How to use the solver
Type the six numbers into the boxes and the target below them. This Countdown numbers game solver answers as you type: the big figure is the result it reached, and the steps underneath are the working, one operation per line, exactly as you would say it. If the target cannot be reached, it shows the closest number that can be, with its working.
To practice, pick how many large numbers you want and press Draw numbers. The draw follows the usual tile set: one each of 25, 50, 75 and 100, and two each of 1 to 10, with a random target from 101 to 999. Try it yourself first, then press Solve. Your numbers are saved in the page, so Copy link to this puzzle lets you send the same draw to a friend.
The rules
- Use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
- Each of the six numbers can be used once at most. You do not have to use them all.
- Every result along the way must be a positive whole number: no fractions, no zero, no negative numbers. So 7 ÷ 2 is not allowed, and neither is 3 − 5.
- Get as close to the target as you can. An exact answer is best.
How the solver works
The solver works through every group of your numbers, starting with single numbers, then pairs, then threes and so on. For each group it records every value the group can make under the rules, and how. Because small groups are finished before large ones, the first time the target appears it is made with the fewest numbers possible, so the working shown is always the shortest there is (one step fewer than the numbers it uses). If the target never appears, the solver picks the value nearest to it, again with the shortest working.
Nothing is guessed or sampled: the search covers every pairing, every order and every operation. We tested it against a separate brute-force solver on random draws, and every answer and every step was replayed to check the rules.
Worked example
Numbers 25, 50, 75, 100, 3, 6, target 952. This one needs all six numbers:
- 100 + 3 = 103
- 75 × 6 = 450
- 450 ÷ 50 = 9
- 103 × 9 = 927
- 927 + 25 = 952
The idea: 952 is close to 103 × 9 = 927, and the leftover 25 closes the gap. Making 9 from 75, 6 and 50 is the hard part.
How often is there an exact answer?
We ran the solver on 1,000 random draws for each choice of large numbers. With two large numbers almost every draw (about 98 in 100) had an exact answer. With one, three or four large numbers it was about 9 in 10. With no large numbers only about two in three could be solved exactly, because the small numbers struggle to reach high targets. No exact solution in those samples needed more than five steps.
The name is used only to say which game this solves; this site has no connection with the television show.
Tips
- Find a multiple close to the target first (here 103 × 9), then fix the remainder.
- Large numbers combine well: 100 − 75 = 25, 75 ÷ 25 = 3, 50 + 25 = 75.
- Keep a small number spare for the final adjustment.
- If you are stuck near the end, aim for being within a few points: a close answer still scores.
With four numbers and a fixed target of 24, the puzzle becomes the 24 game, which has its own solver.
Solver tested . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
Does the solver always find a solution if one exists?
Yes. It checks every combination the rules allow, so if it says the target cannot be reached, no arrangement of your numbers reaches it. It then shows the closest value that can be made.
Why does the solver not use all six numbers?
The rules let you use any of the numbers, not all of them. The solver shows the shortest working, so it uses as few numbers as possible.
Are fractions or negative numbers allowed?
No. In the Countdown numbers game every step must give a positive whole number. The solver never divides unless the result is whole, and never subtracts a larger number from a smaller one.
Which numbers can be drawn?
The usual set has one each of 25, 50, 75 and 100 and two each of 1 to 10. You can still type other numbers; the solver works with them and notes that the draw would not be possible with the standard tiles.
Can there be more than one solution?
Often there are many. The solver shows one with the fewest steps; there may be others of the same length.