Target 24

Four numbers between 1 and 13. Combine two at a time with +, −, × or ÷ until one number is left, and make that number 24. Every hand is checked before it is dealt, so a hand you cannot solve is a hand you have not cracked yet — never an impossible one.

It runs entirely on your device: 0 network requests, works offline. No ads, no account, nothing to buy, and no betting, money or prizes of any kind.

1. Focus the board — click it, or press Tab until it is focused.
2. Choose an operation with ↑ and ↓.
3. Select a number with Enter, then Enter on a second one to combine them. Z deselects.
4. Repeat until one number remains. Make it 24.

How do you solve a "make 24" arithmetic puzzle?

Work backwards from the target rather than forwards from the cards. 24 is 4 × 6, 3 × 8, 12 × 2 and 24 + 0 — so ask which pair of your numbers could make a 4 and a 6, or an 8 and a 3, and you have cut the search enormously. Guessing forwards means wandering through hundreds of combinations; working back from the factor pairs usually takes three or four tries.

Are all the hands actually possible?

Yes. The game solves every hand exhaustively before dealing it and only deals ones with at least one route. It also counts how many routes exist and scores accordingly — a hand with a single solution is worth far more than one with twenty, because it genuinely is harder.

Why do I sometimes see fractions?

Because some hands need them, and hiding them would make those hands unsolvable. The classic example is 3, 3, 8, 8, which has exactly one route: 8 ÷ (3 − 8 ÷ 3). Values are held as exact fractions rather than decimals, so nothing is ever rejected because of rounding.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Once the page has loaded once, the whole game — including the solver — is on your device.

Is there any money, betting or in-app purchase in this?

None, and there never will be. No currency, nothing to buy, no lives to refill, no wager of any kind.

Can I play it with a keyboard or a screen reader?

Both. Arrows choose the number and the operation, Enter combines, and the remaining values are announced after every step.

Four cards, 1 to 13, combined two at a time. Only hands with at least one solution are dealt, and the solution count sets the score.

Prime Sweep is the other number game here, though it asks you to judge quickly rather than to search carefully.

Bookmark this page (Ctrl+D, or ⌘D on Mac) or install the app — it works offline the next time you need it.