What is Glen Balance?
Glen Balance is a free daily logic puzzle from GameGlen. Every day, everyone gets the same puzzle: six cards, three garden beds, and a set of targets. Your job is to pair the cards into the beds so that every bed hits both its sunlight and water targets. There’s no timer and no signup — just a quiet little challenge that resets at midnight UTC.
The setup: six cards, three beds
You start with a supply of six cards, each carrying two values: sunlight and water. In the example shown on the site, the cards are:
| Card | Sunlight | Water |
|---|---|---|
| A Acorn | 5 | 5 |
| B Brook | 1 | 3 |
| C Cedar | 4 | 1 |
| D Dew | 3 | 6 |
| E Ember | 2 | 4 |
| F Fern | 6 | 2 |
Note that the daily puzzle may use different values — always read the cards in front of you.
Across from the supply are three garden beds: Moss, Clover, and Fern. Each bed has two empty spaces and two targets: a sunlight target and a water target.
Understanding the targets
Each bed asks for a specific amount of sunlight and water. In the puzzle shown on the site, for example:
- Moss: 6 sunlight, 8 water
- Clover: 6 sunlight, 5 water
- Fern: 9 sunlight, 8 water
You must place exactly two cards in each bed, and the combined sunlight and water of those two cards must equal the bed’s targets — both of them, at the same time.
How to place cards and check pairs
Here’s the basic flow:
- Select a card from your supply by clicking “Choose card” on any of the six.
- Select a space in one of the garden beds (Moss, Clover, or Fern).
- The card moves into that space, and the bed’s current totals update automatically.
- Place a second card in the same bed, or move to another bed — but remember you’ll need two cards per bed and all six cards used.
- When you think everything is right, click “Check my garden” to submit.
You can clear all placements at any time with the “Clear placements” button, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Tip: The “Current sunlight total” and “Current water total” under each bed update as you place cards. Use them to see how close you are before you submit — no mental math required.
A worked example
Using the puzzle shown on the site, here’s one valid solution:
- Moss: Acorn (5 sun, 5 water) + Brook (1 sun, 3 water) = 6 sun, 8 water ✓
- Clover: Ember (2 sun, 4 water) + Cedar (4 sun, 1 water) = 6 sun, 5 water ✓
- Fern: Fern (6 sun, 2 water) + Dew (3 sun, 6 water) = 9 sun, 8 water ✓
All six cards are used, and every bed matches both targets.
You have six attempts
You get six submissions per puzzle. The site notes that you start at 100 points and each earlier miss costs 15 — but the deeper scoring details are covered in a separate guide. For your first garden, the important thing is that you have room to try, check, and adjust. A miss doesn’t end the game; it just tells you to rethink your pairs.
Tips for your first garden
- Start with the tightest bed. If a bed needs a very specific total, try solving it first and work outward.
- Check both totals, not just one. A pair might hit the sunlight target but miss water — and both must match.
- Use all six cards. You can’t leave any card unused, so every card has a home.
- The puzzle resets at midnight UTC. The same puzzle is shared by everyone that day, so you’re never racing anyone.
FAQ
Do I need an account? No. The site says no signup is required.
Is there a timer? No. Take your time — the puzzle is designed for a little room to think.
What happens if I use all six submissions? You’ll see your score for the day. The scoring specifics are covered in a separate guide.
