The game
Fill the grid with rectangles
Patches is a logic puzzle based on Shikaku. You start with a grid and a set of numbered clues — each clue marks a cell that must become part of a rectangle of exactly that size.
Your goal: divide the entire grid into non-overlapping rectangles, one per clue, until every cell is covered.
6
4
2
4
How to play
Drag to draw rectangles
1
Find a clue — each colored tile shows a number (and a shape hint). That number is how many cells the rectangle must cover.
2
Drag to define the rectangle — click anywhere and drag to draw a rectangle around the clue. The clue tile must end up inside it.
3
Cover every cell — rectangles cannot overlap. Keep placing until the whole grid is filled. The puzzle solves automatically when you're done.
↩
Made a mistake? Tap any painted region to erase it, or use Undo. Hint reveals one correct cell if you're stuck.
Shape types
What the icon inside the tile means
Each clue tile shows a small icon indicating what shape its rectangle must be. Use this to narrow down the possibilities.
Square
Width = height
e.g. 2×2, 3×3
e.g. 2×2, 3×3
Tall
Height > width
e.g. 1×3, 2×4
e.g. 1×3, 2×4
Wide
Width > height
e.g. 3×1, 4×2
e.g. 3×1, 4×2
Free
Any proportion
square, tall or wide
square, tall or wide
Strategy
Tips for solving
Start with the most constrained clues. A clue with size 2 can only form a 1×2 or 2×1 rectangle — very few options. A clue with a square icon has even fewer valid positions.
Work from the corners and edges. Cells near corners can only be reached by rectangles in one or two orientations, which limits possibilities fast.
Elimination. Once you place a rectangle, the cells it covers are gone. Use that to rule out positions for neighbouring clues.
Try, then undo. Tap a region to erase it if it blocks something else. There's no penalty for experimenting.
Use Hint sparingly. Each hint reveals one correct cell. Save it for when you're completely stuck, not as a first resort.