Swudoku FAQs
Short answers on the board, the colours, scoring, and accounts. If you want the walkthrough, use how to play.
Gameplay
What is Swudoku?
A shared daily sudoku you play by swapping tiles. No timer. Your score is how few swaps you needed.
The name is swap plus sudoku. The grid starts full. You move numbers into the right cells.
What is Swap Sudoku?
A completed sudoku, jumbled, that you put back by swapping tiles. Swudoku is the daily 9×9 form. Same board for everyone that day. No timer. Score is how few swaps you needed.
The short page: Swap Sudoku.
How do I play?
Tap a tile, tap another tile. They swap. Put every number back using as few swaps as possible.
What do the colours mean?
- Blue: the cell you’ve selected
- Grey: wrong cell (it still needs to move)
- Yellow: right cell, but its row, column, and 3×3 block are not complete yet
- Green: right cell, and any one of row, column, or 3×3 block is complete
- Dark green: right cell, and all three are complete
Yellow, green, and dark green are already home. When every tile is dark green, you’re done.
How do swaps work?
Pick two cells and tap them in order. They switch. Colours update if the grid got closer to correct.
How do I finish?
Every tile in the right cell. Dark green across the board. Fewer swaps is a better score.
Is there a timer?
No. Score is the swap count. Lower is better.
How is this different from sudoku?
Sudoku asks you to fill empty cells. Swudoku already has a number in every square. You swap them into place. Rows, columns, and 3×3 blocks still want 1–9 once each.
Is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. You do not need to have played sudoku. If you have, the logic will feel familiar.
What is a Double Swap?
A Double Swap puts both tiles in the correct cell in one move. If you want a low swap count, look for those before you tap.
Daily puzzle
Is there a new puzzle every day?
Yes. One board a day. Everyone gets the same grid.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes, in the Archive on the web, while signed in: swudoku.com/archive. The iOS app is today’s puzzle only.
What is the GOAT score?
The lowest swap counts for that board. Those games are mostly Double Swaps and very few wasted moves.
How is my score calculated?
Score = number of swaps you used. Lower is better. No timer. No bonus tricks.
Can I compare scores with other players?
Yes. Two ways.
After you finish, you can share your results: puzzle number, swap count, Double Swaps, and your best double-swap streak.
If you’re signed in, you may also see a How you compare graph on the results screen. It’s a histogram of swap counts for that puzzle:
- The horizontal axis is swap count, from the fewest swaps you’d need if every move were a Double Swap through to one swap per tile that started in the wrong place
- The height of each bar is how many players finished with that many swaps
- Your bar is highlighted, and the chart shows your swap count plus how many players have completed the game
The graph only appears when more than one player has finished the puzzle and your score falls in that swap range. If you’re signed out, the results screen invites you to sign in or sign up to see how you compare. If you’re the only finisher so far, you’ll see that there aren’t enough players yet to show the graph.
Accounts
Do I need an account to play?
No. Anyone can play on the web at swudoku.com or in the iOS app.
What does a free account do?
- Save your daily scores
- View History and play past puzzles in the Archive (web, signed in)
- See the How you compare graph after you finish
- Sync game stats for games you played between the web game and the iOS app when you sign in with the same account
Signing in on a device also uploads any scores already saved locally on that device. Archive and History live in the web game at swudoku.com, not on this article site. iOS is today’s board.
Is my progress saved automatically?
If you’re signed in, completed-game stats are saved to your account. They show up in History on the web, and they sync to the same account on iOS for games you played. The iOS app does not include the Archive.
If you’re not signed in, scores stay on that device only. Signing in later on that same device uploads those local scores.
Does Swudoku cost anything?
No. Play and accounts are free.
What data does Swudoku store?
What’s needed to run accounts and save scores. Details are in the privacy policy.
To delete your account and the game stats saved with it, use swudoku.com/delete-account. You verify your email, then confirm. That page is part of the game.
Platforms
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The free iOS app on iPhone and iPad, or the browser on phone, tablet, or desktop at swudoku.com.
Is there a Swudoku app?
Yes. App Store for iPhone and iPad. The same daily puzzle is also on the web.
Does it work offline?
You need internet to load the daily puzzle and save your stats.
Is it accessible for screen readers?
The board is a visual grid. If a screen reader gets in the way, email swudoku@gmail.com.
Strategy
How do I get a low swap count?
Fix obvious mismatches first. Then read rows, columns, and blocks. Every swap should solve something.
More tactics: strategy guide.
Are there advanced techniques?
Classic sudoku ideas still help: naked singles, hidden pairs, line interactions. You can often name the right cell before you swap.
Does a daily board help my brain?
It is a short daily logic habit: pattern recognition, looking ahead, sitting still. We do not claim it treats a condition or grows neurons. More on that in Brain training with Swudoku.
Does it improve sudoku skills?
The same 1–9-once-each patterns show up. The mechanic is swapping.
Stuck?
The grid looks unsolvable.
Every puzzle can be solved with logic. Look for mismatched numbers in a row or block. Undo is free.
Why are some cells yellow or green?
Yellow = right cell, groups unfinished. Green = right cell, and one of row, column, or block is complete. Dark green = right cell in all three.
The game froze or won’t load.
Refresh first. Then check your connection, or clear the browser cache. Still stuck: swudoku@gmail.com.
Nearby games
Is it like Wordle?
One shared puzzle a day, then you can compare with people you know. The ritual is letters there and a 9×9 here. More on that in Wordle but sudoku.
What type of puzzle is it?
A swap-based 9×9 logic puzzle, built for a daily board and for touch.