Repeat the pattern in Simon
Press start to play
Repeat the glyphs in order · keys 1234
Simon is the electronic memory classic, rebuilt from Unicode glyphs. The board flashes a sequence across four glowing neon pads — diamond, circle, triangle and square — and you repeat it back in the same order. Every round the sequence grows by one, pushing your memory a little further until a single slip ends the run. Simple, hypnotic and surprisingly hard.
How to play
Simon in 4 steps
Watch closely
Each round Simon lights up the four coloured pads in a set order. Pay attention — the sequence plays only once.
Repeat the sequence
Tap the pads in exactly the same order Simon showed them.
Survive the round
Get the whole sequence right and Simon adds one more flash, making it longer.
Push your streak
Keep going as long as your memory holds. One wrong pad ends the game.
Controls
- Click / Tap a pad
- Play that glyph in the sequence
- Keys 1–4
- Play a pad (left→right, top→bottom)
- Q W A S
- Play a pad by its corner
- ♪ button
- Toggle the pad tones on or off
- Start · R
- Begin a new round · restart
Strategy
Tips to play better
Track shapes, not just colour
Each pad is a distinct Unicode glyph — ◆ diamond, ● circle, ▲ triangle, ■ square — so you can follow the pattern by shape. It is steadier than colour alone and works if you are colour-blind.
Turn the sound on
Every pad plays its own musical note. Many people remember the little melody more easily than the visual order — let your ears back up your eyes.
Chunk the sequence
Group the flashes into pairs or triples ("diamond-square, then circle-circle") — your memory holds a few chunks far better than one long list.
Say it out loud
Naming each glyph as it flashes turns a visual memory into a verbal one, which many people recall more reliably.
Find a rhythm
Repeat the sequence at the same tempo Simon used. The timing itself becomes a memory cue.
Don't rush the replay
There is no clock during your turn. Take a breath and play deliberately — panic, not difficulty, ends most runs.
About Simon
Simon was created by Ralph Baer (the "father of video games") and Howard Morrison, and launched by Milton Bradley in 1978 with a famous midnight party at New York's Studio 54. Its glowing disc of four colours became one of the defining toys of the era and a lasting pop-culture icon.
The game is a clean test of working memory and sequence recall — the same cognitive skill researchers study with "digit span" tasks. Because each round simply appends one item, Simon is a natural measure of how long a sequence you can hold, and it gets exponentially harder as the chain grows.
This Unicode edition trades the plastic disc for four neon glyph pads — ◆ ● ▲ ■ — that brighten and glow as the pattern plays. Each pad has its own musical note (an authentic Simon-style A-major triad) that you can mute with one tap, the sequence speeds up as it grows, and the pads respond to keyboard, mouse and touch. Because every pad is a distinct shape, the game is fully playable without colour, and your longest sequence is saved locally in your browser.
FAQ
Simon questions
How does Simon get harder?
What happens if I make a mistake?
Is there a time limit?
What is a good Simon score?
Can I turn the sound on or off?
Is Simon playable if I am colour-blind?
Is my best streak saved?
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