How to play every puzzle
Short, friendly guides for all 39 games on PuzzleKite. Learn the rules in a minute, try the first moves with worked examples, then open a grid and play free in your browser.
- 39 guides
- Rules, first moves, common mistakes
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All guides
39 guides · every guide links straight to its game
- ★ Good first guide
Sudoku
Easy6 min readRows, columns and boxes, then singles, notes and Hard patterns.
NumberHow to play → Binairo
Easy6 min readSpot pairs, fill the gaps, balance every line — then look ahead.
NumberHow to play →Kakurasu
Easy4 min readShade cells so each row and column hits its sum.
NumberHow to play →Light Up
Easy7 min readLight every cell. Start beside the 4s and 0s.
ShadingHow to play →Minesweeper
Easy4 min readCount the mines around each number. Start from the 0s and the corners.
ShadingHow to play →Tents
Easy4 min readPlace one tent beside every tree and match the counts.
ShadingHow to play →Thermometers
Easy4 min readFill each tube from the bulb to match the counts.
ShadingHow to play →Mosaic
Easy4 min readShade each clue's neighbourhood to match its count.
ShadingHow to play →Hashi
Easy6 min readCount bridges, never cross, connect every island.
Loop & LineHow to play →Pipes
Easy4 min readRotate every tile so the openings meet and the grid is one tree.
Loop & LineHow to play →Shikaku
Easy8 min readEach number is an area. Start with the ones that fit one way.
RegionHow to play →Killer Sudoku
Medium9 min readCage sums and house totals do the work.
NumberHow to play →Jigsaw Sudoku
Medium9 min readFollow the thick walls. Each region is a box with its own shape.
NumberHow to play →Calcudoku
Medium9 min readOne-way cages first, then the rest of the line and a chain.
NumberHow to play →Futoshiki
Medium8 min readSigns first, then chains, one home in the line, and a one-cell try.
NumberHow to play →Skyscrapers
Medium4 min readEach clue counts the heights it can see. Start beside the 1s and the biggest clues.
NumberHow to play →Renzoku
Medium4 min readFollow the dots: neighbours one apart, gaps never.
NumberHow to play →Star Battle
Medium9 min readOne or two stars in every row, column and region. They never touch.
ShadingHow to play →Nonograms
Medium8 min readOverlap long clues, cross the gaps, and read the crossing line.
ShadingHow to play →Hitori
Medium8 min readShade repeats, never side by side, keep white connected.
ShadingHow to play →Nurikabe
Medium8 min readGrow each island to its number and keep one sea.
ShadingHow to play →Battleships
Medium4 min readMatch the counts and keep ships apart.
ShadingHow to play →Aquarium
Medium4 min readFill each tank to one water level.
ShadingHow to play →Yin-Yang
Medium4 min readSplit black and white into two groups.
ShadingHow to play →Kurodoko
Medium4 min readCount what each number sees. Keep shaded cells apart.
ShadingHow to play →Norinori
Medium4 min readShade two cells per region, in pairs.
ShadingHow to play →Dominosa
Medium4 min readFind every domino. Each pair of numbers appears once.
RegionHow to play →Masyu
Medium8 min readTurn on black pearls, go straight through white ones.
Loop & LineHow to play →Lollipops
Medium4 min readPair every circle with exactly one stick, and leave no stick spare.
ShadingHow to play →Stitches
Medium4 min readJoin each pair of touching regions with exactly one stitch.
RegionHow to play →Slant
Medium4 min readDraw one diagonal in every cell, and never close a loop.
Loop & LineHow to play →Kakuro
Hard8 min readOne-way sums first, then short runs and longer lists.
NumberHow to play →Tapa
Hard4 min readShade one wall around the clues. No solid 2×2.
ShadingHow to play →Heyawake
Hard4 min readShade cells inside rooms and keep the white cells connected.
ShadingHow to play →Slitherlink
Hard8 min readDraw one loop. Start from the 0s and 3s, then pairs and parity.
Loop & LineHow to play →LITS
Hard4 min readOne tetromino in every region.
RegionHow to play →Galaxies
Hard4 min readSplit the grid so every region turns onto itself.
RegionHow to play →Shakashaka
Hard4 min readPlace triangles so every white area is a rectangle.
ShadingHow to play →Shingoki
Hard4 min readDraw one loop through every numbered circle.
Loop & LineHow to play →
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