Star battle puzzles online
Star battle is the bigger sibling of the queens game: instead of one queen, you place two stars in every row, every column and every colored region, and no two stars may touch. It rewards careful counting, since regions, rows and columns all have to add up at once.
Play unlimited star battle puzzles free, on 8×8, 9×9 or 10×10 boards. If you are new to it, warm up with the queens game first.
What is Star Battle?
Star Battle is a grid puzzle divided into regions. You place stars so that every row, every column and every region contains exactly the same number of stars, and no two stars touch each other, not even diagonally. On MindedGames each puzzle uses two stars per row, column and region, which is the classic championship format. It became popular through puzzle competitions and magazines, and it is the bigger sibling of the queens puzzle, which uses one piece per region.
How to play here
Tap a cell once to cross it out and twice to place a star; tap again to clear it. Crossing out is just as important as placing stars, because most deductions are about where stars cannot go.
A step-by-step way to solve
- Start with small regions. A region of three or four cells that must hold two non-touching stars often has only one or two layouts.
- Two stars need space. In a region shaped like a 2×2 block, only one star fits, because the other would touch it. Use this to rule out cells.
- Count regions against rows. If three regions fit entirely inside three rows, those rows’ six stars all belong to those regions. Cross out every other cell in those rows.
- Cross out around every star. All eight neighbors can never hold a star.
- Check each line’s capacity. A row with only two possible cells left has both of them as stars.
Why play Star Battle?
Star Battle looks simple but rewards careful counting, and the region-counting trick is one of the most satisfying ideas in logic puzzles. Boards from 8×8 to 10×10 take anywhere from five to twenty minutes. For more region puzzles, try Shikaku and Hitori.
How to play Star Battle
- The grid is split into colored regions, as many regions as there are rows.
- Place exactly two stars in every row, every column and every region.
- Stars may never touch each other, not even diagonally.
- Tap once to cross a cell out, twice for a star, three times to clear it.
Star Battle tips
Small regions first
A region of three or four cells can only hold two stars in very few ways. Work out those ways and cross out the cells they all share neighbors with.
Count regions against rows
If three regions sit entirely inside three rows, those rows' six stars all belong to them. Every other cell in those rows can be crossed out.
Two stars need space
Two stars in a row of a small region can't be side by side. In a 2×2 block there is room for one star at most, which rules out many placements at once.
Frequently asked questions
How is star battle different from the queens game?
The rules are the same idea, but star battle places two stars in each row, column and region instead of one queen. That doubles the logic and makes bigger boards possible.
Can stars touch diagonally?
No. Stars can't touch at all, not even at a corner. Every star needs an empty ring of cells around it.
Does every puzzle have one solution?
Yes. Each board is generated and checked so that exactly one arrangement of stars works.
