raft (Lv 1) | the Boat |
Danger checks run every turn, not just when the trigger is placed. Wind already on the island will blow out a campfire you light later. That's why Wind is almost always the last move.
03 · Hints
Hints & Strategy
One gentle nudge below. The three perfect orders, derived from the rule table, are on the order solver.
A gentle nudge
Read the evolution chart like a family tree. Something on that list is what everything else depends on; place it early. Something else hurts its neighbors and asks for almost nothing in return; make it wait.
Exactly 3 of the 40,320 orders reach the perfect 27. The finale is fireworks over the village, the lighthouse lit, sails in the harbor. The sequences are on the order solver.
04 · Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to what players ask most. The rules themselves are in the evolution chart.
Is Island Evolution free to play?
Yes. Completely free, right in your browser. No download, no install, no account. Just press Play.
What kind of game is Island Evolution?
An order-based puzzle game inspired by Eyezmaze's classic GROW series (GROW Cube, GROW Island, GROW Valley…). The theme, items, evolution chains and pixel art are all original.
How many possible orders are there?
There are 40,320 ways to arrange the 8 items. Only 35 of them (about 0.1%) avoid every death, and only 3 reach the perfect score of 27.
Why did my tree wither / my campfire go out?
A Tree withers when the island has no Water. A campfire is blown out when Wind is on the island while the Fire is still Lv 1-2. Those are two of the five ways to die; the others are People swept away (no Water or no Stone), forest fire (Fire while Tree is Lv 2+ and Water is below Lv 3) and a raft capsized by Wind. The banner at the top of the screen always names the exact cause.
How long does one run take?
A few minutes. During animations your cursor becomes a fast-forward button; click anywhere to speed through. Finding a perfect order usually takes many runs; that's the puzzle.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, the game runs on modern mobile browsers. A desktop browser gives you the biggest picture: the island is drawn in genuine low-resolution pixel art and every stage has its own animation.
Is there only one perfect solution?
There are exactly 3 orders out of 40,320 that bring all 8 items to MAX for the perfect score of 27. The order solver lists them. They were derived by running every permutation through the game's rule table.
Can I lose permanently?
No. When a run ends badly, press Play Again and try a different order. Your best score is saved in your browser.
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40,320 orders · 35 survive · 3 are perfect
Your island is still empty.
▶ PLAY NOWFree, in your browser. No download, no account.