Star Battle
Star Battle is a logic puzzle on a square grid divided into outlined regions. Place stars so that every row, every column and every region holds the same number of stars, and no two stars touch, not even at a corner.
How to play
Easy puzzles are 6×6 and Medium 8×8, with one star per row, column and region; Hard puzzles are 9×9 with two. Every puzzle here has exactly one solution that logic alone reaches, and its level is set by the hardest technique it needs.
- Each row holds the number of stars shown above the board (one or two).
- Each column holds the same number of stars.
- Each outlined region holds the same number of stars.
- Stars never touch each other, not even diagonally.
Playing on this site
- Tap a cell to place a star, tap again for a dot that marks it as empty, and once more to clear it.
- Drag across cells to paint the same mark along the way; the whole drag is one undo step.
- With a keyboard, use the arrow keys to move and Space to cycle the mark.
- Dots are only a helper: the puzzle is solved as soon as every star is in place.
- Hint points out misplaced stars and dots first, then names the next technique and highlights where it applies.
- Your puzzle is saved in this browser, so you can come back to it later.
Techniques by level
Every technique the solver knows, from easiest to hardest. A puzzle's level is the hardest one it needs.
Easy
- No touching
- Stars never touch, not even at a corner, so the cells around this star are empty.
- Unit complete
- This row, column or region has all its stars, so its other cells are empty.
- Last spots
- This row, column or region has exactly as many open cells as stars still missing, so they are all stars.
Medium
- Blocked
- A star here would cover the cells around it and leave the highlighted unit without room for its stars. So this cell is empty.
- Confined
- This region's stars can only sit in one row or column (or a line's stars in one region), so the rest of that line or region gets none.
Hard
- Placements
- Try every way to place this unit's missing stars without touching: they all agree on the marked cells.
- Shared lines
- These regions together fit inside as many rows or columns as there are regions, so they take all those lines' stars. The rest of the lines stay empty.
Questions
How do I start a Star Battle?
Look for the smallest regions and for rows or columns with few open cells. When a region fits in a single row, the row's stars all sit in that region, so the row's other cells are empty. Around each star you place, mark all eight neighbours as empty.
Will I ever have to guess?
No. Every puzzle has exactly one solution that logic alone reaches, at every level.
Is Star Battle free to play here?
Yes. Every level is free, with no account and no sign-in.