How to Play Music Matrix
The daily puzzle for music lovers
In short: every day brings a new 4×4 grid of music clues. Build four columns, one for each song, album, artist or band, by lining up the clues that belong together, one row at a time. You start with 100 points, and each wrong tile costs 5 when you lock a row.
The grid
Each puzzle has a theme, like #1 Songs of the 1980s, Albums of the 1970s or Bands Named After Places, and four rows of clues. A song puzzle, for example, has a row of song titles, a row of albums, a row of artists and a row of years. All 16 tiles start mixed up across the board.
The line under the theme tells you what goes in each row for that day's puzzle, for example: "Put the song titles in the top row, then align the album, artist and release year (in that order) for each title in the correct columns."
Building the columns
- Swap tiles by dragging one onto another, or by tapping two tiles.
- Start with the top row. Put the four top-row clues (song titles, in a song puzzle) across the top, then tap Lock.
- Work down. Under each title, place the clue that belongs with it: its album, then its artist, then its year. Lock each row as you go.
- Column order doesn't matter. What counts is that every column belongs together.
Scoring
You start with 100 points. When you lock a row, every tile in the wrong column costs 5 points, and you fix it before moving on. Moving tiles is free, so think it through before you lock. Solve the whole grid without a wrong tile for a perfect 100.
When you finish, you can share your result as a spoiler-free grid of colored squares: 🟩 locked first try · 🟨 1 wrong · 🟧 2 wrong · 🟥 3 or more wrong.
A few things to know
- Years: in #1 song puzzles, the year is when the song hit #1. Elsewhere it's the release year: the single's US release for songs, the album's original release for albums. The instructions on each puzzle say which.
- Albums refer to their original US releases, so a song that was only on the UK version of an album won't be matched with it.
- Band puzzles use the city where the band formed and order bands by their debut album.
Frequently asked questions
Is Music Matrix free?
Yes. Today's puzzle is always free to play, no account needed.
When does a new puzzle come out?
Every day at midnight, your local time.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes. Create a free account to play the archive of past puzzles. Your stats and streaks will also follow you to any device.
Can I replay a puzzle?
Each puzzle can be solved once per account, which keeps scores and streaks fair.
What music is in it?
Hits, albums and artists from the 1960s through the 1990s: chart-topping songs, classic albums, '90s rock, and themed puzzles that mix decades.
I think an answer is wrong.
Music history is full of alternate versions and regional releases, but we want every fact right. Email hello@musicmatrixgame.com and we'll take a look.