6×6 Sudoku: Rules, Tips and an Example

A 6×6 sudoku uses the same rule as the classic puzzle, just on a smaller grid. Here you’ll find the rules, a few tips to get started and an easy example with a full solution to work through.

Updated October 22, 2026

The rules on a 6×6 grid

Each digit from 1 to 6 appears exactly once in every row, every column and every box. A box is a block with a thick border, 2 squares tall and 3 squares wide.

The grid has 36 squares in 6 rows and 6 columns, and the thick lines split it into six boxes of six squares each. A few digits are given at the start, and those stay put. Your job is to fill the empty squares so that no digit repeats in any row, column or box. There’s no math involved.

A completed 6×6 sudoku. The top-left box spans two rows and three columns and, like every box, holds the digits 1 to 6.

For a step-by-step walk-through of the basic rule with a practice puzzle, see our sudoku rules.

How 6×6 differs from 9×9

Feature	6×6 sudoku	9×9 sudoku
Squares	36	81
Digits	1 to 6	1 to 9
Boxes	6, each 2 squares tall and 3 wide	9, each 3 × 3 squares
Squares per box	6	9

The rule and the solving techniques don’t change. The main difference is the shape of the boxes: they’re wider than they are tall, and each one covers exactly two rows and three columns. If you’re used to 9×9, that’s easy to miss at first.

Why 6×6 is a good way to learn

You can see the whole board. With 36 squares and six digits, it’s much easier to spot what’s missing.
Everything carries over. The moves you practice here work the same way on a 9×9 grid: looking for the missing digit, looking for the only open spot, keeping notes.
A puzzle fits into a short break. You actually get to the end and can see which steps moved you forward.
It isn’t just for kids. If you’re new to sudoku or coming back after a long break, the small grid is a quick way to find your rhythm.

An easy 6×6 sudoku with solution

Give it a try on your own first. Columns are labeled A to F and rows 1 to 6. The puzzle has 16 given digits and exactly one solution, which you can reach without guessing.

The example puzzle. It has exactly one solution.

1. Row 3: two gaps, one decision

Row 3 already has 1, 2, 6 and 5. That leaves 3 and 4, and the only open squares are B3 and D3. D3 sits in the box from D3 to F4, which already has a 4 in F4. So the 3 goes in D3 and the 4 goes in B3.

The box from D3 to F4 already has its 4, so D3 can only be a 3.

2. A box fills up, then a row

With the 4 in B3, the box from A3 to C4 is almost full: it holds 1, 4, 2, 6 and 3. Only the 5 is missing, and A4 is the only open square. Now row 4 has 5, 6, 3, 2 and 4, so the last open square, D4, gets the 1.

The box from A3 to C4 is only missing a 5. After that, row 4 is only missing a 1.

3. Where can the 1 go in column C?

Now flip the question. Column C has 6, 2 and 3, with C2, C5 and C6 still open. Where does the 1 go? Row 5 already has its 1 in E5, and row 6 has one in B6. That rules out C5 and C6, so the 1 has to go in C2.

In column C, the 1 has only one place left: C2.

Keep asking the same questions and you’ll finish the puzzle. A good place to look next is row 2, which is now down to just two missing digits.

The solution. Pink digits are the ones you filled in.

Tips for getting started

Start where the grid is fullest. Rows, columns or boxes with only one or two gaps go quickly. In the example, that was row 3.
Switch between two questions. For a square: which digit is still missing here? For a row, column or box: where can this digit still go?
Use the shape of the boxes. A box is only two rows tall. If a digit already sits in one of those two rows, it has to go in the other row of the box, which leaves at most three squares.
Take notes only when you need them. On a 6×6 grid, no square has more than six possible digits, so your notes stay short. Pencil in the candidates and cross them off as soon as you fill in a digit in the same row, column or box.
Don’t guess. A well-made sudoku has exactly one solution you can reach without guessing. When you’re stuck, go back through every row, every column and every box.

6×6 sudoku in a murder mystery

In Sudocrime, every chapter comes with a sudoku. The practice case has a 4×4 puzzle. In “Silence at Lindenrain”, each of the six chapters has a 6×6 sudoku with boxes of 2 × 3 squares, just like the example above. Every solved sudoku adds a letter to the code word and a snapshot to your evidence wall. Then you place the suspects on a floor plan of 5×5 or 6×6 squares, using a related rule: exactly one person per row and column. See how that turns into a case in How a murder sudoku works. You can play both cases online in your browser, with nothing to install.

There’s no time pressure: you can solve the sudoku later and keep going with the chapter. The hint works in three steps. It shows you where to look, then explains the next step, and only at the end enters the correct number. Ready for more? Explore other kinds of puzzles in Sudoku variants, or pick up techniques for harder grids in our sudoku tips.

Frequently asked questions

Are there 6×6 sudoku puzzles with solutions?

Yes. This page has an easy 6×6 sudoku with its full solution and the first three solving steps. In Sudocrime, every chapter of “Silence at Lindenrain” comes with a 6×6 sudoku, and if you get stuck, the hint shows you the next step.

Is 6×6 sudoku good for beginners?

Yes. The grid has only 36 squares and six digits, so it’s easy to keep track of everything. The rule is the same as in a 9×9 sudoku, and so are the solving steps: which digit is still missing from this square, and where can a digit still go in this row, column or box? What you practice on a 6×6 grid carries straight over to the bigger one.

How many 6×6 sudoku grids are there?

There are 28,200,960 different completed 6×6 sudoku grids with boxes of 2 × 3 squares. A computer can count every one of them. For the classic 9×9 sudoku, the number is about 6.67 sextillion, as Bertram Felgenhauer and Frazer Jarvis calculated in 2005.