01
Clear the neighbours
Every star rules out the eight cells around it. Start with the smallest regions, where a single star clears the most room.
How to play
Star Battle
Three rules, one solution per puzzle, and no guessing. Here is everything you need to place your first twenty stars.
RULE 01
Two stars in every row and column
Look across any row, or down any column. You will find exactly two stars in each, and that holds for all ten.
RULE 02
Two stars in every region
The board is split into ten shapes. Each shape holds two stars too. When you finish one, it turns to night.
RULE 03
Stars never touch
A star blocks the eight cells around it, corners included. We mark those cells for you, so you can move on.
The numbers change with the grid
The 10×10 board above uses two stars per line. Smaller boards use one, and the biggest uses three. The rules stay the same: every row, column and region gets the same count, and stars never touch.
| Level | Grid | Stars per row, column and region | Stars on the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 5 × 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Intermediate | 8 × 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Advanced | 10 × 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Expert | 14 × 14 | 3 | 42 |
How the controls work
- Tap or click a cell to place a star. Tap it again to clear it.
- Mark cells you have ruled out with the Mark tool, a right-click or a long press. Drag to mark several at once.
- Auto-marks put dots around every star for you. You can turn them off under the rules on the game page.
- Hint highlights the next logical move and explains it. Press Show me to place it.
- Red means something has to change: two stars break a rule, or a region or line has no room left for its stars.
- Keyboard: arrow keys to move, S for star, X for mark, Backspace to erase, H for a hint.
Four moves to try
when you're stuck.
Work through them in order. Each one only uses what is already on the board. Read the full strategy guide.
02
Count what's left
If a row, column or region has as many open cells as stars it still needs, all of those cells are stars.
03
Lock the line
When a region's stars can only land in one line, every other cell in that line is out.
04
Find the shared block
If every possible spot for a region blocks the same cell, that cell is out, whichever spot turns out right.
Try a small one
first.
Five rows, one star per line. It's a gentle way to learn the rules before you move on to the full board.