Rules
Every cage is another constraint.
Place 1–9 once in each row, column, and 3×3 box. A cage’s digits must reach its small total, and the same digit cannot repeat inside a cage.
Free playable cage puzzle
Killer Sudoku online
Use cage totals and classic Sudoku logic together. This starter puzzle has one solution, no ordinary givens, and four single-cell cages to open the first deductions.
Cage calculator and solving guide
- Grid
- 9×9
- Cages
- 29
- Cost
- Free
Killer Sudoku toolkit
Find your next deduction
Find cage combinations
Enter a cage’s size and total. Digits cannot repeat; use rows, columns and boxes to narrow the results.
1 combination8 + 9Unordered digits. Check positions against the rest of the board.
2-cell cage combinations
Total 3: 1 + 2; Total 4: 1 + 3; Total 16: 7 + 9; Total 17: 8 + 9.
3-cell cage combinations
Total 6: 1 + 2 + 3; Total 7: 1 + 2 + 4; Total 23: 6 + 8 + 9; Total 24: 7 + 8 + 9.
4-cell cage combinations
Total 10: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4; Total 11: 1 + 2 + 3 + 5; Total 29: 5 + 7 + 8 + 9; Total 30: 6 + 7 + 8 + 9.
Try the 45 rule
Every row, column and box totals 45. If complete cages cover eight cells of one row and total 38, what goes in the last cell?
When can I subtract cage totals?
Use only cages lying wholly inside the unit and covering exactly its other cells. A cage crossing the boundary needs extra accounting. This is a teaching example, separate from the starter.
Enter a digit from 1–9.
First deductions on the playable starter above
Count rows from the top and columns from the left. These steps use the actual cage clues on this page.
1. Fill the single-cell cages
r2c3 = 2; r4c6 = 1; r8c4 = 4; r7c2 = 6. A one-cell cage fixes that cell immediately.
2. List the combinations for the 17 cage
r1c6 and r1c7 share total 17. The only non-repeating combination is 8 + 9. Those digits are candidates for each of the two cells until the row, column or box rules decide the order.
3. Keep the pair open until the order is forced
The total fixes the set 8 + 9, but not which cell gets which digit. Keep both notes in r1c6 and r1c7 until a row, column or box restriction removes one. A cage combination is a restriction, not permission to guess.
Check the completed starter answer
This reveals the final answer, not a step-by-step proof. Keep it closed while solving.
534678912672195348198342567859761423426853791713924856961537284287419635345286179
First move
Start with the tightest sums.
Single-cell cages are fixed. Then scan two-cell cages: 3 can only be 1+2, and 17 can only be 8+9. Cross-check those options against rows and boxes.
Controls
Tap, type, check, or print.
Select a square and use the number pad. Keyboard users can type 1–9, use arrow keys to move, and press Delete to erase. Check only flags current mistakes.