# Countdown Game & Solver — Numbers and Letters > TV game show numbers round puzzle with universal solution finder. (iPhone/iPad app by Lawrence Anthony.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-game-and-solver/id1394219228 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Lawrence Anthony](https://appshunter.io/developer/1064198829) - Category: Games, Education, Family, Puzzle - Price: Free - Rating: 4.70/5 from 40 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 19 MB - Languages: American English, Arabic, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and 7 more - Released: 2018-12-22 - Data updated: 2026-08-25 - Monetization: ad-supported - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-game-and-solver/id1394219228/reviews.md ## What is Countdown Game & Solver? Countdown is a game show on British television (French original: Des chiffres et des lettres). This app reworks the “Numbers” portion of the game show as a Scrabble®-like tile game for your iPhone or iPad. It includes a Universal Solver that finds all possible solutions to any Numbers puzzle you care to throw at it. Feature List: • The “Numbers” rounds of the Countdown game show, reworked as a Scrabble®-like tile game. • More than 11 million unique starting configurations at your disposal. (The precise figure is 11 918 700.) • Play the game by dragging numbered tiles onto the game board and progressively building up arithmetic expressions to a final result that matches the target number (or comes within ten of it). • Includes a Universal Solver that finds, within a few seconds, all possible solutions for a given initial configuration. Furthermore, if no solution is found, you can be sure that no solution exists. • In generating the list of solutions, the Universal Solver recognizes new solutions that are near-duplicates of pre-existing solutions — e.g., with minor variations in the order of the arithmetic expressions — and culls such new solutions in order to the keep the list of solutions manageable. • Fully integrated with Apple’s Messages app, so you can share your accomplishments with your friends and issue challenges to them. • A single universal app which runs on all your iOS devices: iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod touch. ## Key features - Numbers game show rounds - Tile-based arithmetic puzzle - Universal solution solver - Millions of starting configurations - Share accomplishments via Messages - Runs on iPhone and iPad ## Recent user reviews (10 of 21) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-game-and-solver/id1394219228/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Scratches the itch that countdown leaves under the skin. *2025-05-24* This is a simple but versatile app. Endlessly hours of fun doing arithmetic. ### 5/5 — Great game *2024-12-23* Countdown is a great game if you like maths. It is also quite challenging and is entertaining. ### 5/5 — Review *2024-02-20, version 1.0.9* Brilliant because it improves your mental maths knowledge but you can hint until you have the answer ### 5/5 — Love this app but have one major question for developers *2023-12-05* Absolutely love this game! I’m obsessed with doing countdown math problems & this lets me do as many as I want easily. It works perfectly every time. My one big question is - what do the different color tiles mean? Sometime when I’m solving one, the numbers turn red or green or brown when I use them in the board but there doesn’t seem to be a pattern. It’s driving me nuts! ### 5/5 — Superbe *2023-12-02, version 1.0.9* Un vrai jeu gratuit! Bien réalisé. Bravo! ### 1/5 — Fun game on paper, awful UX *2023-11-09* I just can’t get past the way this app has to be used in order to enjoy it. And the Countdown Numbers Game (“Le Compte Est Bon”) is one of my absolute favorites! This is such a disappointment because most other versions of this game are missing the solver, which is great here. But this is basically a gamified calculator, and while even cheap, physical calculators work by pressing buttons, the only way to play this game is by dragging numbers around the screen. Tapping to calculate isn’t even an option. That makes gameplay slow and unwieldy. And even though I actually like the lack of timer (though it would be nice to have as an option) I still want to get the calculation out of my head as fast as possible! ### 5/5 — Genuinely delightful *2023-07-23* App works well and is engaging 10/10 ### 3/5 — lacks features *2023-02-01, version 1.0.8* its a good game, exactly what you may be after, and the app isnt buggy. i just wish it had a dark mode and a timer!!! makes a big difference to me :) ### 5/5 — Great job!!! *2023-01-28* Wow! I’m actually teaching a course on puzzles, and Countdown is in there, along with Krypto, the 5-card and target variant here in the US. This app is a fantastic implementation of Countdown, with a great interface for playing, a solver (looks a lot like dcode.fr!), and a great menu of different game difficulties! I am impressed because a friend of mine and I tried to code a variation of Krypto that had 4 cards and a target for iOS, and it was difficult. Again, great job, and I encourage you to continue to develop this app with more game variations, and maybe even more operators! ### 5/5 — This is so fun! And free and no ads *2023-01-27* I love this so much. Thank you! ## Frequently asked questions about Countdown Game & Solver ### What is this app about? This app recreates the "Numbers" portion of the popular TV game show Countdown as a tile-based puzzle game for iOS devices. Players use numbered tiles to build arithmetic expressions aiming to reach a target number. ### What are the key features of the Countdown Game & Solver? Key features include playing the "Numbers" rounds, access to over 11 million unique starting configurations, a universal solver that finds all possible solutions, and integration with Apple's Messages app for sharing and challenges. ### Is this app free to download and play? The app is free to download and play. It is supported by advertisements, meaning you will see ads while using the application. ### What devices is this app compatible with? This is a universal app designed to run on all your iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can enjoy the game across your Apple ecosystem. ### How does the Universal Solver work? The Universal Solver can find all possible solutions for any given Numbers puzzle configuration within seconds. If no solution exists, it will confirm that. It also intelligently culls near-duplicate solutions to keep the list manageable. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.4 — 2024-06-27 What's New in Version 1.4: • Language support for Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. • Bug fixes. ### 1.3 — 2024-06-02 What's New in Version 1.3: • Language support for Arabic, Malay, and Indonesian. • Bug fixes. ### 1.2 — 2024-05-23 What's New in Version 1.2: • Added support for latest iPad models. • Bug fixes. ### 1.1 — 2024-05-17 What's New in Version 1.1: • Added support for "Dark Mode". • Bug fixes. ### 1.0.9 — 2023-07-13 What's New in Version 1.0.9: • Hints. ## Apps similar to Countdown Game & Solver | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Letters and Numbers Countdown](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letters-and-numbers-countdown/id1219218384) | 4.6 (115) | Free | Games | | [Words and Sums](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/words-and-sums/id1469501240) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Games | | [Countdown Numbers & Letters 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-numbers-and-letters-2/id1118989196) | 3.5 (11) | Free | Games | | [Countdown Letters & Numbers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-letters-and-numbers/id1581434523) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Games | | [Super Lingo - Fun Letter Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/super-lingo-fun-letter-game/id1191375112) | 3.1 (9) | Free | Games | | [Numbers Game - 6 Number Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbers-game-6-number-puzzle/id641762250) | 4.6 (17) | Free | Games | ## Related topics [the countdown numbers game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-countdown-numbers-game) · [countdown game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/countdown-game) · [letters and numbers countdown](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/letters-and-numbers-countdown) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*