How to play Number Worm

The rules

• Press on the green Start tile and drag through the board to the orange End tile.
• Move up, down, left or right, one tile at a time. No diagonals.
• Every number your worm crawls over adds to your total, including Start and End.
• You can't visit a tile twice, and you don't have to use every tile.
• Reach End with your total exactly equal to the target to win.

Made a wrong turn? Drag back one tile to undo, or tap Clear to start over.

Special tiles

🪨 Rocks

Your worm can't crawl through rocks, so you'll need to find a way around them.

➖ Negative numbers

Blue tiles like −3 subtract from your total. They're perfect for fixing a total that's running too high.

✖️ ×2 tiles

Gold ×2 tiles double your running total at the moment you reach them, so the order you visit tiles really matters.

⭐ Stars

Tiles with a star must be part of your path for the solution to count.

🔑 Keys and 🔒 locks

A locked tile only opens after your path has passed through the key tile.

Tips for faster solves

• Work out the gap first. Add up the most direct route from Start to End, then compare it to the target. That tells you how much you need to add or remove.
• Use detours to add. If you're short, look for a small loop around nearby tiles that adds exactly what's missing.
• Save ×2 tiles for the right moment. Doubling a big total gets you there fast, but doubling too late can blow past the target.
• Watch the corners. Rocks and edges can trap your worm, so plan a route that leaves a way out to End.
• Hints cost stars. In Levels, using a hint caps you at two stars, so try a little longer before reaching for one.

Daily puzzles, levels and challenges

Every day there are three new puzzles (Easy, Medium and Hard) that are the same for everyone, with a streak counter and leaderboards. Levels take you through worlds of 12 puzzles each, earning up to three stars per level based on your time. After any solve, tap Challenge to send a friend the exact same puzzle, or create a private friends leaderboard from the Leaderboards page.

Common questions

Is Number Worm free?

Yes. It's completely free to play in any web browser, with no sign-up and nothing to download.

When do new puzzles come out?

Every day at midnight in your own time zone. Everyone in the world gets the same three puzzles.

Can I play it like an app?

Yes. On Android, tap Install on the home screen. On iPhone, tap Share in Safari and choose Add to Home Screen.

How do I keep my progress on a new phone?

Open Your stats to find your save code, then tap Restore progress on the new device and enter it.