No—the Position Memory Game uses five fixed layouts, not randomly generated ones. Every round has a literal object-to-cell map and a separately authored recall-tray order, so the game can look shuffled without changing between runs. You can verify this in the Position Memory Game: Restart returns to the same first layout, Show count of three, empty placements, and zero score.
What is fixed—and what only looks random
The distinction is between the puzzle layout and the way the objects are presented for recall. The board targets do not change: each of the five files uses a predetermined set of object positions. The Orb, Wedge, and Loop also appear in a recall tray whose order was authored separately from the target-cell order. That tray can therefore appear shuffled, but it is not shuffled again at runtime.
| Game element | Verified behavior | Random on each run? |
|---|---|---|
| Board targets | Five literal object-to-cell maps | No |
| Recall trays | Five separately authored object orders | No |
| Show transition | Count down advances one step; Hide now moves directly to Recall | No |
| Restart | Restores the first layout, Show count, cursor, score, and error state | No |
The transition from Show to Recall is also deterministic. Every Show phase begins with a visible count of three. Count down advances one pure step, while Hide now skips directly to Recall. These controls work consistently for keyboard, touch, and accessibility use, and no hidden timing race changes the answer.
The five fixed files at a glance
The board’s cells are numbered 1 through 9 from left to right. The occupied target cells in the five files are literal values rather than outputs from a random generator.
| File | Fixed occupied target cells |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 5, and 9 |
| 2 | 3, 4, and 8 |
| 3 | 7, 2, and 6 |
| 4 | 9, 1, and 5 |
| 5 | 4, 8, and 3 |
The first file explicitly places Orb in cell 1, Wedge in cell 5, and Loop in cell 9. For the remaining files, the verified information summarized here discloses the occupied cell sets but not each shape-to-cell label. Use the visible Show phase to learn those assignments rather than assuming that the numerical cell order also represents the order of Orb, Wedge, and Loop.
These are target positions, not the sequence used in the recall tray. For a focused companion reference, the Position Memory Game five-layout guide provides another view of the same fixed five-file route.
How to play the Position Memory Game
- Study the Show phase. Identify where the Orb, Wedge, and Loop appear on the 3×3 board. The phase opens with a visible count of three, so you can inspect the positions before moving on.
- Choose how to continue. Select Count down to advance one step at a time, or choose Hide now to move directly to Recall when you are ready. Keyboard players can also press Enter or Space to hide the board during Show.
- Restore the objects. In Recall, drag each tray object onto its original cell. Alternatively, select an object and then select its remembered board cell.
- Use the keyboard route if preferred. Press 1, 2, or 3 to select an object according to its position in the visible tray order. Move the board cursor with the Arrow keys, then place the selected object with Enter or Space.
- Check each placement. A correctly placed object leaves the tray and remains visible on the recalled board. The file receives its 200 points only after all three objects occupy their exact original cells.
- Complete all five files. Continue through the fixed sequence until every object has been restored in every file. If a placement is wrong, use the recovery behavior explained below before making another distinct attempt.
Why the recall tray can still look shuffled
A separately authored tray order does not mean a random tray order. The authors created a different display sequence for each file so that the objects would not always appear in the same order as their target cells. That sequence remains fixed on every replay and after Restart.
Do not assume that tray item 1 belongs in cell 1, or that the first target coordinate corresponds to the first visible object. Match each shape’s identity to the cell where you saw it during Show. Likewise, Count down and Hide now only control when the board becomes hidden; neither action reshuffles the objects or regenerates the layout.
Recovering from a wrong position
The error policy allows one distinct mistake to be corrected without ending the file. After the first wrong object-and-cell placement, the object stays selected so you can recover without selecting it again.
- Repeating the identical object in the identical wrong cell during the same round is an atomic no-op and does not add another error.
- Attempting a different wrong placement creates the second distinct error and closes the file.
- Occupied cells, unknown objects, and invalid coordinates—including fractional, negative, or out-of-range positions—are rejected without partially changing the game state.
- Once a file is completed or closed by the second error, selection, placement, cursor movement, and Show controls are frozen.
That makes the first error genuinely recoverable, but it also means a hasty correction can become fatal. After placing an object incorrectly, check the remembered Show layout before trying another cell.
Scoring, restarting, and replaying
A file awards 200 points only when all three objects are in their exact original cells. The complete scoring calculation is 5 completed files × 200 points = 1,000 points. Placing only one or two shapes correctly does not award the file’s 200 points.
Restart is a reset rather than a randomizer. It restores the first literal layout, the Show count of three, empty placements, the first board cursor, zero points, and zero errors. Because the board maps and tray orders are also fixed, restarting gives you the same puzzle route to study and replay.
The score applies only to these five disclosed layouts. It reflects performance on that fixed sequence rather than a changing set of randomly generated challenges.
A practical way to study the fixed route
Treat each round as three shape-and-position pairs rather than trying to remember a screenshot of the whole board. First identify which shape occupies each relevant cell. Then associate the shape itself with that location, so the recall tray’s order does not become an accidental clue.
Use Hide now only when you have inspected all three positions. During Recall, complete one object at a time and use the visible tray labels to avoid selecting the wrong shape. If the first placement is wrong, recover the selected object immediately; a repeated identical mistake does not add an error, but a different wrong target does.
Restart remains useful for replaying the same files after a closed run because it does not introduce a new arrangement. It simply restores the initial state and lets you approach the same route again.
What the score does not measure
This game is entertainment rather than a cognitive assessment, medical screen, educational placement decision, developmental milestone, or guarantee of memory performance. A strong 1,000-point run demonstrates that you restored the five disclosed layouts correctly; it does not establish a general memory ability or diagnosis.
The game also runs locally in the browser. It requires no account, upload, camera, random service, model, or API. Those constraints support the fixed, repeatable route and explain why the layouts remain unchanged when you return to the game or select Restart.
If you're weighing options, Are the Rebus Cards Random? No—Same Five Every Time covers this in detail.