Best Sudoku App to Play With Friends: Live, Turn-Based or Daily

Only two sudoku apps we checked let you invite a friend into a game: Sudoku Royale and Sudoku Face Off. Sudoku Face Off is built for racing a friend to the finish. Sudoku Royale gives you more ways to play with the same people: a live Duel, a turn-based Clockwork game your friend can join from a web browser, a Daily Challenge leaderboard you can narrow to friends, and a weekly belt league. Brainium Sudoku and PeopleFun Sudoku let you compare scores with friends, and NYT Games has friend leaderboards, though its listing names other games for them, not Sudoku.

"Playing with friends" covers very different things. Some groups want to race each other at the same moment. Others live in different time zones and would rather solve the same puzzle whenever they like and see who did best. This page sorts the apps by which of those they support, using what each App Store listing says. If you mainly want live games against anyone, the multiplayer sudoku guide covers web sites and other formats too.

The App Store facts

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 each app lets you do with friends

Friends who are free at the same time

For a live game you need an app that can put two named people on one puzzle. Sudoku Face Off's listing describes exactly that: you and a friend race on the same board in real time, the first to finish wins, and a rematch is one tap away. It says it is made for "couples, families and friends" and has no "stranger ladders", so nobody outside your circle is involved.

In Sudoku Royale you can start a Duel against a friend. The two of you play one shared grid, and each correct number claims that cell, so it is a race for territory as much as for time. Games against friends are unrated, which keeps a lopsided evening from denting anyone's rating. If the group is bigger than two, Battle Royale takes 2 to 18 players on one board. And when everyone is in the same room, Play Nearby runs the game over Bluetooth with no internet, which is handy on a train or in a cabin.

Sudoku: Brain Puzzle Games also lists "multiplayer tournaments", but its listing describes competing with players around the world, not inviting someone you know, so it is a weaker fit for this need.

Friends on different schedules

Most friend groups never manage to be online together. The easier format is asynchronous: everyone gets the same challenge, plays it when they can, and the scores line up afterwards.

Sudoku Royale has two of these. The Daily Challenge is one puzzle a day, the same for everyone, with a leaderboard you can view for friends or the world, plus streaks and an archive of past days. The Belts league runs weekly: every solve earns shurikens that move you from White toward Black belt, and friends can play it together. Nobody has to schedule anything, and the league rewards steady play over one lucky fast time.

PeopleFun Sudoku scores each puzzle on speed, accuracy and completed rows, columns and blocks, and its listing says you can compare those scores and achievements with friends through Game Center. Brainium Sudoku lists "global and friend leader boards" and a scoring system that "makes it easy to compete with yourself or friends". Good Sudoku has global leaderboards on its three daily modes; its listing does not mention a friends-only view, but it does let you import a puzzle in Custom mode and share it with friends, so a group can all try the same grid. More on ranked results in sudoku apps with leaderboards.

NYT Games is the one many groups already have open for Wordle. Its listing says you can add friends and follow daily scores across Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and the Mini. Sudoku is not in that list, so do not count on comparing sudoku times there.

When a friend has no iPhone

This is the gap most friend games fall into. Sudoku Royale is an iPhone and iPad app with no Android version, so live games and the leaderboards need everyone on Apple devices. The exception is Clockwork, a turn-based game: you invite a friend, and they can play their turns in a web browser without installing anything. It suits a parent, a long-distance friend or anyone who just wants to try it before downloading. The facts table above shows which Apple devices each of the other apps lists; for Android, check each developer's site.

Where another app is the better pick

• You want a pure first-to-finish race. Sudoku Face Off rewards solving the whole grid faster. Royale's shared grid rewards claiming cells, which is a different game. Our Sudoku Royale vs Sudoku Face Off page goes through both.
• Your friends already play an established app. Brainium Sudoku and PeopleFun Sudoku have been around for years with large rating counts, so your friends may already be there. Both show ads unless you pay.
• You want undo while you play. Sudoku Royale has none; it rejects a wrong number the moment you place it. PeopleFun's listing includes undo.
• The group is mixed iPhone and Android. Apart from Clockwork in a browser, Sudoku Royale cannot bring Android friends in.

Our pick

For a group that wants several ways to play together, live when everyone is around and on their own time the rest of the week, Sudoku Royale covers the most ground for free, with no ads or purchases. It is also new: it launched in 2026 and has 11 US ratings, so your friends will not already be on it. Get Sudoku Royale, send a Clockwork invite to whoever is hardest to pin down, and see if the Daily Challenge sticks. For two people specifically, read the two-player sudoku apps page, and every matchup is on the comparisons page.