TappyPotato logic puzzles

Number & arithmetic

Samurai Sudoku — rules and where to play

SAMURAI SUDOKU · Gattai-5 / Samurai

Five Sudoku grids overlap at the corners. It adds no new rule; it just wears you down with scale and shared regions.

Origin
2003 · Japan
Difficulty
★★★★★ 3–5 / 5
Time
30–120 min
Grid
Five linked 9×9 (21×21)
Sites
5

Rules

  1. Each 9×9 grid follows standard Sudoku rules.
  2. The four corner 3×3 boxes are shared by two grids and must satisfy both.
  3. The layout has five centers and four overlapping boxes.

How to start

Push through the overlaps

Any digit settled in a shared box immediately constrains the neighbouring grid.

Solve whichever grid is easiest

The five differ in difficulty; do not grind in order.

Budget 40 minutes or more

It tests patience more than skill, and losing your place mid-solve is expensive.

Where players get stuck

  • Treating a shared box as independent and filling conflicting digits on the two sides.
  • Underestimating the clock — a Samurai usually runs 30 to 90 minutes.

Play Samurai Sudoku

5 sites
f-puzzlesFree

The default web editor for Sudoku variants. Build a grid, send the link, or just solve.

Open → SudokuPadFree

The variant player a lot of people use now, and it edits too. There's an app and a Steam build.

Open → Penpa+Free

A fat editor for Japanese types: lots of shapes and marks, and it will ingest a puzz.link.

Open → Grandmaster PuzzlesFree

Thomas Snyder's own handmade Sudoku and variants — world-champion difficulty, not generated filler.

Open → GridPuzzleFree

Dozens of grid logic types in the browser, with progress tracking and dailies.

Open →

Browse Solvers & tools →

Also on multi-type portals

Printable SudokuFree

Blank Sudoku sheets in every grade, meant for paper.

Open → Puzzle RulesFree

Clean rule pages for dozens of types. Fastest way to learn a grid you haven't seen.

Open →

Browse portals →

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About this page
  • Last updated 2026-09-22
  • Source Curated compilation of established puzzle rules and listed third-party play sites
  • Audience Players learning Samurai Sudoku rules or looking for online sites to play
  • Covers Rules summary, how to start, common pitfalls, and the dedicated play sites listed on this page
  • Does not cover Hosted puzzles, worked solutions, official contest rankings, third-party uptime or pricing guarantees
  • Not advice This page is puzzle reference content only. It does not constitute financial, legal, medical or other professional advice.
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