What is Hidato?
Hidato is a consecutive number logic puzzle. Some numbers are already placed on the grid, including the first and last number. Your job is to fill every missing number so that 1 connects to 2, 2 connects to 3, and the chain continues all the way to the final cell.
This free Hidato online game has grids from 5x5 to 10x10 at four levels: easy, medium, hard and expert. Each generated Hidato puzzle is checked for a single solution, which is the expected standard for a fair logic puzzle.
Hidato was invented by the Israeli mathematician Gyora Benedek, and the name comes from the Hebrew word hida, a riddle. The same puzzle is also published as Hidoku and Number Snake. Numbrix is the close relative in which consecutive numbers must share an edge, so diagonal steps are not allowed.
- Fill every empty cell with one number.
- Use every number from 1 to the grid total exactly once.
- Consecutive numbers must touch by an edge or a corner.
- Given clue numbers cannot be moved.
- A properly made Hidato puzzle should have one unique solution.
How to play Hidato online
The number to place next is shown under the board. Click or tap an empty cell to place it, and the game moves on to the following missing number. Click a number on the board to carry on from it, drag across cells to lay several numbers in a row, or type a number and press Enter to place it in the selected cell.
Use Check for feedback without revealing the whole answer. Hint shows the next logical step and explains it, Undo steps back through your moves, Solution reveals the complete Hidato path, and New puzzle creates another uniquely solved board for the selected size and difficulty.
- Start from the lowest fixed number and the highest fixed number.
- Trace possible paths between nearby clue numbers.
- Use corners and edges carefully because they have fewer neighbours.
- Watch for numbers that can only fit in one cell.
- If a route traps an empty cell, that route cannot be right.
Hidato rules
The main Hidato rule is adjacency. Consecutive values may touch horizontally, vertically or diagonally, so each number can connect to any of the eight neighbouring cells when those cells exist.
Unlike Sudoku, Hidato does not use row, column or box restrictions. The logic comes from the single continuous path of numbers and from the fixed clues that anchor parts of that path.
Have a puzzle from a book or newspaper that you can't finish? The Hidato solver fills it in and can show the next move. If you like path puzzles, Numberlink joins pairs of numbers with paths, and Snake hides one path behind row and column counts.
- Every cell belongs to the number path.
- No number can be repeated.
- No number from the sequence can be skipped.
- A clue is already correct and must stay fixed.
- The finished board forms one complete chain from 1 to the final number.
Hidato strategy tips
Strong Hidato strategy starts by looking between fixed clues. If 8 and 12 are both given, the cells for 9, 10 and 11 must form a short connected route from 8 to 12.
As difficulty rises, the puzzle asks you to combine several route segments. A number may look possible in three places until you notice that one option blocks another clue range.
- Count the gap between two fixed clues before drawing a route.
- Use the edge of the board to narrow possible neighbours.
- Place forced single-cell steps first.
- Check whether a candidate route leaves enough room for later numbers.
- Work from both ends of a clue gap instead of pushing in one direction only.
Hidato grid sizes and difficulty
A 5x5 Hidato puzzle is a friendly way to learn the rules because the route is short and clue gaps are easier to scan. The 6x6 grid gives a balanced challenge, while 7x7 Hidato puzzles create longer chains and more route planning. The 8x8, 9x9 and 10x10 grids are longer games with the same logic; a 10x10 runs from 1 to 100.
The four levels differ in the reasoning a puzzle needs, not only in how many numbers are shown. On Easy, every number can be placed because only one free cell touches its neighbour number. Medium adds counting: a number must stay within reach of the nearest given numbers below and above it. Hard adds following the possible routes through a gap. Expert adds a short what-if: try one of two cells and see that it cannot work.
- 5x5 Hidato is best for beginners.
- 6x6 Hidato is a comfortable everyday size.
- 7x7 to 10x10 Hidato is better when you want a longer logic challenge.
- The four levels change the reasoning a puzzle needs: neighbours, counting, routes, then a short what-if.
- The generator checks every puzzle for exactly one answer after removing clues.