Puzzles
Play Sudoku online
Nine by nine squares, nine blocks, and every digit exactly once per row, column and block. Every puzzle is generated fresh and has exactly one solution – no guesswork, only logic. Pencil marks help you rule things out.
Play Sudoku nowFree · no download · no sign-up
At a glance
- Category
- Puzzles
- Controls
- arrow keys · mouse or finger
- Price
- free
- Sign-up
- not required
Sudoku is you against yourself and the clock – there is no opponent at the table, only your own record. Scores and achievements still count.
Where Sudoku comes from
The basic idea goes back to Leonhard Euler and his Latin squares. As a puzzle it appeared in 1979 under the name Number Place in the American Dell magazine, invented by the architect Howard Garns. In 1984 the Japanese publisher Nikoli released it as Sudoku, and in 2004 the New Zealander Wayne Gould made it a worldwide craze through The Times of London.
How it works
Goal
Every row, every column and every 3×3 box holds the digits 1 to 9 – each exactly once.
Controls
Click a cell, then type a digit. 0, Delete or Backspace clears it. Arrow keys move the selection.
Notes
The "Notes" switch writes small candidate digits into a cell so you can keep options open. Placing a real number automatically clears the matching notes in its row, column and box.
Help
Show errors – highlights numbers that contradict another. Hint – fills one correct cell. Hints are limited and cost points.
Points
A base score per level, plus a time bonus, minus your hints.
Three tips for better results
- 1Start with the digit that already appears most often – that is where forced squares turn up.
- 2Work block by block rather than row by row: three blocks side by side often give a position away.
- 3When you get stuck, pencil in every candidate for a single row – a pair usually stands out there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sudoku free to play?
Yes. Sudoku runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There is no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought. The site is funded by advertising, which appears only if you agree to it.
Do I need an account to play Sudoku?
No. The home page offers “play now without an account” – that starts you straight away and your progress stays in this browser. An account is only worth it if you want the same progress on several devices; name and PIN are enough, and we never ask for an email address. A guest profile can be turned into an account at any time without losing anything.
How do you play Sudoku?
Goal Every row, every column and every 3×3 box holds the digits 1 to 9 – each exactly once.
Where does Sudoku come from?
The basic idea goes back to Leonhard Euler and his Latin squares. As a puzzle it appeared in 1979 under the name Number Place in the American Dell magazine, invented by the architect Howard Garns. In 1984 the Japanese publisher Nikoli released it as Sudoku, and in 2004 the New Zealander Wayne Gould made it a worldwide craze through The Times of London.
Does Sudoku work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Do I have to download anything to play Sudoku?
No. Sudoku runs in the browser – on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone alike. There is no app, no plugin and nothing to install.
Can I play Sudoku against the computer?
Sudoku is you against yourself and the clock – there is no opponent at the table, only your own record. Scores and achievements still count.
Does Sudoku work without an internet connection?
The page has to load once; after that the game itself runs entirely in your browser and needs no connection. If you use an account, your progress syncs again as soon as you are back online.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Sudoku.
- sudoku online
- free sudoku
- play sudoku
- number puzzle
- easy hard sudoku
- sudoku no sign up
- logic puzzle
- number place
- sudoku rules
- daily sudoku