Route is a free daily math puzzle. Your starting number is the day of the month. You trace a path up a grid of operations like +3 or ×2, and finish on the top row exactly on the target.
How do you play Route?
- Pick Easy, Medium or Hard and press Play.
- Read the target at the top. Your starting number sits under the grid.
- Tap any circle in the bottom row to begin. Its operation applies to your starting number.
- Drag or tap to the next circle: straight up, or left or right along the same row. No diagonals, and no stepping back down.
- Each circle you enter changes your running total, shown as "Current total".
- Reach the top row with exactly the target to finish. Your path line turns green.
You can't use a circle twice. To back up, tap the last circle in your path, or tap an earlier one to cut the path back to it. The reset button clears the whole path.
Why does the starting number change every day?
Route takes it from the date. On the 3rd you start at 3, on the 21st you start at 21, and on the 31st you start at 31. It's the same number on all three tiers that day.
That makes each day of the month feel a little different. Small starts suit adding. Big starts give division more to work with.
How do the operations work?
Each tier adds a new kind of operation and a bigger grid:
- Easy: 4 circles wide, 3 rows. Plus and minus only, with numbers up to 5.
- Medium: 5 wide, 4 rows. Adds multiply, with numbers up to 8.
- Hard: 6 wide, 5 rows. Adds divide, with numbers up to 12.
Division only works on whole numbers. Some ÷ circles show faded out before you start. Those can't divide evenly on any route that reaches them, so the game won't let you tap them.
A ÷ circle that isn't faded can still go wrong on your particular path. Say you arrive at a ÷3 circle with a total of 22. 22 doesn't split into thirds, so the running total turns into a dash and that route is dead. Back up a step and find a total that divides cleanly.
A worked example
A small Hard-style route on the 21st, start 21, target 69:
21 ÷3 = 7 7 ×4 = 28 28 +6 = 34 34 −2 = 32 32 ×2 = 64 64 +5 = 69
Six circles, one row at a time, with one sideways step along the way. The ÷3 had to come first, while 21 still divided by 3. After the +6, a ÷3 would have stopped the route cold.
Hints and undo
Hint redraws your path along a known route to the target, up to the next circle you were missing, and pulses that circle. You get three hints per tier per day. The dots under the buttons show how many you've used.
Undo is built into the path itself: tap the last circle to remove it. There's no limit on backing up.
Tips for finding the route
- Work backward from the target. Look at the top row and ask which operation could land on the target, and from what number.
- Use × and ÷ deliberately. On Medium and Hard, one multiply covers more ground than several plus circles. Plan around them first.
- Divide early when the start allows it. Your starting number is fixed and known, so check what it divides by before you climb.
- Remember the sideways steps. Moving along a row lets you collect two or three operations before going up.
- Save hints for the last stretch. A hint shows only one more circle, so it helps most when you're close.
How is Route scored?
There's no losing. You play until your path hits the target, and a timer counts up while you solve. Your score is your solve time on each tier.
Signed-in players get a daily leaderboard for each tier, plus a friends-only board. Fewer hints breaks a tie. Each tier keeps its own streak, best time and average. You can hide the timer in your preferences.
How do you share your result?
The Share button gives you two choices. Spoiler free copies the puzzle number, your tier and your time:
Route #21 / Hard / 1:20 perdiem.games/route
With spoilers adds the route you took, as a chain of operations ending on the target:
Route #21 / Hard / 1:20 2️⃣1️⃣ ➗3️⃣ ✖️9️⃣ ➕6️⃣ 🎯 69 perdiem.games/route
The chain shows your operations, not where they sat on the grid. Pick spoiler free if your friends haven't played yet.
Common questions
Is there more than one way to solve it?
Often, yes. The game builds each grid around one route that works, but other paths can land on the target too. Any of them counts.
Can I play past days?
Yes. Past days open from the week strip on your results screen. Only today's puzzle counts for the leaderboard.
Do I need an account?
No. Route is free and runs in your browser with nothing to install. An account keeps your streaks across devices and adds leaderboards and friends.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab to a circle and press Enter or Space to add it to your path.