NYT Sudoku
Three classic sudoku grids every day, one easy, one medium and one hard.
Every day: Three new sudoku grids each day, one Easy, one Medium and one Hard, the same set for every player. New puzzle: The evening before at 10 p.m. US Eastern Time (6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday).
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NYT Sudoku is The New York Times' daily set of three nine-by-nine sudoku puzzles at easy, medium and hard difficulty. You fill the grid so every row, column and three-by-three box holds the digits one to nine once each. Free players get one of the day's grids, and a Times Games subscription opens all three.
About NYT Sudoku
The New York Times publishes three new sudoku puzzles every day on its games site and in the NYT Games app, labelled Easy, Medium and Hard. The rules are the standard ones: a nine-by-nine grid split into nine boxes, some digits given, and a single solution that you reach by logic alone. No arithmetic is involved, only placement.
A round starts with the board partly filled in. You select an empty square and enter a digit, or switch to candidate mode to pencil in the several digits a square could still hold. As you place more numbers, candidates get crossed off and the grid narrows down until every square is fixed. The Easy grid usually takes a few minutes, while the Hard grid can need longer chains of reasoning.
Sudoku sits next to the Times' word games in the same app; when the app was renamed from NYT Crosswords to NYT Games in 2023, Sudoku was one of the games named alongside Wordle, Spelling Bee and Tiles. Until Pips arrived in 2025 it was the only logic puzzle in the lineup.
Without a subscription you can play one difficulty level, so free players should pick the grid that suits them. It suits people who want a quiet, number-based puzzle in their daily routine and like choosing how hard to push themselves.
How to play NYT Sudoku
- Choose Easy, Medium or Hard for today's puzzle.
- Select an empty square in the nine-by-nine grid.
- Enter a digit from one to nine that does not already appear in that square's row, column or three-by-three box.
- Switch to candidate mode to note several possible digits in a square when you are not sure yet.
- Keep placing digits until every row, column and box holds one to nine exactly once.
Tips
- Scan each box for digits that are missing and see whether only one square can take them.
- Look for a square whose row, column and box already rule out eight digits; the ninth is the answer.
- Use candidate notes on the Medium and Hard grids instead of keeping options in your head.
- When two squares in a unit can only hold the same two digits, remove those digits from the rest of that unit.
- Start with the Easy grid to warm up before trying the Hard one.
Questions
Is NYT Sudoku free?
Partly. Free players can play one of the day's difficulty levels; all three grids need a New York Times Games or All Access subscription.
How many sudoku puzzles does the Times publish each day?
Three: an Easy, a Medium and a Hard grid.
Do you need math for sudoku?
No. The digits are only symbols; the puzzle is about placing each one once per row, column and box.
Where can I play NYT Sudoku?
On the New York Times games website and in the NYT Games app for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Games like NYT Sudoku
Daily Sudoku
Another daily sudoku if you want more grids than one
Pips
The Times' other daily logic puzzle, with three difficulty levels too
Queens
A daily grid puzzle solved by elimination, one queen per row, column and region
Tango
A short daily grid where each row and column must balance two symbols
Nonograms
Number clues and pure deduction on a grid
Murdle
A daily deduction puzzle for people who like logic grids
Daily Sudoku
One classic 9x9 sudoku a day, the same grid for everyone.
Good Sudoku
Three daily sudoku puzzles that get harder through the week, each with a global leaderboard.