24 Game is the classic free online arithmetic card game: you get four numbers and you have to reach exactly 24 using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with each number used exactly once. Tap a number, tap an operation, tap a second number, and the two combine into one — repeat until a single card is left, and if it reads 24 the hand is yours. Every hand is generated and then verified against a full solver before you ever see it, so a hand that looks impossible is only hard. The arithmetic runs on exact fractions rather than decimals, which matters more than it sounds: the most famous hand in the game, 1 3 4 6, has exactly one answer and it goes through three quarters. Six levels take you from hands with a dozen different routes down to hands with exactly one, plus a level where every route has to pass through a fraction. No timer, no download, no account.
How to play 24 Game
- Four cards are dealt. You must use all four numbers exactly once and reach exactly 24.
- Tap a card, then tap an operation, then tap a second card. The two cards merge into one showing the result.
- Keep combining until one card is left. If it reads 24 the hand is solved and the next one deals itself.
- Order matters for subtraction and division: the card you tapped first is the one on the left of the sign.
- Results can be fractions, and that is often the point — a card can legitimately read 3/4 partway through.
- Undo takes back the last combination. Reset returns the hand to its four original cards.
- Hint names one combination that is on a route to 24, and highlights the two cards involved.
- Clear all five hands to finish a level. Using no hints and no skips is three stars.
Tips
- Look for 24 as a product first: 3×8, 4×6, 2×12. If two of your cards can make 8 and the others can make 3, you are done.
- Then look for 24 as a sum or difference: something plus something, or 25 minus 1, or 30 minus 6.
- A 1 in the hand is more useful than it looks. It turns any pair into a factor: 25×1, or n÷1, or n−1.
- When nothing multiplies cleanly, try dividing early. Making a fraction on purpose is how hands like 1 3 4 6 open up.
- Subtraction and division are not symmetric, so if a combination is close, try the same two cards the other way round.
- On the later levels there may be only one route in the whole hand. If nothing obvious works, that is information — start eliminating rather than guessing.
- The small text under a merged card shows the expression that made it, so you can retrace a route without holding it in your head.
- Skip moves on but counts against your stars, and the hand you skipped is definitely solvable — every hand is verified before it is dealt.
FAQ
Is the 24 Game free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser with nothing to install, no account and nothing to buy. All six levels are included and unlock as you clear them.
Do I have to use all four numbers?
Yes, each of them exactly once. That is the rule that makes it a puzzle rather than arithmetic practice — the hand is not "can you reach 24", it is "can you reach 24 with precisely these four".
Are fractions allowed in the middle of a hand?
Yes, and some hands require them. The classic example is 1 3 4 6, whose only answer is 6 divided by 1 minus 3 over 4. The game keeps every intermediate value as an exact fraction rather than a decimal, so those routes work properly instead of failing to rounding.
Is every hand actually solvable?
Yes. Each hand is run through a complete solver before it is dealt, and the test suite checks every hand of every level on many rerolls. An unsolvable hand is indistinguishable from a hard one on screen, which is exactly why it is verified rather than assumed.
What makes the later levels harder?
The number of different ways a hand can be solved. Level one deals hands with a dozen or more routes to 24; level four narrows that to three or fewer; the last level deals hands with exactly one. There is also a level where every route has to pass through a fraction.
Is there a timer?
No. It is arithmetic, and a clock mostly rewards the player who already recognises the hand rather than the one working it out. Your score is how few hints and skips you used.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. The number keys 1 to 4 pick cards by position, and +, -, * and / choose the operation.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The cards and the four operation buttons are sized for thumbs, and the layout is a single column that suits portrait.