---
title: "Baba Is You: Complete Guide"
game: "Baba Is You"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/baba-is-you"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Cheat sheets", "Puzzles"]
summary: "A spoiler-conscious guide to Baba Is You: how the rule system really works, the rule words you'll meet and their quirks, the world structure, general puzzle-solving techniques, the extra content (Museum, New…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/baba-is-you-complete-guide-a34eac7a"
published: "2026-09-27T20:52:09.087Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T20:52:09.087Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Baba Is You: Complete Guide

A spoiler-conscious guide to Baba Is You: how the rule system really works, the rule words you'll meet and their quirks, the world structure, general puzzle-solving techniques, the extra content (Museum, New Adventures, the level editor), and how to get unstuck without reading solutions.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of version 481d (January 2026), which Hempuli described as most likely the final large update. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **Rules are physical blocks.** Every rule is made of word tiles on the map. Push them to make, break or change rules.
2. **A rule needs a valid sentence** of three or more words read left-to-right or top-to-bottom, like BABA IS YOU.
3. **If nothing IS YOU, you can't move.** Most of the time you lose control, and you'll need to undo.
4. **Undo is unlimited.** Press Z (or Backspace) as often as you like. Restart the level with R.
5. **Space waits a turn.** Useful when things move on their own.
6. **You don't have to beat every level.** The world map branches; skip a hard level and come back later.
7. **Read the level title.** It's often a hint.
8. **List every rule you can make** with the words in the level. The solution is almost always a rule you haven't tried yet.
9. **Question assumptions:** walls aren't solid unless something says WALL IS STOP.
10. **Take breaks.** Many "impossible" levels click after sleeping on them.

## Controls

| Action | Default key |
|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys or WASD |
| Undo | Z or Backspace |
| Restart level | R |
| Wait (skip a turn) | Space |
| Pause / menu | Escape |

Controller support is built in. All keys can be remapped in the settings.

## How Rules Work

- **Nouns** refer to objects: BABA, ROCK, WALL, FLAG, KEKE, WATER, LAVA, and many more.
- **IS** links a noun to a property (ROCK IS PUSH) or to another noun (ROCK IS FLAG, which transforms every rock into a flag).
- **HAS** makes an object leave something behind when destroyed (BOX HAS KEY).
- **MAKE** makes an object produce another object every turn.
- **AND** combines (BABA AND KEKE IS YOU; ROCK IS PUSH AND HOT).
- **NOT** negates (BABA IS NOT YOU; NOT BABA IS WIN).
- **Conditions** like ON, NEAR, FACING, and later ones narrow a rule to specific situations (BABA ON GRASS IS WIN).
- **TEXT** refers to the word tiles themselves (TEXT IS WIN turns every word into a win target).
- **LEVEL** refers to the level itself (LEVEL IS WIN wins instantly if it applies, which it rarely will without work).
- **Words are always PUSH**, even when no rule says so. Pushing a word into something that is SINK can destroy it, so be careful near water.

### Rule priority tips

- **Transformation (X IS Y) resolves at the end of your move**, so an object can be turned into something else before its old properties get a chance to matter on the next turn. Experiment with undo to see exactly when it fires.
- **NOT overrides:** X IS NOT Y blocks X IS Y.
- **X IS X** locks an object into itself, preventing transformations.

## Property Words Cheat Sheet

| Word | Effect |
|---|---|
| YOU | You control it. If none, you're stuck (undo) |
| WIN | Touching it with a YOU object wins |
| STOP | Blocks movement |
| PUSH | Can be pushed |
| PULL | Follows when you move away from it |
| SINK | Destroys itself and whatever enters it |
| DEFEAT | Destroys YOU objects that touch it |
| HOT / MELT | HOT destroys MELT objects on the same tile |
| OPEN / SHUT | Destroy each other on contact |
| MOVE | Moves on its own each turn, turning around at obstacles |
| SHIFT | Moves objects on its tile in its direction |
| WEAK | Destroyed when anything is on it or pushes into it |
| FLOAT | Only interacts with other FLOAT objects |
| TELE | Teleports objects between same-type TELE objects |
| MORE | Grows into adjacent empty space |
| SWAP | Swaps places with whatever moves into it |
| UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT | Forces facing direction |
| FALL | Falls down until blocked |
| SLEEP | Can't move even if YOU |
| RED, BLUE | Colour changes (some rules check for colour) |
| BONUS | Collectable extra objective |
| HIDE | Makes objects invisible |
| BEST | Cosmetic (and a little joke) |

Later words include EMPTY (empty tiles), GROUP, SELECT and WORD, plus version 481d additions: BECOME, FACEDBY, HOLD, HAPPY and ANGRY (mainly for the level editor and custom levels).

## World Structure

The main game has 231 levels across several areas on a world map. Steam's achievement list names them roughly as:

| Area | Achievement |
|---|---|
| The lake | Water Is Sink |
| The solitary isle | Cog Is Push |
| The ruins | Box Has Key |
| The forest of fall | Leaf Is Move |
| The forest | Tree Is Shift |
| The garden | Hedge Is Stop |
| The space area | Rocket Is Dust |
| The cavern | Lava Is Hot |
| The mountain | Bird Is Float |
| The abstract area | Baba Is More |
| Completing the world map | Baba Is All |

"Baba Is End" is for beating the game, but beating the game isn't the same as finishing it. There's a lot of post-game content, including puzzles where the world map itself becomes something you can change (the LEVEL noun), and several secret achievements. Keep exploring after the credits.

### Extra content

- **Museum:** 88 unused and bonus levels, in the level pack menu.
- **New Adventures:** 162 extra levels.
- **Baba Make Level (November 17, 2021):** the free update that added both of the packs above (250 new and previously unused levels) plus a cross-platform level editor with online sharing, new rules, art and music. Version 481d added search for levels and level packs, new objects (such as Bean, Fox, Chili, Hotdog, Brain, Bone, Cactus, Palm) and new words.

In total there are over 480 official levels (231 main, 88 Museum, 162 New Adventures).

## Puzzle-Solving Techniques

1. **Inventory the words.** Write down every noun and property on screen.
2. **Enumerate every rule** those words could possibly form, including vertical ones and ones sharing a word.
3. **Ask "what's the goal?"** You need a YOU object touching a WIN object, or another way to win (like making YOU also WIN, or making the level itself win).
4. **Find the locked words.** Words against walls or corners often can't be moved; figure out which rules are permanent.
5. **Break the rule that blocks you.** Often the solution is not adding a rule but removing one (WALL IS STOP).
6. **Transform your way out.** X IS Y changes objects; making the WIN object into YOU or the obstacle into something harmless is a common trick.
7. **Use shared words.** A single IS in the middle of a cross can form two rules at once.
8. **Think about order.** Some solutions require making a rule, moving, and then breaking it again before the next move.
9. **Check what's outside the level border.** Some words are in places that seem unreachable.
10. **Remember objects can be YOU too.** Making ROCK IS YOU gives you a second body, or a new body in a better position.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Assuming walls are solid.** Only STOP makes them solid.
- **Forgetting words can be pushed from any side.** Even words forming a rule can be pushed out of alignment.
- **Destroying the only YOU.** Lava, water and DEFEAT objects remove you; undo immediately.
- **Overlooking vertical rules.** Rules work top-to-bottom too.
- **Getting fixated on one level.** Branching paths exist for a reason. Go do another level.
- **Looking up full solutions too early.** You rob yourself of the game's best moments. Try hints first.

## Advanced Tips

- **Stacked objects:** multiple objects can share a tile, and rules affect all of them simultaneously.
- **FLOAT separates layers.** FLOAT objects ignore non-FLOAT ones, which can let you pass through otherwise deadly tiles.
- **MOVE and SHIFT** can carry words or objects for you when you can't reach them.
- **Transform text:** in later levels, words can themselves be transformed and used in surprising ways.
- **Make WIN reachable:** if the flag is behind walls, try FLAG IS YOU, or YOU IS WIN via BABA IS WIN, or WALL IS WIN.
- **The meta layer:** once LEVEL enters the game, try rules on the map and the level itself. Many late puzzles involve thinking about levels from outside.
- **Hunt for extras:** some levels have hidden or alternative solutions that open secret paths.

## Getting Unstuck Without Spoilers

1. Leave and come back later.
2. Try every combination of words you haven't tried.
3. Read the level name aloud.
4. Watch what happens after each turn in a failed attempt; look for a behaviour you didn't expect.
5. If you look something up, look for a hint rather than a full solution. Community hint sites often give escalating hints.

## FAQ

**How many levels does Baba Is You have?**
231 main levels, plus 88 Museum levels and 162 New Adventures levels, for 481 official levels in total. Players also share thousands of custom levels through the level editor.

**Is Baba Is You still updated?**
Version 481d released on January 2, 2026, and Hempuli said it will most likely be the final large update.

**What happens if nothing is YOU?**
You can't do anything except undo or restart. Undo with Z.

**Do I need to beat every level to see the ending?**
No. The world map branches and you can reach the ending without solving everything. The post-game has plenty more.

**Is there a board game?**
Yes. Baba Is You: The Board Game from Bitewing Games launched on Kickstarter on September 15, 2026.

**Is Baba Is You on mobile?**
Yes, on iOS and Android since June 2021. Version 481d added cloud saves on mobile.

## Sources

- [Baba Is You on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/)
- [Baba Is You Steam news (version 481d, board game Kickstarter)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/736260)
- [Baba Is You Steam achievements](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/736260/achievements)
- [Baba Is You on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Is_You)