Mini Sudoku

How to play Mini Sudoku (6×6)

Mini Sudoku is a smaller, gentler version of classic Sudoku, played on a 6×6 grid instead of the usual 9×9. You only use the numbers 1 to 6, and the board is divided into six little boxes that are each 2 rows tall and 3 columns wide. Because the grid is small and the numbers are few, a puzzle can be finished in just a few minutes, which makes Mini Sudoku a perfect first Sudoku for children, families and anyone who is brand new to number puzzles. The rules are exactly the same as big Sudoku, so once you are comfortable here you can move up to the full-size game with confidence.

The goal

Fill in the whole grid so that every row, every column and every 2×3 box contains each of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 exactly once — no repeats. When the board is completely and correctly filled, you win. There is no adding or maths involved: Sudoku is pure logic, a puzzle of putting the right number in the right place by working out where each one can and cannot go.

The rules

• Each of the six rows (going across) must contain the numbers 1 to 6, with no number repeated.
• Each of the six columns (going down) must also contain the numbers 1 to 6, with no repeats.
• Each of the six outlined 2×3 boxes must contain 1 to 6 as well. A box is two rows tall and three columns wide, and there are six of them on the board.
• Some numbers, called “givens”, are already printed on the board when you start. They are fixed clues and cannot be changed — your job is to work out every empty square around them.

Why it is great for kids and beginners

The full 9×9 Sudoku can feel huge and slow for a young player: nine numbers, eighty-one squares and long stretches where nothing seems to move. Mini Sudoku keeps everything friendly. With only six numbers and thirty-six squares, children can see the whole board at a glance, spot patterns quickly and reach that satisfying “I solved it!” moment much sooner. It builds real thinking skills — counting, comparing, scanning and reasoning “this number cannot go here, so it must go there” — while still feeling like play. The big, bright cells are easy to tap on a phone or tablet, and gentle Easy puzzles give plenty of starting numbers so no one gets stuck. It is an ideal way to introduce logical thinking to five- to ten-year-olds, and a relaxing warm-up for grown-ups too.

Controls

• Tap an empty cell to select it. The cell you picked, and all the cells that share its row, column or box, are highlighted so you can see what affects it.
• Tap a number button from 1 to 6 to drop that number into the selected cell. On a keyboard you can just press the 1–6 keys.
• Made a slip? Tap Erase (or press Backspace) to clear the selected square. Given clues cannot be erased.
• Turn on Notes to pencil in small candidate numbers when you are not yet sure — tap the number to add or remove a tiny mark. Press N to toggle Notes on a keyboard. Placing a real number clears that cell’s notes.

Difficulty levels

• Easy starts you with 24 given numbers, leaving only twelve squares to fill. It is the best place to learn — there is almost always an obvious next move.
• Medium gives you 20 numbers to start. You will need to scan rows, columns and boxes together and think a step ahead.
• Hard gives just 16 clues. Every puzzle still has one and only one solution, but you will have to reason carefully and use pencil notes to crack it.

Simple solving techniques

• Scan for “only one spot”: pick a number, then look along each row, column and box to see where it is missing. Often there is just a single empty square in a box where a number can legally sit — place it there.
• Look at what is already there: for a single empty cell, list the numbers that its row, column and box do NOT already contain. If only one number is left over, that number belongs in the cell.
• Work the busiest lines first. A row, column or box that already has four or five numbers is nearly complete, so the last one or two squares are quick, guaranteed wins that then help fill their neighbours.
• When you get stuck, use Notes. Pencil the possible numbers into each empty cell; as you fill in others, candidates disappear until a cell has only one note left — that is your next answer.

Scoring and the leaderboard

Each solved puzzle earns a score of max(1, 6000 − seconds − mistakes × 150). You start from 6000 points; every second that passes takes off one point, and every wrong number you enter costs 150 points. So the faster and cleaner your solve, the higher your score, always kept between 1 and 99,999. Scores are recorded for each difficulty separately — sign in to save your best result to the leaderboard. Because harder levels take longer, they naturally reward a bit less time pressure than a lightning-fast Easy solve, so try to beat your own best on every level.

Frequently asked questions