Color Game

Color Game is a free collection of hue-perception puzzles you can play in your browser on desktop or phone, with no download or sign-up. Put a shuffled color gradient back in order, find the one square that is a slightly different shade, copy a target color with sliders, or take on the daily gradient that everyone gets on the same day. If you prefer sorting to shading, try Color Sort, where you pour colored liquids between tubes.

How to play

Pick a mode from the tabs at the top.

Gradient Restore

• A smooth two-dimensional gradient has been cut into tiles and shuffled. Swap tiles until every row and column flows evenly again.
• Tiles with a dot are fixed anchors. They never move, so use them as reference points for where each color belongs.
• To swap, tap one tile and then another, or drag a tile onto the one you want to trade with. On a keyboard, move the cursor with the arrow keys and press Enter or Space to select and swap.
• Hold the Peek button to see the finished gradient for a moment, and use Reshuffle for a fresh shuffle of the same level.
• There are 40 levels. The grid grows from 4 by 5 to 8 by 11 tiles, the color steps between neighbors get smaller, and the anchors thin out from the whole border to just the four corners. Solving a level unlocks the next one and records your fewest swaps.

Odd One Out

• A grid of squares appears that all look the same color, except one. Tap the odd one.
• You start with 60 seconds. Each find adds a second, and each miss costs five.
• The color difference starts large and shrinks every round, measured in CIEDE2000 units (Delta E), while the grid grows from 3 by 3 up to 7 by 7. The HUD shows the current difference.
• Press P or Esc to pause. The game also pauses if you switch tabs.

Color Match

• You see a target swatch and your own swatch. Adjust the hue, saturation and lightness sliders until they look identical, then lock in.
• Each round scores 100 points minus 4 points for every unit of CIEDE2000 difference between the two colors, so a perfect match scores 100. A game is five colors, for a maximum of 500.

Daily gradient

The daily puzzle is generated from the date, so every player gets the same 6 by 8 gradient on the same day. Restore it in as few swaps as you can. Your best result for each day is saved.

Tips

• Work from the anchors inward. Corner and edge anchors pin down the ends of each row and column. Fill the rows next to them first, then the center falls into place.
• Sort by lightness first, hue second. Most gradients change in lightness along at least one direction. Place tiles by how light or dark they are, then fine-tune by hue.
• Look at edges, not centers. A misplaced tile is easiest to spot where it meets its neighbors. If a seam looks sharper than the others, one of those two tiles is in the wrong spot.
• Scan Odd One Out in blocks. Instead of staring at one square, sweep your eyes across the grid row by row. The odd square often stands out in peripheral vision.
• Match lightness before hue. In Color Match, get the lightness slider close first. A wrong lightness is easy to see at a glance, so fixing it first leaves you to fine-tune hue and saturation.

FAQ

Is Color Game free?

Yes. All four modes are free with no account and no install, and they work on phones, tablets and computers.

Is this a color blindness test?

No. It’s a color-perception puzzle, not a vision test, and its scores say nothing about your eyesight. If you want a screening-style check, try our Color Blind Test, and see an eye care professional for a real diagnosis.

Can I play if I have color vision deficiency?

Yes. Turn on the colorblind-friendly markers option to give anchor tiles a high-contrast cross pattern and outline, and selected tiles a stronger highlight. Gradients also change in lightness, which helps when some hues are hard to tell apart.

How is the color difference measured?

Odd One Out and Color Match use CIEDE2000, a standard formula for how different two colors look to a typical viewer. A Delta E around 1 is near the limit of what most people can see. Gradients are built in the OKLab color space so each step looks even.

Does the game save my progress?

Yes. Unlocked levels, fewest swaps per level, daily results and your best Odd One Out and Color Match scores are stored in your browser on this device.