StarBoxed Cosmic Order
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Guide

How to Play

Place stars on the grid so every row, column, and coloured region contains exactly one star.

The four rules

  1. One star per row. Each horizontal row must contain exactly one star.
  2. One star per column. Each vertical column must contain exactly one star.
  3. One star per region. Each coloured region must contain exactly one star.
  4. No touching stars. Stars cannot touch horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Tap to place

Tap a cell to cycle through three states: empty, pencil mark, and star. Use pencil marks to note possible placements before committing.

Turn on mistake validation in Settings to block illegal placements as you play.

Illustrated example

In a 5×5 grid, coloured regions divide the board into zones. Each zone needs exactly one star, and no two stars may sit in adjacent cells — including diagonals. Training grows from 5×5 up to 8×8 as you build confidence.

Game modes

  • Daily Challenge — one new 5×5-8×8 puzzle each UTC day. Build your streak and submit your time to the global leaderboard.
  • Training — unlimited practice with your chosen 5×5-8×8 grid size and difficulty, including Extreme on every size.
  • Archive — replay past daily puzzles and improve on previous completions.
  • Numbered Puzzles — open shared grids or enter any puzzle number from 1 to 8,000.

Difficulty levels (Training)

Easy

Gentle patterns for a calm meditative flow.

Medium

Steady starfields. Clear logic, quiet focus.

Hard

Complex skies for seasoned observers.

Expert

Sparse openings. You’ll need to look ahead.

Extreme

The thinnest light. Top-tier cosmic challenge.

Streaks & scoring

The global leaderboard tracks your fastest daily completion time. Faster completions rank higher. Complete at least one daily challenge each UTC day to build your streak. Every five consecutive days earns a streak freeze (up to two stored).

FAQ

Does StarBoxed work offline?
Training, numbered puzzles, and archive replays work offline once the puzzle bank is installed. Daily leaderboard submission requires an internet connection and queues locally when needed.
How do leaderboards work?
Sign in to Game Center to appear on the global leaderboard. Only completed daily challenges count — training and archive runs do not submit scores.
How do hints work?
Watch a rewarded ad to receive a hint. Hints reveal either one impossible cell or one correct star placement.
What are numbered puzzles?
Each training-bank puzzle has a stable number from 1 to 8,000. Shared links open the exact same grid in StarBoxed so friends can compare solves.
Can I get reminders?
Enable daily reminders in Settings to get notified when a new daily puzzle is ready.
Is the app free?
Yes. StarBoxed is free to download and play, supported by banner and rewarded ads. There is no premium tier or ad-removal purchase.