A LITTLE FOCUS. A FRESH START.
Play Arrow Sudoku
Play Arrow Sudoku free online. Add digits along an arrow to match its circle, with five difficulty levels, notes, hints, and saved progress.
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LEARN THE TWIST
How to play Arrow Sudoku
The circle is the total, not part of the sum. Unlike Killer cages, an arrow path does not impose its own no-repeat rule; repeats are allowed only where normal Sudoku rules allow them.
The rules
Fill each row, column, and 3×3 box with 1–9, without repeats. Digits along an arrow add up to the digit in its circle. Arrow digits may repeat when ordinary Sudoku rules allow it.
A useful first move
Longer arrows need larger circle digits because every path cell is at least 1. Combine the sum with row, column, and box restrictions to remove impossible combinations.
An arrow with path digits 2 and 5 needs a 7 in its circle. If a circle is 4 and one of its two path cells is 1, the other path cell must be 3.
SOLVE IT STEP BY STEP
Subtract a known path digit from the circle
An arrow links a total to a path. The circled digit equals the sum of the digits along the arrow, excluding the circle itself. Short arrows are often useful starting points because an ordinary Sudoku placement can immediately determine the rest of a sum.
- Arrow end
- 5
Separate total from addends.
The circle supplies 7. Only the two cells after it contribute to the sum, so the equation is 2 + empty = 7.
Find the remaining amount.
Subtract the known path digit: 7 − 2 = 5. That is the only value that completes this arrow.
Propagate the placement.
Enter 5 at the arrow’s end and remove 5 from its row, column, and box. In a real puzzle, those new eliminations can constrain a different arrow or circle.
Bound a path before it is solved
Every path digit is at least 1. A three-cell path with a circle of 6 therefore cannot contain a digit above 4: the other two cells need at least 1 each. This is only a starting bound. If those other cells share a unit, they cannot both be 1, and ordinary Sudoku can tighten the limit further.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not add the circle to its own path sum.
- Arrows do not add a separate no-repeat rule. Repeated path digits are allowed only when the cells do not violate an ordinary row, column, or box.
Try the reasoning yourself
A circle contains 9, and two known path digits are 2 and 3. What is the third path digit?
Show the answer and why
It is 4, because 9 − 2 − 3 = 4. Check the path’s actual cells when updating the crossing units; the drawing’s direction has no effect on addition.
Controls, difficulty, and saved games
Choose Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert above. Select an empty cell, then tap a number or use your keyboard. Notes let you pencil in candidates; three hints are available. Three mistakes end the puzzle.
Every mode and difficulty keeps a separate save in this browser. You can switch puzzles and return to your place. Clearing site data removes these saves; they do not sync with another device or the iPhone app. Settings include night mode and optional automatic cell advancement.
Correct entries earn points. High scores are stored by mode and difficulty and update only when beaten; completed-puzzle count and day streak are shared.
FIFTEEN WAYS TO PLAY
Explore all Sudoku modes
A familiar grid, a different kind of logic. Every mode is free to play in your browser.