Best Free Sudoku Puzzle, Generator and Solver

 
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Introduction

Sudoku is a simple logic puzzle and number placement game, easy to learn, great for zoning your logic thinking while you play the game.

There is only one rule to completing a sudoku: each 3x3 box, each row and each column, must contain each of the digits from 1 to 9 without repetition (there are nine cells in every row, column and box). The puzzle begins with some cells already numbered. Your task is to fill in all the rest.

While the rule of Sudoku puzzle is pretty simple, but it can be quite a challenging puzzle to solve. Never give up too easily though, the good news is there are free and good programs to help you solve it. They help scan and keep track of possible digits for blank cells, provide filters and color markers to make solving even tricky puzzles much easier, faster and more interesting.

What's more? There are numerous hints and strategies to help play the game and solve the puzzle, such as the ones here and here. Or watch a series of video clips here.

Discussion

SuDoku CrackerWith SuDoku Cracker, you can create a puzzle, play the game, or get a solution to the puzzle easily.

The program generates sudoku puzzles in high quality with a unique solution. It allows you to create a puzzle in any of 7 difficulty levels starting from 'very easy' to 'Super Sudoku'.

Besides playing the game, you can save or open a game in default sdk or text format, or print the puzzle to paper to fill in or share with others. Trying hard and can't solve the puzzle? The program can give a hint, solve the next step or even the whole puzzle instantly for you.

Many other features are included such as redo/undo moves, show or hide candidate values in blank cells, strike out a number, mark a cell, row, column or box in different colors, etc. Free registration of the program is required after installation.

 

Simple SudokuSimple Sudoku creates challenging puzzles with 5 grades, from 'easy' to 'extreme'. It generates each puzzle randomly, so the selection is practically limitless.

The program has a keyboard and mouse friendly design with adjustable window sizes.

Similar to SuDoku Cracker, it helps scan what are possible digits for blank cells each time you enter a number, with a hint or even solution for the next number, covering almost all logical solutions for you. That's one of the helpful tools to help solve the puzzles—removing the drudgery but keeping the fun for the game.

Other features of the program include redo/undo moves, copy and paste puzzles to and from the clipboard, save, load or print completed or partially completed puzzles, etc. To save a game file in a text format, you need to add ".txt" to the file name.

 

Pure SudokuPure Sudoku has 4 levels of difficulty in gameplay, over 40 refreshing backgrounds, and contains 20,000 different sudoku puzzles, enough to play everyday for years. It automatically saves your game progress so that you can adjourn and return to the game anytime.

You can play full-screen or windowed, redo/undo moves, display any duplicate numbers entered, or get the solution to the puzzle with one-click.

On the downside, some other features such as hints, checks, or selectively saving or loading of games are only available with the pay version.

 

Total SudokuIt is easy to start Total Sudoku—run the program, point at a blank cell and key in a number between 1 to 9. It comes with an attractive user interface and lets you automatically generate a new puzzle in any of 3 levels of difficulty ('easy', 'medium' or 'hard').

The program helps by coloring a cell green when you enter a digit correctly, or red if you've got it wrong, but it doesn't include a solver for you.

You can save a game in progress, so you can adjourn and come back whenever you want. Or you print the puzzle to paper to fill in.

 

Other than the above, you might want to try out another solver Gwerdy SuDoku Solver which uses logical methods to help find solutions to most puzzles. It retrieves all cell values at a press of the "Solve" button, or just a single cell digit each time you hit the "Hint" button. The default file format is .spf (sudoku puzzle file), but a text file can be loaded too. Alternatively, a "Load from text" option can be used to paste a sudoku puzzle copied to the clipboard.

 

Play Sudoku online

DKM Sudoku Online is well worth trying. It is almost as fully-featured as any of Sudoku download. Click 'Play Now' and go to 'Menu' to create a new puzzle in any of 4 levels. You can enter possible cell values manually in pencil mode, or let it scan for you. Other features such as undo last move, check for errors, hint, solve one or all cell values are included.

Alternatively, try Daily Sudoku with unlimited puzzles, online solver and hints.

 
Have Your Say
You are invited to share and discuss your views in our freeware forum.  To post in the forum you need to register first but that's quick and immediate. Alternatively, anyone can leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
 

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Related Products and Links

You might want to check out these puzzle games too:

Quick Selection Guide

SuDoku Cracker    Rating 10 of 10  Gizmo's Top Pick

Pros   Create puzzles in 7 levels of difficulty with unique solutions, hint, solve next step or whole puzzle, show/hide candidates, open/save/print puzzles, plus other useful features.
Cons   Free registration is required to activate the software after installation.
Developer Home Page   http://www.the24net.com/en/sudoku/
Download link   http://www.the24net.com/en/sudoku/
File Size   1.39 MB   Version 10.01   License Type Free for private use   Installation Requirements Win 95 to Win 7

Simple Sudoku    Rating 9 of 10

Pros   5 grades of difficulty, scan and show possible numbers, hint and solution for the next value, adjustable window sizes, redo/undo moves, save/load/print puzzles, copy/paste to clipboard.
Cons   Solving the whole puzzle at one go is not provided.
Developer Home Page   http://www.angusj.com/sudoku
Download link   http://www.angusj.com/sudoku
File Size   811 KB   Version 4.2   License Type Private Freeware (not free for commercial use)   Installation Requirements Windows

Pure Sudoku    Rating 8 of 10

Pros   4 levels of difficulty, 40 over refreshing backgrounds, 20,000 different sudoku puzzles, auto save game progress, solving whole puzzle at one click.
Cons   No scanning and showing possible values, features such as hints, save and load games are limited to the pay version.
Developer Home Page   http://www.veryfreesudoku.com/
Download link   http://www.download.com/Pure-Sudoku/3000-18535_4-10477455.html
File Size   10.3 MB   Version 1.51   License Type Unrestricted Freeware   Installation Requirements Win 2000 to Vista

Total Sudoku    Rating 7 of 10

Pros   Create new puzzle in 3 levels of difficulty; save, open and print games, differentiate correct or wrong numbers entered.
Cons   No scanning and showing possible digits in blank cells, no solver provided.
Developer Home Page   http://www.supersoft.ro/
Download link   http://www.supersoft.ro/
File Size   2.0 MB   Version 1.0   License Type Unrestricted Freeware   Installation Requirements Windows 2000 to Vista
Editor

This article is maintained by volunteer editor Jojoyee. Registered site users are allowed to edit and improve this article wiki-style.

Tags

free sudoku, free puzzle game, number placement game, free sudoku solver, free sudoku creator, free sudoku builder, free sudoku generator

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Another suggestion to look at is Simple Sudoku: http://angusj.com/sudoku/

Just added before I got a chance to read your comments :>)
Thanks a lot, any more?

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