Best Sudoku Apps for iPad in 2026

Every app on this page runs on iPad, so the choice comes down to three things: whether it turns sideways, whether it shows ads on that big screen, and what it does with the extra room. Sudoku Royale is a universal app that rotates on iPad, shows no ads and sells nothing. Brainium Sudoku is the strongest pick if you want a hardware keyboard and a left-handed landscape layout, and it shows ads unless you buy Remove Ads. Sudoku by MobilityWare+ is ad-free too, as part of an Apple Arcade subscription.

The App Store facts

The Devices column comes from each app's Compatibility section on the US App Store, so it tells you exactly where Apple says the app runs.

From each app's US App Store listing, checked October 26, 2026. Prices and paid items change, so check the listing before you buy.

What matters on an iPad

"Not stated" means the app's App Store listing does not claim it. The app may still do it; we only list what the developer puts in writing.

Landscape, portrait and how you hold it

On a phone, portrait is the natural way to play. On an iPad propped on a stand or a keyboard case, landscape often is. Sudoku Royale rotates on iPad and redraws the board for whichever way you hold it. On iPhone it stays in portrait, so if you want sideways play on a phone it is the wrong app.

Brainium's listing goes furthest here: portrait and landscape play, and in landscape a choice of right- or left-handed layout, which puts the number pad under your writing hand. nerByte Sudoku's listing also says it supports landscape and portrait, and adds Display Zoom support for larger controls. PeopleFun describes its board as "designed for smooth play on iPhone and iPad", and OAKEVER's Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games says it is "designed for both iPhone and iPad", but neither listing spells out landscape.

Keyboards and Mac

Of the apps here, only Brainium's listing says it works with an iPad keyboard. If you type numbers on a Magic Keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard, start there. Sudoku Royale does not claim keyboard play; on iPad you tap a cell and pick from a pop-up, arm a number first and tap the cells it goes in, or slide across the grid to select. The number-first versus cell-first guide explains which style suits a large screen.

On the App Store, Sudoku Royale, Good Sudoku and nerByte Sudoku list Mac compatibility. Brainium Sudoku, Sudoku.com, PeopleFun Sudoku and Sudoku by MobilityWare+ do not. For Sudoku Royale this is Apple's option to run iPad apps on Apple silicon Macs: it is the iPad app, not a separate Mac version, and Apple marks it as not verified for macOS.

Ads on a big screen

A full-screen ad on an iPad is a lot of ad. Brainium Sudoku, Sudoku.com and PeopleFun Sudoku all carry ads by default; their listings sell Remove Ads $11.99, Sudoku.com No Ads $14.99 and an optional ad-free subscription respectively. nerByte sells Sudoku No Ads $7.99. Sudoku by MobilityWare+ has no ads because it is an Apple Arcade game, so it is only free if you already pay for Arcade. Good Sudoku's listing sells Full Game Unlock $4.99 and does not say whether the free version shows ads. Sudoku Royale has no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscription; see the best sudoku apps with no ads for the wider field.

What Sudoku Royale does with the space

The board's digits scale with the cell, so on an iPad they are large without touching any settings. The rest of the app is the same as on iPhone: six levels from Easy to Extreme, a Daily Challenge with an archive, the 88-level Journey that teaches one technique per chapter, and Dojo drills. If two people in the room each have an iPad or iPhone, Play Nearby starts a local game over Bluetooth without internet. That is an optional extra; the app is built around solo play.

Where the other apps are the better pick

• You play with a keyboard, or left-handed in landscape. Brainium is the only listing here that claims both. Our Sudoku Royale vs Brainium page covers the rest of the trade-off.
• You want undo or auto pencil marks. Sudoku Royale has neither. Brainium's listing has an Auto-Fill Notes option.
• You already pay for Apple Arcade. Sudoku by MobilityWare+ costs you nothing extra and has no ads.
• You want a long track record. Sudoku Royale launched in 2026 and has 11 US ratings. Several apps here have hundreds of thousands.

Our pick

For a clean, ad-free board that fills an iPad in either orientation, get Sudoku Royale. If you mostly play on iPhone, the iPhone guide is more relevant, and every head-to-head is on the comparisons page.