Decrypto rules in 30 seconds
A secret code of 5 digits, each from 0 to 9, is hidden. Repeats are allowed: the same digit can appear twice or even three times. Your goal is to find it in 6 tries or fewer.
Each try, you type a full code on the number pad and submit it. Every position then gets a colour:
- green: right digit, right spot;
- orange: the digit is in the code, but in another spot;
- grey: the digit is not in the code, or every copy of it is already accounted for.
You win as soon as all five tiles are green. Think of it as Mastermind with numbers, with Wordle-style feedback on each tile. Since it uses digits only, no French is needed.
How do colours work with repeated digits?
The game scores your guess in two passes. First it marks the digits in the right spot. Then it marks misplaced digits, from left to right, as long as copies remain unmatched in the code. A surplus digit in your guess therefore shows grey, even if that digit is in the code.
Example with the secret code 4 8 5 9 1:
The number pad remembers your tries: each key shows the best colour that digit has earned so far. One glance tells you which digits are still worth testing.
A first game, move by move
Here is a real game with the secret code 7 5 3 7 0. It is solved in 5 tries, with no joker.
Tries 1 and 2: test all ten digits
Open with 0 1 2 3 4, then 5 6 7 8 9. After two tries, every digit has been played once.
Takeaway: only four different digits lit up, 0, 3, 5 and 7, yet the code has five positions. So one of those four digits appears twice. You also know where they are not: 0 is not first, 3 is not fourth, 5 is not first, 7 is not third.
Try 3: hunt for the repeat
Test the idea of a double 7, putting each digit in a spot it has never tried: 3 0 7 5 7.
Five oranges is great news. Both 7s lit up, so the code is made of exactly 0, 3, 5, 7 and 7. All that is left is the order. The ruled-out spots pile up: 7 is neither third nor fifth, 3 neither first nor fourth, 0 neither first nor second, 5 neither first nor fourth. Only six orderings still fit every clue.
Try 4: split the candidates
Play 7 3 0 7 5, one of the six codes still possible. It has a big advantage: each of the six candidates would produce a different answer. Whatever comes back, only one solution will remain.
Both 7s are placed. 3 is not second, 0 is not third, 5 is not fifth. The only ordering left is 7 5 3 7 0.
Try 5: solved
Cracked in 5 tries. With a little luck on try 4, it could even have ended in 4.
Joker, free play and scoring
The Joker button reveals the digit at a position you don't know yet, picked at random among those you have neither found in green nor already revealed. That digit is then pre-filled and locked in every row. Jokers are unlimited, but each costs 60 points.
If your 6th try misses, a screen offers two choices: keep guessing without scoring, or see the solution. Finding the code in free play does not count as a win.
Scores are out of 1,000. Each extra try costs about 120 points of performance: a first-try win earns the maximum, a win on try 6 keeps 40%. Time matters too: you get a bonus for beating the 2 min 30 s reference time and a penalty for being slower. A lost game is capped at 400 points.
What next?
Once the rules click, move on to our Decrypto tips to win in 4 or 5 tries on a regular basis. If you enjoy this kind of deduction, Mindo uses the same idea with colours, and our guide to games like Wordle lists more.
A new code arrives every day at midnight, local time. It is free to play in your browser, with nothing to download and no sign-up needed.