Puzzle · Logic Puzzle
Futoshiki
Play Futoshiki online. Fill rows and columns without repeating numbers. Every inequality between neighbouring squares must be true.
The game's own interface may still be in English.
Overview
Futoshiki is a Latin-square puzzle with inequalities between neighbouring cells. Every row and column must contain each allowed number once, and each greater-than or less-than sign must agree with the values beside it. A five-by-five board therefore uses one through five, with no Sudoku boxes and no arithmetic cage totals. Chains of inequalities make the puzzle more than a simple missing-number exercise. A cell smaller than three successive neighbours cannot hold a value near the top of the range. The local Unequal engine generates puzzles and provides size and difficulty settings. You can record candidate numbers before committing them, then use the intersections of rows, columns and inequality chains to narrow the remaining possibilities.
How to Play
Click or tap a cell to select it, then enter a number with the keyboard or on-screen keypad. Use Backspace to erase and the arrows to move the selection. Secondary-select before typing when you want pencil marks. Read each inequality from the narrow end toward the wide end: the narrow end points to the smaller value. Fill all squares while satisfying every sign and avoiding duplicates in rows and columns. Undo reverses an entry. Restart keeps the current clues but clears your attempt.
Tips & Strategy
Look for long ascending or descending chains first. On a five-by-five board, a chain of five distinct increasing cells fixes all five values in order. Shorter chains still impose useful minimum and maximum values. Combine those bounds with numbers already placed in the same row and column, then inspect whether a missing number has only one possible square. Do not treat two cells without an inequality as ordered; they merely need to obey the Latin-square rules. When a candidate seems forced by one sign, follow the next sign in the chain before committing it.
About this version
Futoshiki uses the locally compiled unequal engine from Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection. The original authors retain credit under the MIT license. SonoTap provides the browser adaptation and this guide.
Controls
- Keyboard
- 1–9 — enter a value in the selected cellArrow keys — move the selectionBackspace — erase an entry
- Mouse
- Click or tap a cell to select it, then enter a number with the keyboard or on-screen keypad. Use Backspace to erase and the arrows to move the selection. Secondary-select before typing when you want pencil marks. Read each inequality from the narrow end toward the wide end: the narrow end points to the smaller value. Fill all squares while satisfying every sign and avoiding duplicates in rows and columns. Undo reverses an entry. Restart keeps the current clues but clears your attempt.
- Touch
- Tap or drag on the board using the same rules as mouse input. Enable Secondary for the alternate mark; numeric games also provide on-screen keys.
Features
- Fill rows and columns without repeating numbers. Every inequality between neighbouring squares must be true.
- Local open-source game engine with original author credits
- Generated puzzles and the upstream Type settings
- Undo and restart controls
- Touch input and a secondary-action toggle
Frequently asked questions
What is the goal in Futoshiki?
Fill rows and columns without repeating numbers. Every inequality between neighbouring squares must be true.
What is a useful first deduction in Futoshiki?
Look for long ascending or descending chains first. On a five-by-five board, a chain of five distinct increasing cells fixes all five values in order.