Guess the Number Game in Python (With Full Code)

A guess the number game in Python needs three things: a secret from random.randint(1, 100), a loop that reads guesses with input(), and “too high” or “too low” hints until the player gets it:

secret = random.randint(1, 100)
while (guess := int(input("Guess: "))) != secret:
    print("Too low" if guess < secret else "Too high")

I played each version below in Command Prompt on Python 3.12.5, typing the guesses myself, including some bad input.

You’ll build the classic game with input checks, a version with limited guesses, and a twist where the computer guesses your number using binary search.

Guess the number game in Python (full code)

The game picks a number, then loops until you guess it, counting your tries. isdigit() rejects anything that isn’t a whole number, so typing a word doesn’t crash it:

import random

random.seed(2026)                      # fixed seed so this demo is repeatable; remove it to play for real
secret = random.randint(1, 100)        # 1 and 100 are both possible
tries = 0

print("I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 100.")
while True:
    text = input("Your guess: ").strip()
    if not text.isdigit():
        print("  Please enter a whole number.")
        continue
    guess = int(text)
    tries += 1
    if guess < secret:
        print("  Too low.")
    elif guess > secret:
        print("  Too high.")
    else:
        print(f"  You got it! The number was {secret}. Tries: {tries}")
        break

Output:

I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 100.
Your guess: 50
  Too high.
Your guess: abc
  Please enter a whole number.
Your guess: 25
  Too high.
Your guess: 12
  Too low.
Your guess: 18
  Too high.
Your guess: 16
  You got it! The number was 16. Tries: 5

The random.seed(2026) line only makes this demo repeatable; delete it and you’ll get a new number each game. More on random numbers in generating a random number in Python.

Adding a limit on guesses

To make it harder, give the player a fixed number of tries with a for loop. Returning True or False makes it easy to keep score across rounds:

import random

def play(max_tries=7, low=1, high=100):
    secret = random.randint(low, high)
    for attempt in range(1, max_tries + 1):
        guess = int(input(f"Guess {attempt}/{max_tries}: "))
        if guess == secret:
            print("  Correct!")
            return True
        print("  Higher." if guess < secret else "  Lower.")
    print(f"  Out of guesses. It was {secret}.")
    return False

random.seed(7)
play(max_tries=3)

Output:

Guess 1/3: 50
  Lower.
Guess 2/3: 25
  Higher.
Guess 3/3: 37
  Higher.
  Out of guesses. It was 42.

randint() includes both ends, unlike range(). That off-by-one difference catches people; see for i in range in Python.

Can the computer win the guess the number game in 7 tries?

If you always guess the middle of what’s left, you halve the possibilities each time. That’s binary search, and it never needs more than 7 guesses for 1 to 100:

def computer_guesses(secret, low=1, high=100):
    """The computer finds your number by always guessing the middle."""
    tries = []
    while True:
        guess = (low + high) // 2
        tries.append(guess)
        if guess == secret:
            return tries
        if guess < secret:
            low = guess + 1
        else:
            high = guess - 1

print("finding 73:", computer_guesses(73))
print("finding 1: ", computer_guesses(1))
worst = max(len(computer_guesses(n)) for n in range(1, 101))
print("most guesses ever needed for 1-100:", worst)

Output:

finding 73: [50, 75, 62, 68, 71, 73]
finding 1:  [50, 25, 12, 6, 3, 1]
most guesses ever needed for 1-100: 7

That makes 7 a fair limit for the 1-100 game: a smart player can always win. Binary search is covered properly in binary search in Python.

Ideas to extend the game

• Ask “Play again? (y/n)” and wrap the game in an outer loop.
• Let the player choose easy (1-50), medium (1-100) or hard (1-1000).
• Save the best score to a file with json.
• Say “warm” or “cold” based on how close the guess is.

Try these next if you’re building small Python games:

• Rock paper scissors in Python
• Tic tac toe game in Python
• Pong game code in Python
• Python while loop

Frequently asked questions