Free printable sudoku, solver and variants

Jigsaw Sudoku

Sudoku with irregular regions instead of boxes. Play on screen or print a set with answers.

Jigsaw sudoku is a sudoku puzzle where the usual 3x3 boxes are replaced by irregular shapes. This free tool makes jigsaw sudoku puzzles in your web browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install. Puzzles are made on your device, and nothing is uploaded.

Every puzzle has exactly one solution, which the built-in solver checks before the puzzle is shown. Each new jigsaw puzzle gets a new random set of regions as well as new digits. You can play on a 9x9 or 6x6 grid and choose easy, medium or hard. Irregular sudoku is another name for the same puzzle type.

How to use the Jigsaw Sudoku tool

  1. Choose a size: 9x9 (the default) or 6x6.
  2. Choose a difficulty: easy, medium or hard.
  3. Click New puzzle to generate a puzzle.
  4. Tap or click an empty cell.
  5. Tap a number on the number pad, or type the digit on your keyboard.
  6. Turn on Pencil mode (the button, or the P or Space key) to write small candidate notes instead of a digit.
  7. Press Check to mark wrong cells in red and see how many cells are left.
  8. Stuck? Press Hint. It highlights the next step, names the technique and explains it in one sentence. If one of your digits is wrong, it tells you to fix that first. Reveal cell and Show solution are also available, and undo and redo let you step back.

Under the Play options, you can turn on “Mark repeated digits in red” and “Remove pencil marks automatically”. The second option removes a digit’s notes from the cells it sees when you place that digit. Arrow keys move, digits enter, Backspace erases, and Ctrl/Cmd+Z and Ctrl/Cmd+Y undo and redo. The timer runs while you play and stops when the tab is hidden or the game is paused. Copy link gives a link that opens the exact same puzzle on another device. For paper, the Print tab offers 1, 2, 4 or 6 puzzles per page for 9x9, with answers at the end, on Letter or A4.

What is a jigsaw sudoku?

A jigsaw sudoku is a sudoku where the nine 3x3 boxes are replaced by nine irregular regions, each made of nine connected cells and outlined with thick lines. The rule is the same as classic sudoku: every row, every column and every region must contain the digits 1 to 9 exactly once.

Because the regions are not squares, a region can stretch across several rows and columns. Before you use a technique, check how each region meets each row and column. The logic is still the same. Hidden singles, naked pairs and other classic techniques all work, and the Hint button names the one it finds. Solvers who know sudoku can usually apply their skills directly.

How to play jigsaw sudoku?

Fill every empty cell so that each row, each column and each outlined region holds every digit once. A good first pass is region by region: pick a region, list the digits it is missing, and check each one against the rows and columns the region touches. Where a region bends into a row for just one or two cells, those cells are often the only place a digit can go, which gives you a hidden single. When a region sits mostly inside three rows, the classic box trick still works: whatever that region needs must come from the cells it has in those rows.

Is jigsaw sudoku harder?

Not necessarily. Jigsaw sudoku uses the same logic as classic sudoku, so its difficulty depends mainly on how many clues are given and which techniques are needed. The difficulty setting on this tool is rated by the logic solver, so easy, medium and hard puzzles differ in the steps they require. A medium 9x9 jigsaw, for example, had 23 clues.

The irregular regions can make the puzzle feel harder at first. Your eye has to follow a region’s odd shape across rows, which takes more scanning than working with familiar squares. Pencil marks help with this. Turning on “Remove pencil marks automatically” also keeps your notes accurate as you go.

Frequently asked questions

Does each jigsaw sudoku have only one solution?

Yes. Every puzzle this tool makes is checked by the built-in solver before it is shown, so it has exactly one solution. You can rely on any logical step you take toward that answer.

Can I print jigsaw sudoku?

Yes. Open the Print tab and choose 1, 2, 4 or 6 puzzles per page for 9x9 grids. Answers are placed at the end, and you can print on Letter or A4 paper. The regions print as thick lines, so the shapes are clear on paper.

Are there 6x6 jigsaw sudoku puzzles?

Yes. A 6x6 jigsaw sudoku has six regions of six cells each. Select the 6x6 size before you click New puzzle. The same rules apply, with each row, column and region using the digits 1 to 6.

Do my jigsaw sudoku puzzles stay saved?

Your progress is saved in the browser on this device, so reloading the page continues the same puzzle. To continue on another device, use Copy link, which opens exactly the same puzzle, region layout included.

Will each new jigsaw puzzle look different?

Yes. Each new jigsaw puzzle gets a new random set of regions and new digits. You can also share a puzzle with Copy link, and the link keeps that puzzle’s region layout.