Box Count is a free daily puzzle for your spatial sense. Cardboard boxes are piled up in the corner of a storeroom, and you see the pile from above at an angle. How many boxes are there? Some of them are hidden under and behind the others, but no box floats, so you can work out the exact number. Type it and press OK. Monday has small piles of 6 to 12 boxes. Friday has piles of up to 56 boxes on a floor of 5 by 5 squares.
No sign-up and nothing to install. It runs in your browser on a computer or a phone, and your progress is saved on your device.
- Five piles a day. They are sorted from the smallest to the largest.
- No box floats. Under every box there is the floor or another box.
- Every column shows its top. The pile never gets higher toward you, so nothing is left to guessing.
- Stuck? The lightbulb writes the height of each column on one row of the pile.
How to play Box Count
- Look at the pile. Each box you see on top is the top of a column.
- For each column, work out how many boxes are stacked in it.
- Add the columns. Type the total with the keys on the screen or on your keyboard.
- Press OK. After five piles the day is done.
What you see
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pile | The boxes, seen from above at an angle. The tall corner is at the back. |
| Floor squares | Each column of boxes stands on one square. |
| Bars above the pile | The five piles of the day. Green is done, orange is the open one. |
| Answer field | The number you typed. |
| Numbers on the boxes | How many boxes are in that column. They appear with the lightbulb and after a right answer. |
Tips for counting boxes
- Count columns, not boxes. Find the height of each column and add the heights. You cannot miss a hidden box that way.
- Use the walls of boxes. A column is as high as the number of side faces you can count down to the floor, or it is as high as its neighbor plus or minus a step.
- Go row by row. Start at the back and write down a sum for each row, then add the row sums.
- Or count layer by layer. How many boxes touch the floor? How many are on the second level? The layers get smaller toward the top.
- Check with a second method. If columns and layers give the same number, you can press OK with confidence.
How the week gets harder
| Day | Floor | Highest column | Boxes in a pile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 by 3 | 3 | 6 to 12 |
| Tuesday | 3 by 3 | 4 | 10 to 19 |
| Wednesday | 4 by 4 | 4 | 16 to 29 |
| Thursday | 4 by 4 | 5 | 22 to 38 |
| Friday | 5 by 5 | 5 | 30 to 56 |
Saturday plays like a Wednesday and Sunday like a Tuesday.
Frequently asked questions
Is Box Count free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall.
How can I count boxes that I cannot see?
No box floats. If you see a box at the third level, there must be two more boxes under it. So every column is full from the floor to its top, and the top of every column is in view.
Could there be extra boxes hidden behind the pile?
No. The pile never gets higher toward you, so no column is hidden behind a taller one. The number of boxes follows from the picture.
What happens when my answer is wrong?
The game tells you whether there are more or fewer boxes and adds 10 seconds to your time. Then you try again.
What does the hint do?
It writes the height of each column on one row of the pile, starting at the back. Each press adds one more row.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Click the game once, then type the digits and press Enter. Backspace erases.
When do the new piles appear?
At midnight in your local time.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes. Open the calendar button at the top of the game and pick any day from the past eight weeks.
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