Take me back to 2005

November 8, 2024 5:38 PM

I've figured out how to get through thr present moment: getting really really into sudoku. What's the best basic sudoku app for iPhone?

I know there are a million sudoku apps out there, but I assume 90% of them full of garbage ads. My dream would be something barebones Simon Tatham's Puzzles app (which does actually have a version of sudoku, but I'm looking for something with slightly more mobile friendly controls). I don't need multiplayer or fancy variations, just the ability to play hours and hours of sudoku at a range of difficulties. Thank you!

posted by umwelt to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

I'm on an android but I've had the genina sudoku app across multiple phones for many, many years. It's got good basic controls, only an unobtrusive banner ad, and is a perfectly boring sudoku delivery mechanism.
posted by phunniemee at 5:42 PM on November 8, 2024

If you happen to be an NYT subscriber, the NYT Games app has Sudoku. It’s great.
posted by sevensnowflakes at 6:26 PM on November 8, 2024

Best answer: Im on an iPhone. The Good Sudoku app got me through the pandemic lockdown. Not only does it make solving sudokus more fun, it teaches you new techniques. It’s also available on Apple Arcade in case you have that. I have solved at least one Pro-level puzzle on this app almost every day since I downloaded it—the Impossible level puzzles require learning more complex techniques, which I haven’t been able to master but plan to some day. Highly recommended!
posted by ejs at 7:00 PM on November 8, 2024 [5 favorites]

Oh also—no ads either way.
posted by ejs at 7:00 PM on November 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

Reminder that the NYT tech guild is still on strike. If you have an iOS device, I can’t recommend Good Sudoku enough. It’s made by an indie dev, and has great tutorials to help you learn different puzzle solving strategies. There’s also an Apple Arcade version, if you subscribe to that.
posted by bluloo at 7:01 PM on November 8, 2024 [5 favorites]

I play using Good Suduko. I have it on Apple Arcade but before that I bought it. No ads and it taught me how to play from scratch!
posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:01 PM on November 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

Good Sudoku by Zach Gage is awesome, will help you become a better player, and makes the game highly playable on a mobile device. Highly recommended.

On edit: what everyone else said.
posted by griseus at 7:02 PM on November 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

Ha, Good Sudoku crew in da house!!
posted by ejs at 7:04 PM on November 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

Super Sudoku is a self-hostable server. I've got it running on a home server much to the enjoyment of my spouse.
posted by Runes at 7:45 PM on November 8, 2024

Good Sudoku is the single best app I have on my entire phone.
posted by rd45 at 8:05 PM on November 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

Outside the scope of the question, but if you’re looking for other iOS games in a similar vein, Zach Gage is the developer behind Good Sudoku. He has a number of other great games, such as Flipflop Solitaire (my current favorite method of dissociating), Knotwords, and Really Bad Chess.
posted by bluloo at 8:57 PM on November 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

I'm a big fan of Conceptis Puzzles. They have an app for each kind of puzzles, including Sudoku, which includes variations on Sudoku as well. If you want to lose yourself in puzzles of all kinds, I highly recommend theirs. My favorites in addition to Sudoku are probably Hashi, Slitherlink, Pic-A-Pix, and Fill-A-Pix (the hardest Minesweeper game you ever played).
posted by hydropsyche at 7:25 AM on November 9, 2024

I'm not much of a Sudoku player, but I've enjoyed Microsoft Soduku on iPhone (though not as much as the Microsoft Solitaire Collection). The Microsoft Casual Games are pretty good, though they have an annual subscription.
posted by lhauser at 8:09 PM on November 9, 2024

Been playing Enjoy Sudoku on iPhone about since learning Sudoku existed, here on Meta. Some years ago.
posted by Goofyy at 1:51 PM on November 10, 2024

Highly recommend this youtube channel for "genuinely approachable" handcrafted variant sudokus. Not an app, but you can play on your phone. Links to the puzzles in the description, and the video is there in case you ever get stuck!

Also this channel, which covers much harder puzzles if you want to level up!
posted by soonertbone at 4:17 PM on November 15, 2024