How to play Dinodoku — the daily Sudoku-style logic puzzle (Queens & Star Battle)
Dinodoku is a free daily logic puzzle you play in your browser — a Sudoku-style brain teaser, no download, no sign-up. It runs on the same one-per-row, one-per-column, one-per-region rule that powers LinkedIn's Queens and the classic Star Battle, dressed up with friendly dinosaurs.
Your goal: place exactly one dino in every row, every column and every coloured region, so that no two dinos ever touch — not even diagonally. Every puzzle has a single solution you can reach by pure logic, so you never have to guess.
▶ Play Dinodoku🎯 The rules
- Exactly one dino per row.
- Exactly one dino per column.
- Exactly one dino per coloured region.
- No two dinos may touch — including diagonally.
- Every level has exactly one solution, always reachable by deduction.
👆 Controls
- Tap a cell to mark it with an ✕ — a spot you have ruled out.
- Double-tap a cell to place a dino.
- Swipe across several cells to mark them all with ✕ at once.
- Stuck? The hint button teaches the next logical step instead of just handing you the answer.
💡 Strategy tips
- Start with the smallest colour regions — fewer cells means fewer choices.
- When a row, column or region has only one open cell left, that cell must be a dino.
- Placing a dino rules out its whole row, column, region and all eight neighbours — mark those ✕ right away.
- If a colour can only fit along one line, no other colour can use that line — cross them out.
- You never need to guess. If you feel like guessing, there is a deduction you have missed.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Dinodoku free?
Yes. Dinodoku is completely free to play in your browser, with no download and no account required.
What is the difference between Queens and Star Battle?
They share the same core rule — one piece per row, column and region, with none touching, not even diagonally. Queens (popularised by LinkedIn) uses colour regions with exactly one piece per line; Star Battle is the classic black-and-white version that can ask for two or more stars per line. Dinodoku follows the one-per-line, colour-region style with a dinosaur skin.
Is Dinodoku like Sudoku?
If you enjoy Sudoku, you will feel right at home — Dinodoku is the same kind of pure-logic, no-luck deduction puzzle, and a relaxing daily brain teaser. The twist: instead of filling 1–9 into a grid, you place one dino per row, column and colour region, with none touching. Think of it as a Sudoku-style logic puzzle with colours and dinosaurs instead of numbers.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Dinodoku runs in any modern web browser. There is also a mobile app, but the web version needs no install.
Is there a new puzzle every day?
Yes — there is a Daily Challenge, plus a full ladder of hand-tuned levels that get gradually harder as you climb.
How do I solve a Dinodoku puzzle?
By logic alone. Use the rules to rule cells out with ✕ until each row, column and region has exactly one forced spot for its dino. If you get stuck, the in-game hint will teach you the next step.