Play Futoshiki Pro Online: The Ultimate Inequality Puzzle

If you love the Latin Square logic of Sudoku but are looking for a completely new twist, welcome to Futoshiki Pro on Puzzrs!

Futoshiki (Japanese for “inequality”) is an incredibly addictive logic puzzle that strips away the 3×3 boxes of Sudoku and replaces them with strict mathematical constraints. Your goal is to fill the grid with numbers while strictly obeying the greater-than (>) and less-than (<) signs placed between the cells.

Are you ready for a mental workout? Choose Daily Challenge to play the exact same grid layout as everyone else in the world today. Can you master the inequalities and claim the fastest time on the Global Top 5 Leaderboard?

How to Play Futoshiki (Rules for Beginners)

The rules of Futoshiki are simple, but they quickly lead to complex, rewarding deductions. To solve the board, you must follow two main constraints:

1. No Duplicates: Just like Sudoku, you must fill the grid so that every row and column contains the numbers 1 to N exactly once. (In an Easy 4×4 grid, use 1 to 4; in a Hard 6×6 grid, use 1 to 6).
2. Obey the Signs: The inequality signs between the squares must be mathematically correct.
   • If there is a < sign, the number on the left must be less than the number on the right (e.g., 2 < 4).
   • If there is a ^ sign pointing up, the number on the top must be less than the number below it.

(To play the game above, simply click or tap an empty square to select it, then use the numpad at the bottom to enter your guess. Any numbers that break the rules will instantly highlight in red to warn you!)

Winning Strategies: How to Solve Futoshiki

To beat the Hard mode and secure a top spot on the Leaderboard, you can’t just guess. You need to use the “Process of Elimination” based on the extreme ends of the numbers. Use these strategies:

1. Find the Absolute Minimums and Maximums

If you are playing a 5×5 grid (numbers 1-5), look for chains of inequality signs. If a cell must be less than another cell, it cannot be a 5. If it must be greater than another cell, it cannot be a 1.

2. Follow the Chains

Sometimes inequalities chain together (e.g., A < B < C). In a 4×4 grid, if you have a chain of three cells like this, you immediately know a massive amount of information. ‘A’ can only be 1 or 2, ‘B’ must be 2 or 3, and ‘C’ must be 3 or 4. Use these chains to eliminate possibilities in the rest of the row!

3. Use Sudoku Logic

Don’t forget the first rule! If you figure out where the ‘4’ must go in a column, use standard Sudoku cross-hatching to see how that eliminates the ‘4’ from being placed in other rows.

Looking for More Logic Puzzles?

If you love the number-placement logic of Futoshiki, you should try adding basic arithmetic to the mix with KenKen Pro. Or, if you want a break from numbers entirely and prefer pure visual logic, try connecting the islands in Hashi Pro!