indiegame.fan
Regex Game header art

Regex Game

Regular Expressions (Regex) are a powerful text pattern-matching tool used for searching, replacing, and validating strings. The game wraps Regex into text-based puzzle, allowing players to gradually master regular expressions as they progress through levels.

Steam Page
Developer
Publisher
Release
July 17, 2025
1 year and 16 days ago
Steam Reviews
Mostly Positive16 reviews75.0%

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Regex Game and ZeroBitCode funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

6 items

About the Game

Core Gameplay

Regular Expressions - an essential skill for programmers - become your puzzle-solving tool.

Starting with basic number matching, each level introduces new Regex rules with gradually increasing complexity.

30+ Meticulously Designed Levels covering fundamental Regex concepts through:

Accessible Design: 95% of the levels require no coding experience to pass perfectly. Players who can program can use their abilities to reduce the difficulty of the red level.

Brain Teasers: Regex-themed mini-games between chapters to consolidate skills. The subtle pace of the challenge helps to alleviate the frustration of a failed challenge.

  • Wooden Fish: Tapping the wooden fish increases the accuracy rate

  • Regular Spelling of Words: Move characters to spell words

  • Regular Ninja: Eliminate words that match a given regular expression

  • Password Hint: Write a password that meets all the requirements for regular expressions

  • Regex VS String

First Challenge Example

Real-world Scenario: Identify email addresses in text:

Regex Tips:

\d matches digits

+ indicates "one or more" of preceding element

~ o(* ̄▽ ̄*)o That's right! Solution:

"Congratulations! You've cleared the toughest level in Chapter 2!"

(Quick Flip Book)

Web Crawling Simulation

Chapter 4 Challenge: Extract HTML links from tags:

<a id="policy_DeleteAccount" href="/WizenedDream/DeleteAccount.html"></a>

So smart! Advanced Solution:

<a[^>]*?href\s*=\s*[\"\']?(?<URL>[^\"\']+)[\"\']?[^>]*?>

( ˘•ω•˘ ) What? Not yet?

Keep playing! The early levels will systematically build your skills to conquer advanced challenges.

(Players who can solve this problem should have studied regular expressions. The first 3 chapters are mainly for beginners, so please skip the level on your own according to your ability.)

Difficulty System

  • Green 

    • Time: 1-2 min

    • Goal: Learn individual Regex symbols

  • Blue 

    • Time: 3-5 min

    • Goal: Combine 3 symbols or fewer

  • Purple 

    • Time: 5-20 min

    • Goal: Solve real-world problems

  • Red 

    • Time: 30+ min

    • Goal: Tackle complex pattern analysis

Chapters 1-3: Green/Blue levels

Chapter 4+: Purple/Red challenges

AI assistance recommended for stuck moments.

~~Red levels: Where "simple" means 2 hours of glorious debugging~~