Play Futoshiki Online
Fill the grid respecting the greater-than / less-than clues.
How to Play Futoshiki
Modes: Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
Futoshiki is played on a square grid. Every row and every column must contain the numbers 1 to N exactly once.
Arrows between cells tell you which number is bigger: a < arrow means the left or upper value is smaller than the right or lower one.
Select a cell, then tap a number from the pad to place it. Use the eraser to clear a cell.
Solved when every row and column is a complete 1-to-N set and all arrows point the correct way.
Rules
Each row and column contains the numbers 1 to N exactly once.
A < or > arrow between two cells must be respected by the numbers you place.
An up/down arrow compares the cell above with the cell below; a left/right arrow compares side by side.
Cells that repeat a number in a row or column, or break an arrow, are highlighted red.
Scoring
| Solved | complete the full grid respecting all arrows |
| Time | fastest solve wins |
History & Origins of Futoshiki
Futoshiki, whose name simply translates as ’not equal’, is a Latin-square puzzle with inequality arrows threaded between the cells. It belongs to the family of relation puzzles that Nikoli and other Japanese magazines refined through the 1980s and 1990s, and it is still published in English under the title Unequal, which captures the whole rule in a single word.
The twist is how little the board hands you. Where most number puzzles open with filled cells, a Futoshiki grid often starts almost empty, offering a lattice of arrows as the only guide. Each arrow compares just the two cells it sits between, so a ’<’ between neighbours means the left or upper cell must hold the smaller digit.
Because an arrow never reaches past its own pair, solving becomes a chain reaction: once the largest number settles, the arrows pointing away from it push the next values into place, and a stack of aligned arrows can pin several digits at once. ThinkyPlay starts with a friendly 5x5 board and climbs to 6x6 and 7x7 as those chains multiply.
The format has aged well because the maths never gets heavier than comparing two neighbouring numbers. Everything else is pure deduction about position, and the rules fit comfortably on a postcard, which is why Unequal puzzles still appear in newspapers beside Sudoku while offering a different flavour of the same quiet satisfaction.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Filling every row and column as a clean 1-to-N set while the arrows between the cells still point the wrong way.
- Reading an arrow backwards and placing the bigger digit on the side the symbol marks as smaller.
- Treating each arrow in isolation and never chaining them, even though a run of stacked inequalities can pin down whole rows of values.
- Forgetting the vertical arrows that compare cells in different rows while you are scanning along a single row for repeats.
Tips & Strategy
Start with N: the largest number is always bigger than its neighbours, so it can only sit in arrow positions pointing away from it.
The number 1 is the opposite — arrows point towards it.
Use the Latin-square rule: if a row already has all numbers but one, the missing number is forced.
Check both row and column constraints before placing a number.
Use the Hint button to reveal one correct number when stuck.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Futoshiki free to play?
- Yes — Futoshiki on ThinkyPlay is completely free, with no download and no sign-up.
- What do the arrows mean?
- An arrow points from the larger number to the smaller one: a < between two cells means the left cell is smaller than the right cell.
- Can the same number appear twice in a row or column?
- No — like Sudoku, every row and column must be a full 1-to-N set with no repeats.
- Are all puzzles solvable?
- Yes — every puzzle is generated with exactly one solution, and the Hint button reveals a correct number.
- What makes cells and arrows turn red in Futoshiki?
- Red marks two kinds of trouble: a digit repeated in its row or column, or an arrow that your filled values contradict. Correcting the offending cell usually clears the highlight straight away.
- How do the up and down arrows work?
- A vertical arrow compares the two cells directly above and below it: an upward triangle means the upper cell is smaller, a downward one means it is larger. The point always faces the smaller value.
- Is there a daily Futoshiki?
- Yes. The Daily Futoshiki serves the same Medium 6x6 board to every player each day, and daily best times are tracked separately from the three difficulty levels.