Hasbro India's Mastermind (E8269)Photo: Toycra
The tray, code pegs and key pegsPhoto: Toycra
Hasbro's newer F6423 box comes in a fold-up travel casePhoto: Toycra
Key pegs tell the codebreaker how close each guess is (newer F6423 set)Photo: Toycra
A two-player puzzle for a parent and child (newer F6423 set)Photo: Toycra
Video

Two-player game

Mastermind

Crack a hidden four-colour code using logic and clues

2players · best with 2
10–30 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Low
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children of 8 and up who like puzzles and patterns

Think twice if You need a game for three or more; it is strictly one codemaker against one codebreaker

How we rate it

Learning curve. Placing pegs and reading the clues takes five minutes to learn, but using every clue well takes real concentration. That puts it at 2 on our scale, a step above Connect 4.

Luck & skill. Once the first clues are in, every guess comes from reasoning rather than chance. A little luck remains: an early guess can land well or badly, and near the end you may have to pick between two codes that both fit the clues.

Interaction. After setting the code, the Codemaker's job is to mark each guess honestly. The Codebreaker is solving a puzzle rather than outplaying a rival, and you swap roles so both get to solve.

Set-up. The pegs live in the tray's storage wells, so setup is quick: open the tray, decide who is Codemaker, and set a code behind the shield.

Reading. No words or numbers during play, only coloured pegs. The E8269 instructions are in English and Hindi.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

Is Mastermind right for you?

Great if

  • Children of 8 and up who like puzzles and patterns
  • A parent and child: the codemaker's job is simple, so a younger player can set codes while learning how the clues work
  • Two people who want a short, quiet game with no luck in it
  • A gift for a child who has outgrown snakes and ladders

Skip it if

  • You need a game for three or more; it is strictly one codemaker against one codebreaker
  • Your family wants talk and laughter; this is a quiet game of working things out
  • The child dislikes maths-style reasoning; for some it will feel like homework

How Mastermind plays

One player is the Codemaker and the other the Codebreaker. Behind a hinged shield at one end of the plastic tray, the Codemaker secretly sets a code of four coloured pegs. In Hasbro's current rules the same colour can be used more than once.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Play uses only coloured pegs, with no words or numbers. Hasbro India's Mastermind (item E8269) comes with instructions in English and Hindi, so a Hindi-reading grandparent can learn it from the box.
A two-player puzzle for a parent and child (newer F6423 set) · Photo: Toycra

How to play Mastermind · Triple S Games

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Hide

    The Codemaker secretly sets a code of four coloured pegs in the holes behind the hinged shield. In Hasbro's current rules a colour can be used more than once.

  2. 2
    Guess

    The Codebreaker puts four pegs in the next empty row. The Codemaker answers with small key pegs: red for each peg that is the right colour in the right hole, white for each right colour in the wrong hole, nothing for a wrong colour. The key pegs don't say which peg they mean.

  3. 3
    Win

    Four red key pegs means the code is cracked. The Codemaker scores a point for every row used, plus a bonus if the code is never cracked. Swap roles; once you have each been Codemaker the same number of times, the higher score wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Mastermind - instructions (Hasbro item 44220) · English (whether this file also has Hindi is not known)
The full explanation: how a game of Mastermind goes

The Codebreaker makes a guess by placing four pegs in the first row. The Codemaker answers with small key pegs beside that row: one kind for each peg that is the right colour in the right hole, and another kind for each peg that is the right colour in the wrong hole. A wrong colour gets nothing. The key pegs are not placed in order, so you know how many pegs are right but not which ones.

Each new guess goes in the next row up, using what the earlier clues showed. The Codebreaker has a fixed number of rows; Hasbro's current rulebook gives 10. When a guess earns four 'right colour, right place' pegs, the Codemaker lifts the shield and the code is cracked.

In Hasbro's scoring, the Codemaker earns one point for every row the Codebreaker uses, and 11 points if the code is never cracked. Players then swap roles. When both have played each role, the higher score wins.

There is no luck beyond the first guess. A round goes quickly once the clues start to narrow things down, and with practice players learn to choose guesses that rule out as many codes as possible.

What's in the box

The tray, code pegs and key pegs · Photo: Toycra
  • 1Game tray
    rows of holes for guesses, built-in peg storage, a scoring line and a hinged shield that hides the secret code
  • 96Code pegs
    large coloured pegs for making codes and guesses
  • 13Red key pegs
    small pegs: right colour in the right hole
  • 13White key pegs
    small pegs: right colour in the wrong hole
  • 1Instructions
    in English and Hindi

For Hasbro India's E8269, from Indian listings: a tray with built-in peg storage, a scoring line and a hinged shield, plus instructions in English and Hindi. No listing says how many peg colours there are. Hasbro's newer F6423 box, also sold in India, has 108 code pegs, 30 key pegs and a fold-up storage case for travel.

Where to buy

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Buy Hasbro India's E8269. Indian listings give India as the country of origin and Hasbro India Toys Pvt Ltd as the manufacturer, the instructions are in English and Hindi, and it is the cheapest genuine box. Imported versions cost far more and play the same game.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Hasbro Gaming logo and the Mastermind name. Item E8269 is the India-made box and F6423 is the newer version.
  • Check the label for Hasbro India Toys Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, the ISI mark with a BIS licence number, and instructions in English and Hindi (E8269).
  • Check the contents: a plastic tray with a hinged shield at one end, a set of large coloured code pegs, and two colours of small key pegs.
  • 'Mastermind logic game' or 'code breaker' sets from unknown brands use the name but are not Hasbro products. They are not the original game, so look for the Hasbro Gaming logo before you buy.
  • Be wary of a Mastermind that costs far more than the usual price: it is probably an import, which plays the same game as Hasbro India's box.

What reviewers and players say

Mastermind has been a favourite logic game since the early 1970s, and reviewers still enjoy the tension of each guess and the satisfaction of cracking a code from clues alone. Parents like that it builds careful reasoning with nothing but coloured pegs, so it works in any language and suits a parent playing with a child of 8 or more. The complaints are that it is strictly for two, that with ten rows a practised codebreaker rarely fails, and that it is a quiet puzzle rather than a lively family game. One reviewer also found placing pegs behind the shield fiddly on a recent US edition.

What people love

  • The rules take about five minutes to learn and a round is quick
  • Very little luck: once the clues start coming, every guess is pure reasoning
  • No words or numbers, so it crosses languages and ages; adults enjoy it as much as children
  • The tray stores all the pegs neatly, and the hidden code behind the shield builds suspense

Common complaints

  • Strictly for two players, one setting the code and one breaking it
  • With ten rows, a practised codebreaker almost always cracks a four-peg code, so long sessions can feel repetitive
  • Small pegs behind the shield can be fiddly, and one reviewer's tray let a leaning codebreaker peek at the code
Based on 7 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Questions people ask about Mastermind

Which Mastermind box should I buy in India?

This guide describes Hasbro India’s Mastermind (item E8269), made in India with English and Hindi instructions. Hasbro’s newer box (F6423) is the same game with a redesigned tray. Make sure the brand is Hasbro; our buying link is currently paused.

What is the difference between Mastermind E8269 and F6423?

Both are Hasbro's Mastermind with the same idea: a four-peg secret code and coloured clue pegs. E8269 is the India-made box with English and Hindi instructions. F6423 is Hasbro's 2023 version with a redesigned tray that has a score tracker, and it costs a little more.

How many guesses do you get in Mastermind?

Hasbro's current rulebook gives the Codebreaker 10 rows. The Codemaker scores a point for each row used, plus a bonus point if the code is never cracked, and then the players swap roles.

What age is Mastermind suitable for?

Hasbro says 8 and up. The skill it asks for is keeping track of what each clue rules out, which gets easier with every round. Younger children can still join in as the Codemaker, which only means setting a code and placing the clue pegs carefully.

Game facts

Designed by
Mordecai Meirowitz
Publisher
Hasbro (first published by Invicta Plastics, UK; Goliath signed a worldwide manufacturing and distribution deal with Hasbro in 2025)
In India
Hasbro India Toys Pvt Ltd, Mumbai
First published
1970
Players
2
Barcode
195166190716
Language
No reading – Play uses only coloured pegs, with no words or numbers. Hasbro India's Mastermind (item E8269) comes with instructions in English and Hindi, so a Hindi-reading grandparent can learn it from the box.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.