Is Nurikabe free to play?

Yes — Nurikabe on ThinkyPlay is completely free, with no download and no sign-up.

What does a number in a cell mean?

It is the size of that island: a 3 means the island must contain exactly three connected white cells.

Can islands touch each other?

No — every pair of islands is separated by wall cells, and the whole wall must be one connected region.

Are all puzzles solvable?

Yes — every puzzle has exactly one solution, and the Hint button reveals one correct cell.

Which mistakes are highlighted in red while I play Nurikabe?

Red outlines an island region that has already outgrown its number and also flags any 2x2 all-black block. Two separate walls and under-sized islands are not highlighted, so you need to watch for those yourself.

How do the difficulty levels change the puzzle?

Easy uses a small 6x6 grid. Medium and Hard step up to bigger boards with more islands and tighter wall shapes, so the rule that every black cell must stay connected starts to bite much harder.

What is the Daily Nurikabe?

Each day every player receives the same Medium puzzle, giving the whole site one shared wall to race against the clock on the same date.

Home › Logic Games › Nurikabe › Daily

Play Today's Nurikabe Daily Puzzle

The same Nurikabe board for everyone, every day. Build one connected wall so each numbered island stays separate.

Logic 10–25 min Daily

How to Play Nurikabe

Modes: Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily

Nurikabe asks you to build a wall of black cells around numbered white islands.

Each number is an island: it must grow into a connected white region with exactly that many cells.

Tap a white cell to shade it black (wall); tap it again to restore it. Numbered cells are islands and always stay white.

All black cells must form one single connected wall, and the wall may never enclose a 2×2 block.

Rules

Each numbered island grows to exactly its number of connected white cells.

Islands never touch each other — the wall separates every pair.

All black cells are connected as one wall.

No 2×2 block of the wall is allowed.

Scoring

Solved	build the correct wall around every island
Time	fastest solve wins

History & Origins of Nurikabe

Nurikabe takes its name from a spirit in Japanese folklore: a ghost that appears as an invisible wall blocking a traveller’s path. Nikoli borrowed that image for a grid puzzle in the early 1990s, and the theme stuck, because solvers really do spend the whole game drawing a wall. It grew into one of the publisher’s signature island-and-wall designs.

Each number marks an island that must grow into a connected white region of exactly that many cells, and two islands may never touch. The black cells you shade are the wall, and the wall answers to two iron rules: every black cell must link to every other, and the wall is never allowed to form a solid 2x2 block.

Working outward from each island and inward from the wall at the same time is the secret, because the two halves of the puzzle confirm each other. A finished island forces the wall to wrap around it, and a healthy wall guarantees every island keeps its own space. ThinkyPlay eases you in on a small 6x6 grid before opening up to larger boards.

The folklore name suits the puzzle’s personality: the black mass really does behave like a maze the player raises around the numbered villages. Few puzzles make connectivity feel so physical, which is why Nurikabe has stayed a beloved fixture of Japanese logic collections for decades.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Shading four cells that meet at a corner into a solid 2x2 block, a shape the wall is never permitted to form.
Walling an island in so tightly that it cannot grow to its number, leaving a stranded white region that can never count as solved.
Painting black in two separate blobs and forgetting that the wall must stay one connected region reaching across the whole board.
Growing one island right into a neighbour so the two numbered regions merge, and their combined area no longer matches either clue.

Tips & Strategy

Start with island numbers 1 — they are single cells walled on all sides.

Shade cells that must be wall between islands, then grow each island to its size.

Watch for forced black cells around completed islands.

The wall must stay connected, so avoid cutting it into separate pieces.

Use the Hint button when stuck; it shades or clears one correct cell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nurikabe free to play?: Yes — Nurikabe on ThinkyPlay is completely free, with no download and no sign-up.
What does a number in a cell mean?: It is the size of that island: a 3 means the island must contain exactly three connected white cells.
Can islands touch each other?: No — every pair of islands is separated by wall cells, and the whole wall must be one connected region.
Are all puzzles solvable?: Yes — every puzzle has exactly one solution, and the Hint button reveals one correct cell.
Which mistakes are highlighted in red while I play Nurikabe?: Red outlines an island region that has already outgrown its number and also flags any 2x2 all-black block. Two separate walls and under-sized islands are not highlighted, so you need to watch for those yourself.
How do the difficulty levels change the puzzle?: Easy uses a small 6x6 grid. Medium and Hard step up to bigger boards with more islands and tighter wall shapes, so the rule that every black cell must stay connected starts to bite much harder.
What is the Daily Nurikabe?: Each day every player receives the same Medium puzzle, giving the whole site one shared wall to race against the clock on the same date.