Number Games2 min read

How to play Cages

Fill a small grid with numbers, like a mini Sudoku with maths. Each number appears once in every row and column, and each outlined group of squares (a "cage") must add, subtract, multiply or divide to the number in its corner.

Play Cages How the games work

Goal

Fill every square so no number repeats in a row or column, and every cage makes its number.

How to play

Use the numbers 1 up to the size of the grid: 1–4 on a 4×4 grid (Easy and Medium), 1–5 on 5×5 (Hard), 1–6 on 6×6 (Expert).
Like Sudoku, each number appears exactly once in every row and every column.
The thick outlines split the grid into cages. The small label in a cage's corner is its target, such as 6× or 3+.
The numbers inside a cage must make the target with that sign: add them for +, multiply them for ×.
For − and ÷ (always two squares), take the bigger number minus, or divided by, the smaller one.
Click a square, then type a number or tap the number buttons. When the grid is full, press Check my answer.
There is always exactly one answer, and you can reach it by logic without guessing.

Before you start: choose a mode, rounds and difficulty, then press Start game.

Example

On a 4×4 grid you use the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

A cage of two squares marked "3+" must hold 1 and 2, because 1 + 2 = 3. Which goes where depends on the rest of the grid.

A cage marked "2÷" could hold 1 and 2, or 2 and 4, because the bigger number divided by the smaller one is 2.

A cage marked "1−" holds two numbers next to each other, such as 3 and 4.

A cage of one square marked "4" is simply 4. Fill those first.

Keyboard

Keys	What it does
`1–6`	Put that number in the selected square (up to the grid size)
`Backspace`	Clear the selected square (also Delete or 0)
`←↑→↓`	Move to the next square

Tips

Fill the one-square cages first: they just give you the number.
Two-square − and ÷ cages only allow a few pairs, so they are good places to start.
A big × target, such as 24× on a 4×4 grid, can only be made a few ways (here 2 × 3 × 4).
A cage that sits in one row or one column can't repeat a number. One that turns a corner can.
On Easy and Medium, a hint fills in one correct square.

Scoring

Every correct answer is worth 100 points, scaled by difficulty (Easy ×0.8, Medium ×1, Hard ×1.3, Expert ×1.6).
Answering within 3 seconds adds a 25-point speed bonus.
Each answer in a row adds a 15-point streak bonus, up to 10 in a row.
Using a hint halves the points for that answer and skips the bonuses. Hints are only available on Easy and Medium.
Your score, streak and achievements are saved to your account when the game ends.

Modes

Classic

A fixed number of rounds, then a results screen.

Endless

Keep playing until you press Quit.

Time Attack

Fit in as many rounds as you can before the clock runs out.

Survival

Play until you run out of lives or make the game-ending mistake.