What is Lineup?
Lineup is a daily ordering puzzle that challenges you to arrange five items along a single axis without knowing their exact values. Each puzzle presents a clear ranking instruction (for example, arrange five cities from coldest to warmest by average annual temperature) and five numbered cards that you reposition using drag-and-drop or arrow controls. Everyone worldwide receives the same puzzle each day, identified by its own number, and you have five attempts to find the correct order using color-coded feedback that shows how close each card is to its proper position.
How to play Lineup
- Start by reading the ranking instruction at the top of the board. It tells you what the cards are being ranked by and which direction to follow.
- Reorder the five numbered cards by dragging them, or use the ▲ ▼ arrows beside each row.
- When the order looks right, click Guess to lock it in. The button also shows your current attempt out of five.
- Use the color feedback on each card to see whether it is in the correct position, one place away, or two or more places away.
- Revise the order and submit up to five attempts in total.
- After you finish—or use all five attempts—share your emoji grid.
Understanding the feedback system
The game uses a three-level color code printed beneath the board: correct spot, one place off, or two places or more. This tells you how far each card is from its correct position without revealing the answer. A card marked “one place off” needs to move up or down by one rank, while “two or more” means it is farther away. The legend stays visible throughout the puzzle, so you can check what each guess means.
Why ordering is harder than it looks
Ranking five items forces you to commit to distinctions you might normally avoid. Two cities that both feel "rather cold" still must be separated into first and second place. The puzzle exposes the gap between vague intuition and precise order. Because you are working without exact numbers, you rely on mental models that the feedback gradually refines. The five-attempt limit keeps the challenge tight and makes each guess matter.
Tips for efficient solving
Use the ▲ ▼ arrows for single-rank corrections. When feedback shows "one place off," a precise one-step move is more reliable than a drag that might shift multiple cards unintentionally.
Lock the two extremes of the axis first. The highest and lowest values are usually the easiest to identify, leaving the ambiguous middle positions for later attempts when you have more information.
Reread the axis instruction before each guess. Wording like "average annual temperature" differs from "summer feel," and misreading the criteria wastes attempts on the wrong mental comparison. The instruction stays on screen for a reason.
Five attempts disappear quickly with five cards. Prioritize learning over guessing. If two cards look equally uncertain, pick one and use the feedback to inform the next move rather than hoping both land correctly on the first try.
Game modes and features
The daily puzzle is the only mode listed. It provides a single puzzle per day, shared globally and numbered for reference. Icons at the top of the board open stats, achievements, and settings. No login or account creation is required. Progress and settings are stored locally in your browser, so returning to the same device preserves your streak and history.