# Sandwich Sudoku — by Cracking the Cryptic > Sudoku variant where row/column clues indicate sums between 1 and 9. (iPhone/iPad app by Nick Carney.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandwich-sudoku/id1476116705 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Nick Carney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434235673) - Category: Games, Board, Puzzle - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 4.90/5 from 128 App Store ratings · 58 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.0 · 62 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2019-08-19 - Data updated: 2026-08-31 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandwich-sudoku/id1476116705/reviews.md ## What is Sandwich Sudoku? ***** AUGUST UPDATE ***** 10 new puzzles, all 100 puzzles are out now! ------------------------------------- Presented by Cracking The Cryptic, YouTube's most popular Sudoku channel, here is the brand new "Sandwich Sudoku" game that has become an internet sensation! In Sandwich Sudoku, the puzzle is presented with extra numbers outside the grid next to each row and column. These numbers indicate the SUM of cells sandwiched between the 1 and the 9 in that row/column. The logic required to solve the puzzles will appeal to anyone who enjoys normal Sudoku and a bit of basic maths. Each puzzle here has been lovingly hand-crafted by Mark Goodliffe and Simon Anthony, the hosts of Cracking The Cryptic. They've even included their own hints on each puzzle to help if you get stuck. Mark and Simon have both represented the UK many times in the World Sudoku Championship. “I love it!” Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland Features: 100 hand-crafted levels Many themes to choose from Hints written by Mark and Simon! ## Key features - 100 hand-crafted levels - Sum clues between 1 and 9 - Hints from expert players - Multiple themes - Logic and basic math challenges ## What do users think of Sandwich Sudoku? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Excellent, handcrafted puzzles - 👍 Intuitive and functional tools - 👍 Great variety of difficulty - 👍 Satisfying gameplay experience - 👍 Clean and polished UI - 👍 Good value for money - 👍 Helpful hints and guidance - 👍 Supports multiple notation types **Cons** - 🐛 App freezes and loses progress - 🐛 Battery drains quickly - 🐛 UI can be confusing/tedious - 🐛 Hints are sometimes cryptic/unclear - 🐛 Puzzles not always unlocked in order - 🐛 Lack of puzzle sorting/difficulty indication - 🐛 Fixed list of puzzles, no new ones - 🐛 Non-unique puzzle solutions found - 🐛 Automatic deletion of 'possibles' is disliked - 🐛 Corner/center pencil marks behave the same **Commonly reported bugs** - App freezes and loses progress - Game progress not shared across devices - Forces single orientation on iPad - Update makes things frustrating (welcome message, hint messages) - Landscape mode UI resizing issues - Drains battery massively - Fixed list of puzzles, no new ones - Non-unique solutions found **Most requested features** - Bookmark latest puzzles - Separate corner and center pencil marks - Option to turn off automatic deletion of 'possibles' - Explanation for random numbers in circles - Sort puzzles by difficulty - Unlock puzzles in difficulty order - Sync progress across devices (iCloud/similar) - Dark mode - Resume last puzzle feature - Landscape mode for iPad - Apple Pencil support for writing in squares - Detailed step-by-step walkthroughs for hints - Add traditional Sudoku mode - Moveable hint/number guide windows - Reset puzzle records - In-app purchase for more puzzles - Time comparison to other players - Button to show options outside sandwich totals - Video tutorial for UI - Horizontal play on iPad with controls offset - More color schemes - Buttons divided between actions, modes, and objects ## Recent user reviews (10 of 58) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandwich-sudoku/id1476116705/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Good stuff… *2026-03-08* …but I wish I could bookmark my latest puzzle(s?). I’ve asked twice, and I see others have too — it’s a shame there has been no response. ### 1/5 — Non unique solutions *2026-03-07* I have found two puzzles with non unique solutions. I really hate this. I have ADHD and can get quite obsessive. Puzzles that don’t work are actually painful for me. It’s actually really irresponsible to release puzzles like this. ### 4/5 — I’m hooked! *2023-04-24* I’m spending way too much time on these, but having a blast! I wish the corner and center pencil marks were separate like they are on classic sudoku app. In this app, if you change one, the other changes too. Might as well not pretend they have different functions. ### 5/5 — Very good puzzles *2023-01-07* Bit late to this but I have only just discovered the Sandwich Sudoko variant so very happy to have found this app. Excellent puzzles however I dislike the way it automatically deletes my other “possibles” in the region/line etc when I place a definite number. It very often impacts on other decisions so prefer to review and erase myself, as with pencil and paper. Is there a way to turn this feature off? Also what do the random numbers in circles under the puzzle number on the menu page mean? Can’t find any explanation anywhere. Other than that I am really enjoying the puzzles and format. ### 1/5 — Not Worth It *2022-10-24, version 3* There’s a fixed list of puzzles that don’t seem to be in any particular order, so there’s no way to set up a difficulty or do new puzzles. The interface is completely inscrutable; just a bunch of unlabeled buttons with meaningless symbols. This is clearly a quickly hacked together Unity project meant to make a quick buck. ### 5/5 — Give us more puzzles!! *2022-07-05* The mechanics of this app are beyond fantastic. The puzzles range from rudimentary to challenging. The array of settings provided are plentiful to accommodate any sudoku solver’s needs. I hope they some day create a sequel to the Sandwich Sudoku app!!! I tried the chess sudoku and was let down in comparison. I find this style more rooted in deduction based reasoning and critical thinking when comparing the two. ### 3/5 — Too easy, little variety *2022-05-06* I really enjoy the Cracking the Cryptic YouTube channel, and I’ve enjoyed playing several of their apps on iPhone from the App Store too. However this app isn’t one of the better ones. There’s some basic problems such as the inability to sort the puzzles by difficulty, and the puzzles not being unlocked in difficulty order - meaning you need to play puzzles that are far easier than the last one you did, rather than progressing smoothly in difficulty - but the main issue is that the puzzles are all simply too easy and with little variety. Once you learn a couple of simple “tricks” they are simply repetitive. I enjoyed the miracle sudoku and killer sudoku apps more, I feel they had more variety and were more challenging also ### 3/5 — Tedious UI *2021-11-25* Great game and lots of awesome puzzles, but the UI is pretty painful to use. God forbid you forget which puzzle you were working on because each time you open the app it just brings you to the entire list and doesn’t highlight the ones you’ve started versus the ones you’ve completed. Kind of painful. ### 4/5 — Hints are sometimes more cryptic than the puzzles *2021-02-23* I have been enjoying this and other Sudoku apps by this maker. However, sometimes when I get stuck and look at the hints, the hint is not explained well. Can’t get past the hint let alone the puzzle unless I just accept the ultimate result of the hint (i.e. the stated hint result is to place a specific number in rXcY). I understand there are word space limitations, but I suggest improvements in the hints as this is a way of learning. Also, the game does NOT identify what level you are in after you initially select a level or when closing. So when you stop and want to come back to it, what level/game were you on? There is no indication such as “do you want to continue with...” or icon depicting a partially completed puzzles. Frustrating. ### 3/5 — Puzzles are great, but app freezes *2020-12-03* The app keeps freezing and losing my progress in a puzzle so I have to start it again! Otherwise the puzzles and hints are excellent, and the functions are very good (two types of notation, highlighting, etc). ## Frequently asked questions about Sandwich Sudoku ### What is Sandwich Sudoku? Sandwich Sudoku is a logic puzzle game where you solve Sudoku grids. The unique aspect is the inclusion of numbers outside the grid that indicate the sum of the cells located between the 1 and the 9 in that specific row or column. ### What are the key features of this app? The app offers 100 hand-crafted levels designed by Sudoku experts. It also includes hints written by the creators, Mark Goodliffe and Simon Anthony, and provides various themes to customize the game's appearance. ### How much does Sandwich Sudoku cost? Based on the provided information, this application is available for free. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or advertisements, suggesting a completely free experience. ### Who is this app designed for? This app is ideal for players who already enjoy standard Sudoku puzzles and are looking for a new challenge. It also appeals to those who appreciate logic-based games that incorporate basic mathematical calculations. ### What kind of logic is involved in solving these puzzles? Solving Sandwich Sudoku requires a combination of standard Sudoku logic and the ability to deduce the placement of the 1 and 9 based on the provided sum clues. This involves basic arithmetic and spatial reasoning. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3 — 2020-09-01 10 new puzzles, all 100 puzzles are out now! ### 2.7 — 2020-07-09 5 new puzzles new classic dark theme new option in the settings to manually copy save data between devices ### 2.6 — 2020-05-30 5 new puzzles Landscape support Dark mode theme ### 2.5 — 2020-04-22 5 new puzzles! Performance settings, choose between High Quality and Battery Saver in Gameplay Settings page 2 Increased number of level select icons per row ### 2.4 — 2020-03-28 5 new puzzles. Lowered frame-rate to reduce battery usage. ## Apps similar to Sandwich Sudoku | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Mathdoku Challenge!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathdoku-challenge/id1240671305) | 5.0 (13) | Free | Games | | [LogicSums](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/logicsums/id6741501245) | — | Free | Games | | [Calcudoku · Sudoku-like Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calcudoku-sudoku-like-puzzle/id1195710578) | 4.7 (1,524) | Free | Games | | [100s Logic Games - Sudokus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/100s-logic-games-sudokus/id1660755706) | 4.7 (23) | Free | Games | | [Kakuro Endless](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kakuro-endless/id1327617338) | 4.7 (416) | Free | Games | | [Number Sums: Math Puzzle Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-sums-math-puzzle-game/id6746759133) | — | Free | Games | ## More apps by Nick Carney - [Achromatic!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/achromatic/id1434235674) - [Classic Sudoku!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/classic-sudoku/id1488838275) - [Chess Sudoku](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-sudoku/id1500654482) - [Thermo Sudoku](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thermo-sudoku/id1513994223) - [Miracle Sudoku](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miracle-sudoku/id1527363795) All apps by Nick Carney: https://appshunter.io/developer/1434235673 ## Related topics [cracking the cryptic](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cracking-the-cryptic) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*