🧮 Number Forge
Combine numbers to reach the target. Every puzzle is guaranteed solvable.
How to play
- Pick a difficulty: Easy, Medium, or Hard.
- Select two numbers, then tap an operator to combine them into one.
- Order matters for subtraction and division, pick the bigger number first if the result would go negative.
- Keep combining until one number is left. Match the target to solve it.
- Undo, Hint, and New Puzzle are all free and unlimited, there's no way to lose.
A real math puzzle, not a flashcard drill
Number Forge is built on the same core idea as the classic 24 Game and the numbers round from Countdown: you're given a small set of numbers and a target, and you combine two at a time with addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division until only one number remains. Reaching the target exactly is the win condition, there's no multiple choice and no typing an answer, just genuine arithmetic reasoning about which pair to combine and in which order.
Every puzzle is generated backward from its target: the game picks a target, then works in reverse, splitting it apart with inverse operations until it has a full set of starting numbers. That reverse path is a guaranteed valid solution, so unlike a puzzle built from random numbers with no verification, you'll never hit a puzzle that's secretly impossible. Order matters for subtraction and division the same way it does in real arithmetic, so combining two numbers in the wrong order (one that would go negative or wouldn't divide evenly) is simply rejected with a gentle nudge to try the other order, which is itself a small lesson in why order of operations matters.
The Hint button doesn't read from a fixed answer key. It runs a genuine small solver against whatever numbers you currently have, even if you've already combined things differently than the puzzle's original path, and shows the next real step from exactly where you are. The same solver runs quietly after every move to warn you if your current numbers can no longer reach the target, so you know to hit Undo instead of guessing further. 3 difficulties change both the numbers involved and which operations are allowed: Easy is addition and subtraction only, Medium adds multiplication and division, and Hard uses one more starting number and bigger targets. Undo, Hint, and New Puzzle are all free and unlimited, and your solved count and no-hint streak are tracked separately for each difficulty.
Free, no download, no account. See more number and logic games on the Math Games page.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Number Forge?
Select any two numbers, then tap an operator (+, -, x, or /) to combine them into one new number. Keep combining until only one number is left. If it matches the target, you've solved the puzzle.
Is every puzzle actually solvable?
Yes. Every puzzle is generated backward from its target number, so the exact reverse path is a guaranteed valid solution before you ever see the puzzle.
What does the Hint button do?
It runs a real solver against your current numbers, not a fixed answer key, and shows the next real step from wherever you currently are, even if you've already combined numbers differently than the original solution.
What happens if I paint myself into a corner?
Number Forge tells you right away if your current numbers can no longer reach the target, so you know to hit Undo instead of wasting more moves. Undo and New Puzzle are both free and unlimited, so there's no fail state.
What's the difference between the 3 difficulties?
Easy uses 4 numbers with addition and subtraction only. Medium uses 4 numbers with all 4 operations. Hard uses 5 numbers with all 4 operations and larger targets.