Islands: play Nurikabe free online
Islands: shade the sea around the islands, each number gives the size of its island. The Japanese logic puzzle Nurikabe, online and free.
Play IslandsFree, zero ads, no sign-up, on mobile and desktop.
How to play
Shade cells: the sea must be all in one piece, with no 2 × 2 fully shaded square, and each island (block of white cells) holds a single number equal to its number of cells. Tap: shaded, then dot (island), then empty. One solution only.
Example
Each number becomes an island of its size: the 2 takes one more cell, the 3 two more. Everything else is sea: all in one piece, with no fully shaded 2 × 2 square.
A full Easy grid
A real Easy grid (5 × 5), as you play it, and its solution. Same rule as the example above, only bigger.
Tips to get better
- Start with the 1s: a one-cell island is surrounded by sea, shade its four neighbours.
- A cell between two numbers (side by side or diagonally) is shaded: two islands never touch.
- Look for 2 × 2 squares that are almost all shaded: the last cell must be island, so joined to a number big enough to reach it.
- A cell no number can reach (too far for its island's size) is always sea.
What this game trains
- Logical reasoning: deduce the solution from the rules, without guessing.
- Visuospatial perception: picture shapes, positions and paths.
Levels
Easy · Hard · Expert · Hardcore — each level has its own leaderboard.
Challenge your friends
At the end of a game, send your score as a link: your friend plays exactly the same game and you compare your times. There is also a daily challenge and tournaments.