Simon
The classic memory game, rebuilt for the browser. Four colored pads light up one at a time, each ringing its own tone. Watch the pattern, repeat it exactly, and every round the computer adds one more step.
▶ Play Simon
What is Simon?
Simon is a memory game built around a single, unforgiving idea: the computer shows you a sequence, and you have to play it back perfectly. The board is a circle split into four quarter pads — green in the top-left, red in the top-right, yellow in the bottom-left, and blue in the bottom-right — with a small hub in the middle that shows your current level. Each pad has its own musical tone, so the sequence is something you can hear as much as see.
What makes it addictive is how it grows. The sequence starts at a single step. Clear it and the computer tacks one more random pad onto the end and replays the whole thing from the beginning, so by level 8 you're recalling eight colors and tones in a row without a single mistake. There's no timer and no score to chase — just the level number, which is exactly the length of the sequence you've survived. Like the other games on twittyn, Simon is human-controlled: nothing auto-plays and nothing records. It's you against your own memory.
How to play
- Press Start. Hit the “Start” button on the overlay. This also switches the sound on — the game can't make any noise until you tap something first (browsers require a gesture before audio can play), so Start doubles as your audio-on button.
- Watch the pattern. After a short pause the pads begin lighting up one at a time, each playing its own tone. The first round is a single flash. Don't touch anything while the sequence is playing — input is locked until it finishes.
- Repeat it exactly. Once the sequence stops, tap the pads back in the same order. Each tap lights the pad and rings its tone so you get instant feedback on what you pressed.
- Clear the round to advance. Match every step and the computer adds one new random pad to the end, replays the whole sequence from the start, and your LEVEL ticks up by one.
- One wrong tap ends the run. The moment you press a pad that doesn't match the next step in the sequence, a harsh buzzer sounds, all four pads flash once, and the game is over. There are no lives and no second chances within a run.
- Play again. Hit “Play Again” on the game-over overlay to reset the level to zero and start a fresh sequence.
It plays the same on desktop and mobile: click the pads with a mouse or tap them with a finger. The pads respond instantly to touch, with no laggy tap delay to throw off your timing.
How to remember longer sequences
The pattern is short at first, but past level 6 or 7 most people start dropping steps. The trick isn't raw memory — it's giving the sequence a shape your brain can hold onto. Here are techniques that genuinely help.
Chunk it into small groups
Your short-term memory holds only a handful of loose items, but it holds groups far better. Instead of memorizing “green, red, red, blue, yellow, green” as six separate things, break it into pairs or threes: “green-red-red” then “blue-yellow-green.” Two chunks are much easier to carry than six items.
Listen to it as a melody
This is the biggest advantage Simon gives you, and most players ignore it. Each pad has a fixed tone — the four pitches descend from the green pad down to the blue one — so any sequence is also a little tune. Green is the highest note and blue is the lowest, with red and yellow in between. If you stop staring at the colors and instead follow the melody rising and falling, you can often replay a pattern by ear even when you've lost track of the colors.
Say the colors aloud
Speaking or sub-vocalizing each color as it flashes adds a second memory channel on top of the visual one. “Green, red, blue” whispered under your breath is harder to lose than a picture that fades the instant the pad goes dark. The physical act of naming also slows you down just enough to actually register each step.
Feel the rhythm
The pads flash at a steady, even beat, so the sequence has a rhythm as well as a pitch. Tapping your finger or nodding along to that beat while you watch encodes the pattern as motion, and your hands can sometimes remember the rhythm of the taps even when your eyes have given up. Combine rhythm, melody, and chunking and you'll push several levels further than memory alone would take you.
Good to know: Your best level is saved locally in your browser and shown under “BEST,” so it's still there next time you visit — no login required. Also note the pads are silent until your first tap: browsers only allow sound after you interact with the page, which is why pressing Start is what switches the audio on. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no sound at first?
Browsers block audio until you interact with the page, so the tones stay silent until your very first tap. Pressing the Start button counts as that first interaction and switches the sound on, which is why the sequence you hear only begins after you've started a run.
Does the game get harder over time?
Yes. Every round the sequence grows by one step, and the playback also speeds up slightly as your level climbs — the pads light for less time and the gaps between them shrink. The speed-up has a floor, though, so it never becomes impossibly fast; the real difficulty is the growing length of the pattern.
What happens when I tap the wrong pad?
The run ends immediately. A descending buzzer plays, all four pads flash once as a fail cue, and the game-over screen shows the level you reached. There are no lives — a single wrong tap finishes the run.
Is my best level saved?
Yes. The highest level you reach is stored locally in your browser under a single small key, so it persists between visits on the same device. Beat it and the game marks it as a new best on the game-over screen.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Simon works the same on touch devices — just tap the pads instead of clicking. The pads respond instantly to touch, so your timing stays accurate.
Is it free?
Yes, Simon is completely free to play in your browser, with no download, no account, and no paywall.