What is Patches?
Patches (also known as Shikaku) is a classic Japanese logic puzzle where you fill a grid by drawing rectangles. Each cell contains a clue with a number and a shape type. Your goal: draw rectangles that match every clue's size and shape, covering every cell with no gaps and no overlaps.
The puzzle gained worldwide popularity after being featured on LinkedIn as a daily challenge. Patches Game takes the concept further with 8 grid sizes (4×4 to 12×12), 4 difficulty levels, and features no other Patches site offers.
What truly sets us apart is our proprietary puzzle generation engine. Every single puzzle on Patches Game is handcrafted by our custom algorithm — not randomly generated. Each board goes through a rigorous validation pipeline to guarantee it has exactly one unique, logically deducible solution. No guessing is ever required. This handcrafted approach ensures every puzzle delivers a satisfying, fair, and intellectually rewarding experience.
Check out the rules and strategies or start your daily challenge.
What Makes Patches Game Different?
Daily Puzzles for Every Grid Size
New puzzles published at midnight UTC for all 8 grid sizes — from beginner 4×4 to grandmaster 12×12. No other Patches site offers this breadth of daily content.
Speed Run Mode
Race through 5 puzzles back-to-back with your total time tracked. Choose any grid size and difficulty. Share your results and compete with friends.
4 Difficulty Levels
Choose Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert difficulty. Each level controls shape variety, rectangle complexity, and constraint tightness for a tuned challenge.
Leaderboards & Achievements
Compete for the fastest daily solve times on global leaderboards. Unlock 35 unique achievements across 5 categories with XP rewards.
Streak Tracking
Each grid size has its own daily streak. Solve the 6×6 daily every day? Your 6×6 streak grows independently — build a streak for every size!
Star Ratings & XP System
Earn 1-3 stars on every puzzle based on speed. Gain XP, level up through 10 ranks, and track your progress on your personal profile page.
Practice Mode
Turn off the pressure with Practice Mode — solve puzzles at your own pace without leaderboard tracking or timer anxiety.
Play on Any Device
Touch-optimized for phones and tablets. Works beautifully on desktop too. Dark and light themes for comfortable play day or night.
Completely Free — Forever
No paywalls, no subscriptions, no ads blocking your puzzles. Just pure puzzle fun — and it will always stay that way.
How Does Patches Work?
Patches is a rectangle-based logic puzzle similar to Sudoku in its logical deduction approach. You receive a grid where every cell contains a clue consisting of a number (the area of the rectangle you need to draw) and a shape icon (square, wide, tall, or any shape).
To solve the puzzle, you click and drag to draw rectangles on the grid. Each rectangle must:
- Contain exactly one clue
- Match the clue's size (number of cells)
- Match the clue's shape constraint (square, wide, tall, or any)
- Not overlap with any other rectangle
Our engine verifies each puzzle has exactly one unique solution, so pure logic is all you need — no guessing required. This handcrafted approach to puzzle generation is what makes Patches Game different from every other Shikaku site on the web.
