Skyscrapers

How to play Skyscrapers

Imagine every number as a building. On a 5×5 board, height 1 is the shortest building and height 5 is the tallest. Fill each row and each column with the heights 1 through 5 exactly once. The numbers around the outside describe the skyline seen from that edge. A taller building hides every shorter building behind it.

For example, looking across 2, 1, 4, 3, 5, you can see 2, then 4, then 5. The clue is therefore 3. Looking back from the other side, the height-5 tower blocks everything, so the opposite clue is 1. Tap any clue on the board to inspect that exact street in the 3D sightline display.

Why the 3D view helps

The number grid is fastest once the rules feel natural, but the skyline rule can be hard to picture at first. The 3D City switch folds the flat board into a perspective scene, then raises every entered number into a tower. Rotate between North, East, South and West, then choose one street: visible towers become green and numbered in viewing order, while towers blocked behind a taller one fade back. The 3D scene is display only; return to the grid to place or edit towers.

Skyscrapers strategy

Start with clues of 1 and N

A clue of 1 puts the tallest tower directly beside that clue. A clue equal to the board size forces a complete ascending street: 1, 2, 3, and so on. These are the strongest openings and usually create useful placements in crossing streets.

Use opposite clues together

A street is constrained from both ends. If a row must show four buildings from the left but only two from the right, the tallest buildings cannot sit just anywhere. Candidate notes are especially useful for combining this visibility information with the no-repeat row and column rule.

Trust contradictions, not the hidden answer

The board never compares an entry with a secret solution while you play. Red feedback appears only when the visible rules have already become impossible: a repeated height, or a sightline for which no remaining ordering can match its clue. You still make every deduction yourself.

Difficulty and grid sizes

4×4 Easy is the best introduction. Larger boards add more possible orderings, while Medium and Hard progressively remove starter towers. Expert begins with no towers and deliberately leaves several edge clues blank, so intersecting streets must do more of the work. All 192 included puzzles are pre-checked for one solution; hints reveal a single useful tower if you get stuck, and unfinished boards return after a refresh.

Beyond the presets, the Custom option builds cities of any size from 4×4 up to 20×20 on your own device, verified to a single solution before play begins - larger boards start with more towers placed to keep that guarantee. Every puzzle shows a short code under the board; save it or copy its link to rebuild that exact city later.

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of Skyscrapers?

Fill every row and column with each height from 1 to the grid size exactly once. A number outside the grid tells you how many towers are visible from that side, because taller towers hide shorter towers behind them.

Is Skyscrapers the same puzzle as Towers?

Yes. Skyscrapers, Towers and skyline puzzles are common names for the same type of Latin-square visibility puzzle.

How does the 3D city view work?

Switch to 3D City or tap any edge clue. Choose North, East, South or West and a street. Towers visible from that viewpoint turn green and receive an order number, while blocked towers fade back. The 3D scene is display only; tower entries stay in the 2D grid.

Do the puzzles have one solution?

Yes. Every included 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6 puzzle is checked offline by a solver and published only when its clues and given towers produce exactly one solution.

Is my unfinished puzzle saved?

Yes. Entries, candidate notes, revealed hints, elapsed time and the selected view are saved in this browser automatically, so a refresh does not discard the board.

Can I replay a specific puzzle or play bigger grids?

Yes. Every puzzle shows a short code under the board - enter it later to rebuild that exact city. The Custom option generates grids from 4×4 up to 20×20 on your device, each verified to a single solution.