# Sudoku Master Edition — user reviews

> 376 indexed App Store user reviews of Sudoku Master Edition by Hoolatron Studios, rated 4.60/5 from 7,889 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku-master-edition/id1260190370/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sudoku-master-edition/id1260190370.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 6,192 · 4★ 1,108 · 3★ 295 · 2★ 110 · 1★ 184

## What do users think of Sudoku Master Edition?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Great app for sudoku
- 👍 Fun game
- 👍 Best design and master level is actually hard
- 👍 Intuitive controls
- 👍 Customizable
- 👍 Tried and true sudoku
- 👍 Relaxing and educational
- 👍 Excellent interface and easy to use
- 👍 Supports Apple Pencil
- 👍 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Lots of customization options
- 👍 Clean and simple design
- 👍 Challenging puzzles
- 👍 Great for both beginners and experts

**Cons**

- 🐛 App freezes and crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🐛 Handwriting recognition problems
- 🐛 Puzzle difficulties are inconsistent
- 🐛 Ads are disruptive and hard to close
- 🐛 Saved games disappear
- 🐛 Buggy after updates
- 🐛 Pencil input issues
- 🐛 Inability to enter wrong numbers

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes after completing puzzles
- Handwriting recognition issues with certain numbers
- Saved games disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using pencil input
- Inability to enter wrong numbers
- Bugs introduced with recent updates

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to import custom puzzles
- More themes and color options
- Improved undo/redo functionality
- Ability to differentiate user-entered numbers from pre-filled numbers
- Larger game board size
- Difficulty progression that feels more balanced
- Hint system that doesn't reveal full solutions
- Multiplayer or leaderboard features
- Ability to pause and resume games

## Newest reviews (16 of 376)

### 3/5 — great until recently

*2026-07-11, version 8.4.17*

I've had this game on my phone for nearly a decade if not longer and it has been a go-to staple when I need to destress and regulate a bit. 

Unfortunately it recently has started spamming me with ads in between games, and I could've swore I paid for this (or for no ads) at some point. Please remove ads and it would be great again. Also a personal preference, I would love more options of an all black background grid.

### 2/5 — Ads that fail to close

*2026-06-15, version 8.4.14*

Game is supported by ads which is whatever, but the ads are a video that runs a full minute and then it goes into one of those fake game ads and it doesn’t end unless you actually finish the game, and you’re not allowed to do more Sudoku until you complete at least one full cycle of these ads. Just to make it more “fun,” on a lot of the ads the X to close it just never appears, and you have to restart the whole cycle back at the beginning.

### 3/5 — Adds????!

*2026-05-12, version 8.4.12*

I have been playing this game for YEAARS.  I have completed over 4800 Sudoku boards since I started playing.  Now I have adds on my screen, out of the blue.  What the HECK????? I am
Not paying to have them removed.  I will simply delete the app and move on.  Thanks.

### 2/5 — Games are good, but fix your ads

*2025-09-13, version 8.4.8*

App can be borderline unusable as you turn sound off and the loudest ads start blaring out (even going through mute settings on the app). I can’t continue playing it unless this changes.

### 4/5 — Needs explanations for hints

*2025-05-16, version 8.4.8*

Great app with one omission: when you ask for a hint, it really needs to give the next solvable square and explain the rule,so you can learn.

### 3/5 — Lower ad removal price

*2025-03-12, version 8.4.8*

Literally title. $8 is outrageous. Id pay like $3 but cmon $8. Lower it and ill pay for it hoe$

### 2/5 — The Ads are Ridiculous

*2025-03-09, version 8.4.8*

This game has no business having this volume of ads, especially ones that make you play the game while you wait and have you exit out of the. exact. same. ad. just to get to the new game. Completely stupid.

### 3/5 — Almost perfect but the handwriting recognition ruins it.

*2025-01-23, version 8.4.7*

App is great if only the handwriting recognition using apple pencil was good. You write a 5 it recognizes a 7. You write a 4 it recognizes a 7. It leads to so many mistakes lowering your score for no fault of yours. Fix handwriting recognition and this would be easily the best sudoku game out there. 5 start if handwriting recognition is fixed.

### 2/5 — Too many ads

*2024-10-07, version 8.4.6*

Too many LONG ads!!

### 3/5 — Layout.

*2024-09-17, version 8.4.6*

I have found it very off putting with the numbers to select for the game positioned directly under the game.

### 3/5 — Good app, unsolvable puzzles?

*2024-08-18, version 8.4.6*

I find on the higher levels, I often get puzzles with no unique solution. This has been confirmed by running them through puzzle solvers after exhausting advanced techniques and spending lots of time. It kills my motivation to keep trying, because I’m never sure if it’s actually able to be solved without a guess.

### 5/5 — Best design and master level is actually hard

*2024-07-13, version 8.4.6*

Out of all the Sudoku apps I’ve tried, this app not only has the cleanest design and intuitive controls, but also the only Sudoku with a level above expert that is actually hard. Highly recommend especially for people that need a challenging Sudoku.

### 2/5 — Completed Rows Gone

*2024-06-25, version 8.4.6*

I used to love this app, but for whatever reason anytime I complete a row it doesn’t show that it’s been completed. I don’t wanna play with mistake mode, but in the old version, it would show you that you completed it correctly. I want that back.

### 4/5 — Great interface and easy to use

*2024-06-07, version 8.4.6*

I’ve been using this for sometime now and love it.

However a frustration is that the puzzles at the harder level are not classically “solve able” I.e. there are straight choices presented which you cannot use logic to solve. It is frustrating to get through a game to arrive at what can only be an arbitrary choice of one number of another.

### 3/5 — Puzzle difficulties are very weird

*2024-06-05, version 8.4.6*

A really great app, but the puzzles are not amazing. Moderate puzzles are typically solvable with basic methods and naked pairs with no issues. But the next difficulty up, Tough, are often not solvable without brute force or highly advanced methods OR they are just as easy as Moderate puzzles.  (I’ve checked several tough puzzles on sudoku-solutions.com, and they regularly require advanced techniques or super advanced techniques beyond XWing, Swordfish, Jellyfish, XYWing, and XYZWing). Occasionally they require no advanced techniques at all, not even notation. This makes the puzzles not very fun, and the difficulties are not reliable.

### 5/5 — Tried and true sudoku

*2024-04-29, version 8.4.5*

I love sudoku and have tried a bunch of apps before I settled on this one. I’ve been playing this app for years and while a couple of the newer tweaks have felt a bit unnecessary and have taken some getting used to, it’s still my favourite mobile game for unwinding and long train rides. I really appreciate the different levels too, as there is a significant difference between each (I have yet to complete a master level game!).

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Restore purchases not functional

*2026-03-21, version 8.4.12*

I have paid for this app to be ad free, and yet I am being subjected to awful ads, despite me “restoring purchases”

### 1/5 — Invasive ads

*2024-09-26, version 8.4.6*

Has phishing ads that will automatically open web browser.

### 1/5 — Much Better Before Ads

*2024-09-20, version 8.4.6*

This was my #1 sudoku app. I loved the customization, it was intuitive, easy to use, and the best part of it was that there were no ads. This app was always free and without ads. However as the years went on and this app became popular, they put on banner ads, which I could live with. It wasn’t that inconvenient. Now they have upped the amount of ads, to give you a full ad every time a game is started. The final nail in the coffin, to simply remove ads you pay $7.99! Kiss off. 

Once again an app that is so loved gets ruined by greedy developers.

### 1/5 — Bad ads killing this app

*2024-07-10, version 8.4.6*

Multiple ads recently have caused the app to freeze and not allow me to close the ads after they complete. App needs to be hard reset and then more ads play

### 1/5 — Unusable

*2024-04-04, version 8.4.4*

What did you do..after playing and completing a game..I get a blank page. For whatever reason the game does not fit my iPad Pro.

### 1/5 — Makes my phone superhot

*2024-03-29, version 8.4.3*

There's no reason for an app to be this large. I don't know why my phone gets so hot after a few minutes of Sudoku. My son says it's data mining.

### 1/5 — No funciona

*2024-03-14*

Ha dejado de funcionar. Habrá que borrarlo

### 1/5 — ads

*2024-03-06, version 8.4.2*

way too many ads, they don’t even close when you press X, it just shows you another pop up to close first.

### 1/5 — Advertisement

*2024-02-17*

Too many adv 
Cant wait

**Developer response:** Hi, we are offering an option to remove ads once and for all with a one time payment. We have bills to pay too :)

### 1/5 — Need darker lines

*2024-01-20, version 8.4.1*

It’s a good game, but sometimes it’s hard to determine where the smaller squares are. The lines for the cubes should be darker to better see where each block really is.

Had it, deleted it.  WAY too many add and long ones at that.  Playing a different version with less annoying ads.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Great game

*2026-07-15, version 8.4.17*

I love that I’m not forced to have harder and harder levels and I can pick which level of challenge or fun I want.

### 5/5 — A classic

*2026-07-10, version 8.4.17*

I purchased this app 7 years ago and it was absolutely worth it. It’s a great way to play the game, highly customizable, keeping the game fresh

### 5/5 — Ads are totally annoying

*2026-06-16, version 8.4.13*

I’ve been playing this game since it came out in 2017, and it WAS my favorite. I liked it enough to pay to remove the annoying ads years ago. It was a one time purchase, not a subscription. Now, I’m getting ads again. If you click on app support, it just opens the game without allowing you to tell the developer you have a problem. The cost to remove the ads has gone up to $7.99 and I shouldn’t have to pay it again.

The links didn’t work, but the developers responded to an email and restored my purchase. I planned to revise my review from one star to five, but I discovered my one star was ALREADY changed to five. That’s questionable.

I’m satisfied by their attention to my issue, and this game deserves a five review.

### 5/5 — Are you joking with these ads?

*2026-06-04, version 8.4.13*

Overnight this game has become unplayable because of ads that will not leave the screen and cannot be dismissed. You’ve gotta be joking.

### 5/5 — Now With Unwelcome Ads?

*2026-06-02, version 8.4.13*

Suddenly this app I paid for has ads. Not happy about this at all.
Developer quickly responded.  Just a bug. Back to loving this app!

### 5/5 — My Fave

*2025-07-19, version 8.4.8*

Updated: I figured out how to turn the music off… now I love it.

I really like this version of sudoku, but I can’t figure out how to turn the music off… I’m a silence kind of person!

### 5/5 — Exceptionnel !

*2025-06-21*

Il s’agit de loin de la meilleure application de ce genre avec tous les paramètres qu’un adepte des Sudoku est en droit d’attendre le tout sans publicité intrusive agaçante. Bravo !

### 5/5 — Great app

*2025-01-20, version 8.4.7*

Great app for sudoku

### 5/5 — Fun

*2024-11-23, version 8.4.7*

Fun

### 5/5 — Top tier sudoku app

*2024-10-14, version 8.4.6*

Highly recommend removing ads for the best experience. Great app, very customizable.

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*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 2026-08-25.*