Patches Game FAQ

Patches Game is a free, independent site for Patches puzzles, a grid-dividing logic puzzle with shape clues. You split a square grid into rectangles so that every rectangle holds exactly one clue and matches what that clue says about its shape and size, and every cell ends up in exactly one rectangle.

Drag across the board to draw a rectangle around a clue. A Square clue needs a square, a Wide clue needs a rectangle wider than it is tall, a Tall clue needs one taller than it is wide, and a dashed Freeform clue accepts any rectangle. A number on a clue is the exact number of cells. Tap a placed patch to remove it. The puzzle is solved when every cell is covered and every clue has its own patch.

They describe the proportions of the patch, and they are strict. Square means the width equals the height (2×2, 3×3). Wide means strictly wider than tall (3×1, 4×2). Tall means strictly taller than wide (1×3, 2×4). A 2×2 square never counts as Wide or Tall, so a Wide 6 can only be 6×1 or 3×2.

A Freeform clue, drawn as two overlapping dashed rectangles, puts no limit on proportions: any rectangle works, squares included. If it carries a number, the patch must still have exactly that many cells. A Freeform clue with no number tells you the least of any clue; its patch is worked out from what the neighboring clues leave over.

Then you deduce the size. The shape still applies, and the patch still has to fit between the other clues and patches. The quickest way in is area: count the empty cells in a walled-off part of the board and subtract the patches you already know. Some clues show only a shape and a few show nothing at all, and these come up more often on harder boards.

Yes. The daily puzzles, all 800 catalog boards and every Unlimited Mode board were checked by a built-in solver that works the way a person does, one forced deduction at a time, and a board is only used when that process reaches a single solution, so you never need to guess. 10 × 10 Unlimited boards are built on the spot and checked the same way; in the rare case none passes, you get a board where every clue shows its shape and number.

While you drag, the outline turns red when the rectangle breaks a rule, and when you let go a short message says which one: the patch has no clue in it, it has two clues, it is the wrong shape for its clue, or it has the wrong number of cells. The small number in the middle of your drag is the current cell count, so you can size a patch before you release.

Hints come in steps. The first press quietly removes any patches that don't match the solution and makes the next clue to solve pulse. Press again and that clue's correct rectangle is outlined. A third press places it for you. There is a short pause between hints.

Four sizes, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8 and 10×10, each in Easy, Medium and Hard, plus Expert in Unlimited Mode. Difficulty is about how much reasoning a board takes. Easy boards open with several patches you can place straight away, Medium boards need a few deductions, Hard boards give you fewer starting moves, longer chains and more clues without a number, and Expert boards take the most deductions of all. The daily puzzle is never Easy: it is Medium early in the week (6×6 on Monday and Tuesday, 7×7 on Wednesday and Thursday, 8×8 on Friday) and Hard at the weekend (7×7 on Saturday, 8×8 on Sunday).

Every day at 00:00 UTC, and everyone gets the same board. Every daily since the site launched in April 2026 stays playable in the archive, so you can go back for any day you missed.

Yes. Unlimited Mode deals a fresh board whenever you want at the size and difficulty you pick, and the catalog has 800 curated boards to work through. Beat the Clock is a timed run: you start with one minute, every solve banks extra time, and the boards get harder over the first few waves.

Yes. Every board saves in your browser as you play, so you can close the tab and come back to the same placements and time. Your daily streak is kept in the browser too. If you want your streak and stats to follow you across devices, sign in with a free Coffee Break account. Signing in is optional.

Shikaku, the Japanese puzzle Patches grows out of, has the same rule of cutting the grid into rectangles with one clue each, but a Shikaku clue is always just a number: the area. A Patches clue can also name a shape, and on harder boards it can leave the number out, so you reason about proportions as well as area.

Patches Game is an independent, free site with its own puzzles, made by a small studio. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any other games company, and you do not need an account to play here.

Yes. The board is built for touch: drag with one finger to draw a patch and tap a patch to remove it. It runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers, with nothing to install.

Yes. The daily puzzle, the archive, Unlimited Mode, the catalog and Beat the Clock are all free to play, with no download and no account required.