Printable Killer Sudoku
Killer Sudoku is one of the best puzzles to do on paper, because you will want to jot sums in the margins. Print a page, grab a pencil and keep a calculator well out of reach.
Tip: to save a PDF, choose Save as PDF as the printer. Every puzzle is new and has exactly one answer.
How the printed puzzles look
Each cage is drawn with a dotted line just inside the squares it covers, so you can still see the thick box lines underneath. The cage total sits in the top left corner of the cage. Starting numbers, when there are any, are printed in the middle of their square like in classic Sudoku.
Two puzzles a page is the size we suggest. It leaves room in each square to write small notes, which you will need for the bigger cages. Four a page works for Easy and Medium if you are happy with small writing.
The four levels
| Easy | Mostly cages of two and three squares, plus a few starting numbers. |
|---|---|
| Medium | Cages of two and three squares and no starting numbers. |
| Hard | Cages of up to four squares. You will use the rule of 45. |
| Expert | Cages of up to five squares, with more totals that can be made several ways. |
Before you start
- Learn the easy cages. A two square cage of 3 is always 1 and 2. A cage of 17 is always 8 and 9. Our Killer Sudoku combinations chart lists every option for two and three square cages, and it prints well too.
- Use the rule of 45. Every row, column and box adds up to 45. If the cages inside a box add up to 38 and one square is left over, that square is 7. The Killer Sudoku page explains it with an example.
- Write totals in the margin. When you work out what a group of squares must add up to, note it beside the grid. Paper makes this easier than a screen.
Prefer to play on screen? Play Killer Sudoku online with notes, hints and undo.
More to print
Printable Sudoku
Pages of puzzles from Easy to Extreme, with answers at the end.
Printable Sudoku for Kids
4 by 4 and 6 by 6 grids for young solvers.
Blank Sudoku Grid
Empty grids to copy a puzzle or make your own.
Questions people ask
How do I read a printed Killer Sudoku?
Each dotted shape is a cage. The small number in its top corner is the total of the numbers inside it. No number repeats inside a cage, and every row, column and box still holds 1 to 9 once.
Why are there so few numbers to start with?
In Killer Sudoku the cage totals do the job that starting numbers do in classic Sudoku. Our Easy level adds a handful of numbers to get you going. Medium has none at all, and Hard and Expert have only a few, often none.
Which level should I print first?
Start with Easy. Its cages are mostly two and three squares, which are quick to work out. Move to Medium once you can finish Easy without the answers.
Do the puzzles have one answer?
Yes. Every Killer puzzle is checked by a solver before it is printed, so it has exactly one solution and never needs a guess.