How to Play | Guess The Number

The Rules in 60 Seconds

1

Pick a Secret Number

Each player secretly chooses a 4-digit number. The rules: it must start with a non-zero digit (e.g. 1–9), and all four digits must be different. So 1234 is valid, but 1123 (repeated 1) or 0234 (leading zero) are not.

2

Take Turns Guessing

Players alternate guessing each other's secret number. After each guess, the defender responds with two numbers: Bulls and Cows.

🐂 Bull = right digit, right position
🐄 Cow = right digit, wrong position

3

Win by Cracking the Code

The first player to guess the opponent's exact number (4 Bulls, 0 Cows) wins the round. The game tracks wins on the global leaderboard for ranked matches.

Worked Example

Say Player A's secret number is 4271. Here's how Player B might deduce it:

Player B's guesses vs. secret 4271:

1234 → 1 Bull, 2 Cows (2 is bull; 1 and 4 are cows)

4567 → 1 Bull, 0 Cows (4 is bull in pos 0)

4213 → 2 Bulls, 1 Cow (4 and 2 are bulls; 1 is cow)

4271 → 4 Bulls, 0 Cows 🎉 (exact match — Player B wins!)

Scoring Reference

Result	Meaning	Example (secret: 4271)
4 Bulls, 0 Cows	Perfect guess — you win!	Guess: 4271
2 Bulls, 1 Cow	2 right place, 1 right digit wrong place	Guess: 4213
0 Bulls, 4 Cows	All digits correct, all wrong positions	Guess: 1724
0 Bulls, 0 Cows	No digits match at all	Guess: 3859

Strategy Tips

🧠 Start with a spread-out guess

Your first guess should use 4 very different digits — like 1234 or 1357. This maximises the information you get back and eliminates large portions of the possibility space immediately.

Pro tip: There are only 5,040 valid 4-digit numbers with unique non-zero-leading digits. A good solver can crack any number in 6 guesses or fewer.

🔢 Track eliminations

Keep a mental (or written) list of which digits are confirmed present, confirmed absent, and confirmed in specific positions. Treat it like Sudoku — every clue narrows the possibilities.

🐄 Cows tell you position is wrong

If you guess 1234 and get 1 Cow for the digit 2, you know 2 is in the secret but NOT in position 1. Use this to place it correctly on your next guess.

🐂 Lock in bulls first

Once you identify a Bull, keep that digit in the same position on every future guess. Changing a confirmed Bull wastes a turn.

⚡ Use process of elimination

After 0 Bulls and 0 Cows on a guess, all 4 digits in that guess are eliminated entirely. This rules out roughly 4 digits at once — very powerful early in the game.

Game Modes

Mode	Description	Ranked?
🌐 Online Ranked	Auto-matchmaking against a random opponent	✅ Yes
🔑 Private Room	Invite a friend with a room code	❌ No
🤖 vs AI	Play against the computer solver	❌ No
👥 Local 2-Player	Pass-and-play on one device	❌ No

How to Play Guess The Number

The Rules in 60 Seconds

Pick a Secret Number

Take Turns Guessing

Win by Cracking the Code

Worked Example

Scoring Reference

Strategy Tips

🧠 Start with a spread-out guess

🔢 Track eliminations

🐄 Cows tell you position is wrong

🐂 Lock in bulls first

⚡ Use process of elimination

Game Modes