Sudoku Walkthrough

A visual walkthrough of the most important concepts.

This isn’t a full solve — it’s a guided tour of the patterns you’ll use all the time.

New to Sudoku? Read How to Play.

Step 1: Identify the givens

Spot the bold, tinted numbers that are fixed clues.

5
3
7
6
1
9
5
9
8
6
8
6
3
4
8
3
1
7
2
6
6
2
8
4
1
9
5
8
7

Step 2: Finish an easy row

Find a row or column that is missing only one number.

5
3
6
7
8
9
1
2
6
1
9
5
9
8
6
8
6
3
4
8
3
1
7
2
6
6
2
8
4
1
9
5
8
7

Step 3: Use the 3x3 box

Cross-check rows and columns to place a number in the box.

5
3
4
7
6
2
1
9
5
1
9
8
6
8
6
3
4
8
3
1
7
2
6
6
2
8
4
1
9
5
8
7
9

Step 4: Pencil Mode hints

Jot candidates in Pencil Mode before committing.

5
3
1
2
4
6
7
6
1
9
5
9
8
6
8
6
3
4
8
2
5
7
9
3
1
7
2
6
6
2
8
4
1
9
5
8
7

Technique Vocabulary

The walkthrough above focuses on fundamentals. As you climb difficulty levels, these labels matter more:

  • Naked Single and Hidden Single
  • Locked Candidate, Naked Pair, Hidden Pair, and Naked Triple
  • X-Wing (appears in deeper Expert/Legendary boards)
  • Guess / Backtracking (mostly Expert and Legendary)

FFG Difficulty Level Ladder

Easy -> Medium -> Hard -> Expert -> Legendary.

Race Mode Flow

The same solving ideas apply in Sudoku Race, but the setup is live:

  • Create a private lobby and invite a friend.
  • The guest taps Join lobby, both players mark ready, and the host starts.
  • Before the start, the guest can leave and the host can kick the guest to reopen the slot.
  • Once the race is live, the first correct finish wins.

More Coming

We are planning more features across all of our games. Thanks for playing and helping us shape what comes next.

Want quick answers? See the Sudoku FAQ.