How to Play Tapa
Shade cells to form a single connected wall. Clue numbers in white cells show the lengths of shaded blocks in the 8 surrounding cells.
Try it now — Easy 7x7 →The Rules
- Shade cells to form a single connected wall
- Clue cells remain white; their numbers describe consecutive groups of shaded cells in the 8 surrounding neighbours
- Multiple numbers (like "2 1") indicate separate groups of those sizes with at least one unshaded gap between them
- The shaded wall cannot contain any 2×2 block of shaded cells
Available in 3 sizes (5x5, 7x7, 10x10) and 3 difficulty levels (easy, normal, hard).
See It in Action
Shade cells to form one connected wall — clue numbers describe the shading pattern around the clue cell
How to Play
- For single large clues (like "7" with 8 neighbours), nearly all surrounding cells must be shaded
- For multi-number clues, count the minimum cells needed (sum of numbers + gaps) to constrain the arc position
- Ensure the wall is connected — isolated shaded islands are invalid
- Prevent 2×2 blocks by leaving at least one unshaded cell wherever three shaded cells form an L
Pro Tips
A single "8" clue has only one gap among 8 neighbours — figure out which one and the rest are fixed
Two "1"s in a clue means two separate shaded cells, each separated by at least one unshaded gap
The no-2×2 rule often forces a cell to stay white — look for three-shaded-cell corners as your guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tapa?
Tapa is a logic puzzle where you shade cells to create one connected group. Clue cells (which stay white) show the lengths of consecutive shaded blocks among their 8 neighbors. The shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square.
Choose Your Challenge
Start with easy to learn the rules, then progress to harder difficulties.