What is Memorio?
Memorio is a memory game: the grid of cards is shown face up for a few seconds, then flips over. You then have to find every group of identical cards, pairs and triples, relying on your memory. Each card shows a number from 1 to 9, with its own colour.
A new grid goes live every day on the Memorio page, the same for every player. Unlike the word games on the site, Memorio needs no French at all: it is all numbers and colours. There is no limit on turns and no way to lose; only the quality of your memory shapes the score.
The rules of Memorio
The grid of the day
| Day | Grid | Groups | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | 4 × 4 (16 cards) | 2 pairs, 4 triples | 10 seconds |
| Sunday | 5 × 4 (20 cards) | 4 pairs, 4 triples | 12 seconds |
The preview
The game opens with a 3-second countdown, then the whole grid appears face up with the message "Mémorisez la grille…" (memorise the grid) and a shrinking bar. When the bar runs out, the cards flip over.
The preview only plays once. If you leave or reload the page afterwards, you come back to a hidden grid.
A turn
A turn means flipping, one by one, every card of the same group:
- Group complete: all its cards are face up, the group is found and stays visible.
- Mistake: if you flip a card with a different number, the turn is missed. The cards from that turn hide again after a moment, or as soon as you touch another card.
A badge on each flipped card shows your progress, such as 1/3 then 2/3 for a triple. So from the very first card, you know whether you are looking for a pair or a triple.
The counters
At the top of the screen, three counters track the game: Essais (turns), the number of completed turns; Combo, the number of groups found in a row; Record, your best combo of the game. At the bottom, the Paires (pairs) and Triples counters show groups found out of the total.
The joker
The Joker button flips a whole group, picked at random among those left. It can only be used between turns, never for the last group. A group handed over by the joker doesn't extend your combo: it actually resets it to zero.
A first game, walked through
Here is a weekday grid, made up for the example:
| Row | Cards |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 7 3 5 |
| 2 | 1 9 5 7 |
| 3 | 9 8 3 1 |
| 4 | 5 7 8 9 |
The triples are 3, 7, 5 and 9; the pairs are 1 and 8.
Turns 1 and 2. The two 3s on row one are easy to remember, and the third sits in the middle of row three: triple found, combo ×1. The 1 at the start of row two and the 1 at the end of row three follow: combo ×2.
Turn 3. On to the 7s: the second card of row one, then the last card of row two. The badge reads 2/3. For the third one you hesitate and flip the third card of row four: it's an 8. Mistake, and the combo drops to zero.
Turns 4 to 7. The mistake showed you where one 8 is. You find the 7s with the last one on row four, then the 5s, the 9s and finally the 8s. Four groups in a row: combo ×4, which becomes your record.
The tally: six groups in seven turns, best combo of 4. A single mistake, but placed mid-game, it split the combo in two.
How the score works
Scores are out of 1000 points, with 1 to 3 stars. The play rating combines two things:
- Best combo (60%): your longest run of groups found in a row, against the number of groups.
- Accuracy (40%): groups found divided by turns taken.
In the game above, that gives 0.6 × 4/6 + 0.4 × 6/7, a play rating of about 74%. Without the mistake, it would be 100%. The rating never drops below 40%.
On top of that come jokers, about 60 points each, and time: the reference time is 75 seconds on weekdays and 95 seconds on Sundays, countdown and preview included. On Sundays, a 1.15 multiplier applies. Two stars start at 450 points, three at 750.
After your first game
The key thing to grasp is that the combo outweighs everything else: a mistake in the middle costs far more than a mistake at the start. Our Memorio tips explain how to use that. For more brain training, see our pick of games to train your memory.