Star Grid

What is Star Grid?

Star Grid is a calm logic puzzle under a night sky. The grid is cut into as many coloured regions as it has rows, and you place stars so that every row, every column and every region holds exactly one star, or two on the large board. No two stars may touch, not even at a corner.

Every board has exactly one answer, and it can always be reached by reasoning, never by guessing. Boards come in three sizes: 6 by 6 and 8 by 8 with one star to every line and region, and 10 by 10 with two. A new sky, the same for everyone, arrives every day.

How to play

Tap a square to place a star, tap again to mark it empty with a dot, and once more to clear it. Drag across the grid to dot a whole run of squares in one move; a drag that starts on a dot clears the dots instead.

• Stars. Every row, every column and every coloured region holds the same number of stars: one on the small and medium boards, two on the large one.
• No touching. Two stars never sit side by side, one above the other or diagonally next to each other.
• Dots. A dot is only your note that a square stays empty. Turn on Auto dots and every new star dots the squares around it for you.
• Colours. The pips along the top and the left light up as each column and row gets its stars, a region fades once it has its own, and anything that breaks a rule turns red, with the line under the board saying which rule.
• Score. Your score is the time to solve the board, plus 30 seconds for every hint. Undo is free, and every board size has its own leaderboard.

Strategy tips

1. Mark around every star. The eight squares around a star are always empty, and so is the rest of its row, column and region once they have their stars.
2. Start with the small regions. A region of two or three squares leaves its star very few places, and whatever those places have in common is settled.
3. Look for a region in one line. When all the open squares of a region lie in one row, that row's star belongs to the region, and the rest of the row is empty.
4. Count in groups. When two regions fit inside two rows, they take both rows' stars, so every other square of those rows is empty. The same works with columns, and with three or more.
5. Use the 2 by 2 blocks. On the large board a 2 by 2 block holds one star at most, so a row that still needs two stars and only has room for two blocks takes one star in each.

FAQ

Is Star Grid free to play?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.

Do I have to mark the empty squares?

No. Dots are only notes for yourself; the board is solved the moment every star stands where the rules allow.

What does a hint do?

It fixes a wrong mark first if there is one; otherwise it makes the next step that follows by logic, outlines the squares that step reads and says which rule it used. Each hint adds 30 seconds to your time.

What is today's sky?

Every day everyone plays the same medium 8 by 8 board, so times compare directly on the leaderboard.

How is my score counted?

Your score is the time from the first look at the board to the last star placed, plus 30 seconds for every hint. Lower is better.