Color Diff

🕹️ How to play

1. How to play the color test: Every grid has exactly one tile that is a little lighter or darker than the rest — tap it to move on. There's no start button: the first 2×2 grid is already on screen, and finding its odd tile starts the 60-second clock.
2. Quick start in 3 steps: 1) Tap the tile that looks different to start the timer. 2) Keep going — the grid gets bigger and the shades get closer; every 5 correct in a row adds 2 seconds. 3) When time runs out you'll see your level and the colors you struggle with; tap Play again to restart instantly.
3. Which mode should I pick?: Rush is the default 60-second run. Daily uses the same rules, but everyone gets the exact same colors and positions that day, and your first run is the official score. Zen has no timer and three lives, and rings the right tile after a miss. Party lets 2–6 people take turns on one phone for 60 seconds each and ranks them at the end.
4. Reading the result card: The card opens with the verdict (new best, tie, levels behind, or first score), then your level and title, and a line telling you the smallest lightness gap you still spotted. Below are misses, bonus time and your best comparison, a color profile from your last 10 runs, and a mini grid with a loupe on the answer you didn't find.

📖 Rules & variants

Level curve: levels 1–2 are 2×2, 3–5 are 3×3, 6–9 are 4×4, 10–14 are 5×5, 15–20 are 6×6 and 21+ are 7×7. The lightness gap (OKLCH L) narrows from 18% on level 1 to 3% on level 16 and stays there; after that only the grid size and the clock keep pushing.

Timing: the 60-second countdown starts when you find the first odd tile, and wrong taps before that cost nothing. During a run each wrong tile costs 3 seconds and resets your streak; every 5 in a row (5, 10, 15…) adds 2 seconds, up to a full 60. When time runs out, the tile you didn't find is revealed on the result card.

Anti-double-tap: taps within 0.15 seconds of clearing a grid are ignored, so a shaky second tap can't land on the new grid. Outside that window every wrong tap is judged on its own, so spamming costs far more time than looking carefully. Taps count the moment your finger touches down.

How colors are chosen: six color families (red/pink, orange/yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple) each appear once every 6 levels, never twice in a row. The odd tile only changes lightness, not hue, so people with color vision differences can play too. Rush colors are random; daily colors come from the date.

Titles by level: 1–5 Warming up, 6–10 Clear eye, 11–15 Sharp eye, 16–20 Shade spotter, 21–29 Glimmer catcher, 30+ Pixel eye. A title describes one run only — it isn't a medical result.

Worked example: you clear level 5 at 5.4 seconds and earn +2s for the streak; a wrong tap on level 6 costs 3 seconds and resets it; you then reach level 15 with another streak bonus, and time runs out at 63 seconds on level 18 (6×6). Result: Lv 17 "Shade spotter", finest gap 3%, 1 miss, +6s bonus.

Party rules: set 2–6 players and edit names; everyone plays the same color sequence for 60 seconds, but the odd tile sits in a different spot for each player, so watching doesn't help. Higher level ranks first, then fewer misses; full ties share a place. Party scores never touch your personal best, and refreshing mid-party returns to the current player's hand-off screen.

Zen and pausing: Zen has no timer and three lives; a wrong tap rings the right tile for 0.7 seconds, then a fresh grid of the same difficulty appears. You can end a Zen run any time. In timed modes, pausing or switching apps pauses the run and hides the tiles until you resume. This game relies on telling shades apart; on a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter.

❓ FAQ