Enigma is a free daily code-breaking puzzle. A secret row of four colors is hidden, and you have eight tries to guess it. After each guess, small pins tell you how close you came.
How do you play Enigma?
- Tap colors from the palette to fill a row of four. There are six colors, and the code can repeat them.
- Tap Try Code. Pins appear beside your row.
- Read the pins, then build your next guess on a new row.
- Match all four pegs within eight tries to win. If you run out, the code is revealed.
On a computer, keys 1 to 6 pick the colors, Backspace removes a peg, and Enter tries the code.
How do you read the pins?
Each guess gets up to four pins:
- A solid pin means one peg is the right color in the right spot.
- An open pin means one peg is a right color, but in the wrong spot.
- An empty slot means one peg scored nothing.
The pins never say which peg they belong to. That's the puzzle. Solid pins always come first, then open ones, whatever order your pegs were in.
A worked example. Say the hidden code is Blue, Green, Green, Purple, and you guess Blue, Blue, Green, Green.
- Your first Blue and your first Green are in the right spots. That's 2 solid pins.
- Your last Green is a right color, but the code's other Green is in spot two. That's 1 open pin.
- Your second Blue scores nothing. The code only has one Blue, and it's already counted.
So you see two solid pins, one open pin and one empty slot. Each peg in the code is counted once, so repeated colors don't get extra credit.
If a whole row scores no pins at all, none of those colors is in the code. That's useful news. Cross them off and use the space for other colors.
How do you lock a peg?
Double-tap any peg on the board to lock its color into that spot. Every later row starts with that color already in place, so you only fill the spots you're unsure about. Double-tap it again to unlock.
A lock is a note to yourself, not a guess. It doesn't tell you whether you're right. Lock a color once the pins have convinced you it belongs there. Every guess after that is about the spots you don't know yet.
Tips for cracking the code
- Open with pairs. Two colors, two pegs each, tells you about two colors at once.
- Bring in new colors early. With six colors and four spots, at least two colors are missing. Find out which.
- Change one thing at a time when you're close. If you swap one peg and a solid pin disappears, you've found where it was.
- Watch the totals. Solid plus open pins tells you how many of your colors are in the code, whatever their spots.
- Lock what you've proven. It saves taps and keeps you from undoing your own progress.
How is Enigma scored?
Your score is the number of tries you needed. Fewer is better. The results screen shows today's tries, your best and your average, plus how many codes you've cracked.
A timer starts when you place your first peg, and your time goes in your share text. A win extends your streak. Running out of tries resets it to zero.
There's no leaderboard for Enigma yet, and it has no hints. Your stats are kept in your browser on this device.
How do you share your result?
The Share button copies your time and the pins for every row. Solid pins show as black circles and open pins as white circles. No colors are shown, so nothing gives away the code. If you run out of tries, a ❌ goes in front of your time. On a phone it opens your share sheet.
Enigma #10 / 2:31 ⚫⚪▫️▫️ ⚫⚫⚪▫️ ⚫⚫⚫⚫ perdiem.games/enigma
Is Enigma like Mastermind?
Yes. Enigma follows the classic code-breaking board game: four pegs, six colors, and pins for right spot and wrong spot. Enigma adds a new code every day and the option to lock pegs. Enigma isn't affiliated with Mastermind or its makers.
Common questions
Can the code repeat a color?
Yes. A color can appear more than once, and the code can even be one color four times.
Is the code the same for everyone?
Yes. Everyone gets the same code each day.
Can I play past codes?
Yes. Past days open from the week strip on your results screen.
Do I need an account?
No. Enigma is free and runs in your browser with nothing to install.