What is LinkedIn Patches?
Patches is one of LinkedIn's daily logic games — a spatial puzzle where you divide a grid into rectangular “patches.” A handful of cells carry clues, and your job is to partition the whole grid so that every patch contains exactly one clue and matches whatever that clue specifies. It's a modern take on Shikaku, the Japanese divide-the-grid classic, with extra shape constraints layered on top. LinkedIn publishes a new Patches board daily on its games hub; this site is an independent, free place to learn the rules and practice without a daily cap.
How the rules work
Drag a rectangle around each clue until the grid is covered: every patch holds exactly one clue, and every cell belongs to exactly one patch. A Square clue needs a square, Wide a rectangle wider than it is tall, Tall one taller than it is wide, and a dashed Freeform clue accepts any rectangle, while a number on a clue sets the exact cell count. The full walkthrough with a worked example is in how to play Patches.
Playing Patches on LinkedIn
LinkedIn's Patches lives in its Games hub, next to its other daily puzzles, and it's tied to your LinkedIn account. This site doesn't show or copy LinkedIn's board. Our own daily Patches puzzle is a different board, the same for everyone who plays it here, and a new one starts at 00:00 UTC.
How to start a Patches board
The same logic works on any Patches board, including LinkedIn's:
- Place the forced clues first. A numbered Square has only one possible size (a Square 4 is 2 × 2), and a numbered clue in a corner often has only one way to fit.
- Treat clues and placed patches as walls. A patch can't cross another clue, so each placement takes options away from its neighbors.
- Budget the area. When a clue has no number, count the free cells around it and subtract the patches you already know.
More techniques, with real boards, are in Patches tips & strategy.
Where to practice Patches for free
This site has its own free Patches-style puzzles that run in your browser, with no LinkedIn account, no sign-up and nothing to install. Start with today's Patches Game, or open Patches Game Unlimited for as many practice boards as you want. You can lock in Easy, Medium, or Hard boards at 6 × 6, 8 × 8 or 10 × 10.
Official LinkedIn Patches vs. this practice site
This site is an independent, free practice version inspired by the Patches game on LinkedIn. The two differ in a few practical ways:
- Boards per day — LinkedIn gives you one daily Patches puzzle; here you can play unlimited boards.
- Account — the official puzzle is tied to LinkedIn; this site needs no account, email, or download.
- Archive & sizes — replay past boards, switch between 6 × 6, 8 × 8 and 10 × 10, and dial Easy to Hard any time.
Patches Game is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or endorsed by LinkedIn Corporation. “LinkedIn” is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation. The official daily Patches puzzle lives on LinkedIn; this site exists to teach the rules and let you practice the same kind of spatial logic puzzle without a daily limit.