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How to play Turing Machine (2026): Turing Machine, by Yoann Levet and Fabien Gridel for Le Scorpion Masqué, is a code-breaking game played on a computer made of punch cards. One to four players race to find a secret three-digit code by questioning Verifiers, each of which checks one hidden rule. A game takes about 20 minutes. Here is how it works, from setup to the final reveal.
The game you need: Turing Machine
The box includes 45 punch cards, 48 Criteria cards, 95 Verification cards, the Machine tile, a punch-card holder, player aids and note sheets. It costs about $40.
Price band: $30+ (about $40) · Check today’s price on Amazon
The goal in Turing Machine
Be the first to find the only code that passes every Verifier’s test. The code has three digits, each from 1 to 5, and each digit has its own color: a blue number, a yellow number and a purple number.
Setting up Turing Machine
- Place the Machine tile in the middle of the table and fill the punch-card holder with the punch cards, sorted by color.
- Choose a problem from the rulebook or from the free online generator. The first problems in the booklet are introductory.
- Lay out the Criteria card for each Verifier (A, B, C and so on) as the problem lists.
- Place the matching Verification cards face down next to each Criteria card.
- Give each player a player aid, which doubles as a screen, and a note sheet. Cross out any Verifier columns the problem does not use.
How a Verifier works
Each Criteria card lists several possible rules, such as comparing the blue number with 1. The Verifier checks exactly one of them, but you do not know which. Your job is to work out each Verifier’s real rule; once you know them all, only one code fits.
Each round in four steps
Everyone plays at the same time, behind their screens.
- Compose: build a three-digit proposal by stacking one punch card of each color.
- Question: ask up to three Verifiers about the same proposal. Slide the Verifier’s Verification card under your stack, lined up with the corner symbols, and look through the single open hole: a check means your proposal passes that rule, a cross means it fails.
- Deduce: record every answer on your note sheet and cross off rules and numbers you have ruled out.
- End of round: everyone holds out a fist, counts to three and points a thumb up if they think they have the code, or down if not.
Writing every answer is required, because it counts how many questions you asked.
Checking a code and winning
If anyone points up, those players secretly write their code and check it against the solution in the booklet or the app. If more than one is right, the player who asked the fewest questions wins, and if they are still tied, they share the win. Players who guessed wrong are out, and the rest continue. If only one player remains, they win by default.
Solo and cooperative play
Play alone or as a team against the Machine, still asking no more than three questions per round. When you crack the code, compare your rounds and questions with the Machine’s score for that problem. Match or beat it to win.
A sample round
Imagine you try the code 1-2-3. You ask Verifier A, and the answer is a check. A’s criteria card lists rules about whether the blue number is less than, equal to or greater than 1, so a check tells you the real rule is one your proposal passes, not what the code is. Next round, change only the blue digit to 3 and ask A again. If that fails, you have narrowed A’s rule to one option. Each answer teaches you about a rule, and once every rule is known, the code falls out.
Is Turing Machine hard?
The rules take about ten minutes to learn, and the introductory problems are friendly. Harder problems add more Verifiers and trickier criteria. The game is rated for ages 14 and up, but many puzzle-loving younger players manage the easy problems with help.
Tips for new code breakers
- Change only one digit between proposals when you want a clean answer.
- A cross is as useful as a check. Both rule out possible criteria.
- Do not spend all three questions every round. Fewer questions wins ties.
- Start with the introductory problems, then try the daily online challenge.
Love logic games? See our best deduction board games and the best escape room board games.
Turing Machine rules FAQ
How many players can play Turing Machine?
One to four, with solo and cooperative modes included.
How many questions can you ask per round?
Up to three Verifiers per round, all about the same proposal.
Where do you find new Turing Machine puzzles?
The rulebook includes problems, and the free online generator offers millions more.
