Frequently Asked Questions
Everything players ask about Tangerine 10 — the rules, the scoring, and the things that look like bugs but are not.
Is Tangerine 10 free?
Yes. The game runs in your browser with no sign-up, no download, and no payment. The site is supported by advertising.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Tangerine 10 is a web page. It works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or phone. Adding it to your home screen makes it feel like an app, but nothing is installed.
How long is one game?
Exactly 120 seconds. The timer starts when you press Start and the board locks the moment it hits zero.
Does the sum have to be exactly ten?
Yes, exactly ten. A selection adding to 9 or 11 does nothing at all. The game does not clear partial matches.
Why did my selection not clear?
Three usual reasons. The total was not exactly ten, the rectangle caught an extra tangerine you did not notice, or a tangerine you expected to be inside had its center just outside the box. Selection is decided by the center of each tangerine, not by whether the box touches its edge.
How is the score calculated?
Score equals the number of tangerines you clear, multiplied by your combo bonus and rounded down. The values on the tangerines do not affect the score, only how many you remove.
How does the combo work?
Each successful clear adds one to your combo and restarts a two-second timer. The multiplier rises in steps from ×1 up to ×5 once the combo reaches 20; the full table is on the How to Play page. Go two seconds without clearing and the combo resets to zero.
What board will I get on a tablet?
The board is chosen when the page loads, from the browser window width. 600 pixels or narrower gets the 12 × 14 phone board; anything wider, which includes tablets in portrait and landscape, gets the 10 × 17 board. Rotating the device does not change the board until you reload.
Is the board the same every game?
No. Every tangerine is assigned a random number from 1 to 9 at the start of each game, so every board is different.
Is it possible to clear the whole board?
In practice, no. Numbers run out in awkward combinations long before the grid empties, and 120 seconds is short. Clearing the board is not the goal; clearing as many tangerines as possible is.
Where are my scores saved?
The My History panel keeps your last five games only while the page is open. It is not saved on your device, so reloading clears it. The leaderboard keeps scores on a server, but only the ones players choose to save: when your score makes the top three, a name box appears, and the score is uploaded when you press Save & Play Again.
Can I play offline?
The game itself is simple enough to run without a connection once loaded, but the leaderboard needs the internet to submit and show scores.
What is this game called elsewhere?
Puzzles built on the same idea — drag a rectangle over numbers that add to ten — are often called the apple game or fruit box. Tangerine 10 uses tangerines, a two-minute limit, and a combo multiplier that rewards continuous play.
Still stuck?
The rules page walks through the board, the selection box, and the combo timer in detail. The strategy guide explains why fast small clears outscore slow big ones.