NYT Sudoku is a free, fast online Sudoku game that provides a newspaper-style solving experience with structured levels, daily puzzles, and unlimited practice boards. It is an independent site not affiliated with The New York Times Company.
What is NYT Sudoku?
NYT Sudoku is a web-based Sudoku game that lets you play puzzles directly in any browser without signup or payment. It takes no input beyond your choices (mode, difficulty, cell entries) and outputs a completed or in-progress puzzle board. The puzzles are generated or stored by the site, using classic 9x9 Sudoku rules: each row, column, and 3x3 box must contain digits 1 through 9 exactly once. The game supports desktop and mobile layouts with a clean interface focused on the grid.
Key Features
- Three game modes — Level mode offers a fixed 200-puzzle progression from Easy (Levels 1-70) through Medium (71-140) to Hard (141-200). Daily mode gives one Easy, one Medium, and one Hard puzzle per date. Unlimited mode generates practice puzzles on demand at any difficulty.
- Note-taking — Toggle Notes mode to add or remove pencil marks in empty cells, helping you track candidates without cluttering the board.
- Hints, undo, and erase — Use hints to fill a single cell with the solution, undo recent moves, or erase a specific cell. Reset clears the current puzzle state while preserving fixed clues.
- Timer — A visible stopwatch tracks your solving time but has no effect on the puzzle; you can pause or return later.
- Local save — Guest games (including current puzzle, difficulty, notes, time, and stats) save automatically in your browser. Optional Google sign-in enables cloud sync across devices when production credentials are configured.
- Mobile-friendly — The board, toolbar, and keypad are designed for small screens without horizontal scrolling.
Who is it for?
- Beginners — Start with Level 1 or Easy Daily puzzles to learn the interface and basic row/column/box scanning without pressure.
- Daily habit solvers — Use Daily mode each day for a warm-up, main challenge, and optional hard puzzle; progress resets daily to match the date.
- Advanced players — Practice specific techniques or difficulty levels with Unlimited mode, or work through the 200-level progression to build stamina and candidate management skills.
What can you do with it?
- Warm up — Solve an Easy puzzle in Level or Unlimited mode to establish rhythm before tackling harder boards.
- Build a daily practice routine — Play one Easy, one Medium, and one Hard Daily puzzle each day; treat the set as a contained habit.
- Drill specific techniques — Use Unlimited mode at your chosen difficulty to repeatedly practice hidden singles, locked candidates, and note cleanup without waiting for new content.
FAQ
Is NYT Sudoku affiliated with The New York Times?
No. This is an independent, unofficial site. It is not endorsed by or sponsored by The New York Times Company.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can play as a guest with progress saved locally. Optional Google sign-in is for cloud sync and is not required.
How do hints work?
Tap the hint button to fill one empty editable cell with the correct digit; the move can be undone.
Can I play on mobile?
Yes. The interface is responsive and fits mobile screens without horizontal scrolling.
What happens if I clear my browser data?
Your saved games and statistics will be lost. Signing in with Google preserves progress only when cloud save is configured.
