60 levels across 6 tiers. Progress from Beginner to Master at your own pace.
Progress syncs across devices
Compete against other players. Earn your Elo rating and climb the leaderboard.
Difficulty Guide
Every puzzle is graded by the solving techniques it requires. Pick the level that matches your skill, or push into the next tier to learn something new.
Perfect for learning core flow. Easy puzzles are mostly solved with Naked Singles and Hidden Singles, plus basic row/column/box scanning.
A smoother step-up focused on consistency: expect more Naked Singles and Hidden Singles, where better scanning and cleaner candidate notes improve solve speed.
Hard introduces real candidate elimination. Common patterns include Pointing Pairs, Box-Line Reduction (Locked Candidates), and Naked/Hidden Pairs and Triples.
Challenging shifts into advanced pattern play: expect X-Wing, Y-Wing, Swordfish, Simple Coloring, BUG, and occasional Chute Remote Pairs.
Expert boards rely on tougher structures like Unique Rectangle, Rectangle Elimination, XYZWing, Hidden Quads, and Jellyfish.
Master is the deepest tier: expect chain-heavy logic such as X-Cycle, XY-Chain, 3D Medusa, Almost Locked Sets, WXYZ-Wing, and AIC.
Look at each row, column, and box to find cells where only one number can fit. Scanning is the foundation of every solve and works at every difficulty level.
Scanning guideA hidden single is a candidate that appears only once in a row, column, or box. Spotting these is the single most important technique for beginners to learn.
Hidden singles guideNoting possible candidates in each cell helps you see patterns that are invisible otherwise. Start by marking only when you are stuck, then build the habit gradually.
Pencil mark strategiesSnyder notation marks candidates only when a number can go in exactly two cells within a box. This reduces clutter dramatically and is used by world-class solvers.
Snyder notation guideLearning Hub
Start at /learn for the full curriculum, then use the preview below to jump into your next technique.
At a glance
Build confidence with rules, scanning, and single-candidate placements.
Add structure with notation, pairs, and locked candidate eliminations.
Use fish, wings, coloring, and uniqueness to break harder grids.
Yes. Every puzzle, every difficulty level, and every feature is completely free. There are no paywalls, no premium tiers, and no hidden costs. You can play unlimited puzzles, use ranked mode, and access all technique guides without paying anything.
No. Minimal Sudoku is entirely ad-free by design. There are no banner ads, no interstitials between puzzles, and no autoplay videos. The site loads faster because there is no ad network JavaScript running in the background. This is a core part of the experience and will not change.
No account is required. You can start solving puzzles immediately without signing up or logging in. Creating a free account is optional and lets you compete in ranked mode, appear on the leaderboard, and sync your progress across devices.
There are six difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Challenging, Expert, and Master. Easy and Medium focus on singles-based solving. Hard introduces pairs, triples, and locked-candidate logic. Challenging adds advanced patterns like X-Wing, Y-Wing, Swordfish, and Simple Coloring. Expert moves into uniqueness and high-complexity structures like XYZWing and Jellyfish. Master features deep chain logic such as XY-Chain, X-Cycle, 3D Medusa, and AIC.
Snyder notation is a pencil-marking method created by four-time World Sudoku Champion Thomas Snyder. Instead of writing every possible candidate, you only mark a number in a box when it can go in exactly two cells. This dramatically reduces visual clutter and speeds up pattern recognition. Minimal Sudoku fully supports Snyder notation.
Ranked mode is a competitive way to play where you earn an Elo rating based on your solving performance. Completing puzzles quickly and accurately increases your rating, while giving up or making too many errors lowers it. You can track your progress over time and compare your rating on the global leaderboard.
Start by mastering scanning and hidden singles on easy puzzles. Once those feel natural, move to medium difficulty and learn naked pairs. Progress through the technique guides as you encounter puzzles that require them. Consistent practice at a difficulty that challenges you — but does not overwhelm you — is the fastest path to improvement.
Yes. Minimal Sudoku works as a progressive web app and can be used offline once the page has loaded. Easy, medium, and hard puzzles are generated locally in your browser. Challenging, expert, and master puzzles require an internet connection because they are served from the puzzle database.
Still have a question? Start with the beginner walkthrough or explore all solving techniques.