Nonograms — also called Picross, Griddlers or Hanjie — is a picture logic puzzle where the numbers around the grid tell you how to colour in the cells to uncover a hidden image. This free online Nonograms game runs entirely in your browser with three grid sizes and live clue checking, so you can play Picross anywhere with no download.
The numbers beside each row and above each column list the lengths of the consecutive filled blocks in that line, in order, with at least one empty cell between blocks. By combining the clues from rows and columns you can deduce with pure logic exactly which squares must be filled and which must stay blank. Fill them all correctly and the picture appears.
Every puzzle is generated fresh, so you get an endless supply of new grids to solve without ever repeating one. Live clue checking turns each row and column green as you complete it, giving you instant feedback and helping you spot mistakes early. With three grid sizes and full touch support, this free online Nonograms game works beautifully on desktop and mobile alike — a calm, rewarding logic challenge you can play in the browser whenever you want to switch your brain on.
The puzzle was invented twice at almost the same moment: in 1987 Tokyo graphic designer Non Ishida won a window-art competition by switching skyscraper lights on and off to draw giant pictures, while puzzle author Tetsuya Nishio independently published number-grid picture puzzles in Japan. British puzzle collector James Dalgety coined the name nonogram in Ishida's honour, and Nintendo's Picross series carried the idea to a worldwide audience on the Game Boy in 1995.
Fill every cell that belongs to the hidden picture so all row and column clues are satisfied at once.
Choose 🟧 Fill or ✕ Mark mode with the buttons, then tap a cell. Fill mode paints or clears a block; Mark mode places or clears an ✕ on cells you have ruled out. A clue turns green when that whole line matches.
There is no timer or points — it is a pure solve-it puzzle. Easy is a 5×5 grid, Medium is 10×10 and Hard is 12×12. The round ends the moment every row and column clue is satisfied.
Start with the biggest numbers: a clue equal to the line length fills the whole line. Use ✕ marks to lock in cells you have proven empty — they stop you second-guessing and make the remaining free online Nonograms logic far easier to read.
Do you ever have to guess in Nonograms?
No — every grid here yields to pure deduction. If you feel stuck, re-scan lines where the clue runs plus their minimum gaps nearly fill the row: the overlap technique often proves several cells at once.
What do the numbers around the grid mean?
Each clue lists the lengths of the consecutive filled blocks in that row or column, in order, with at least one empty cell separating the blocks.
Is Nonograms the same as Picross?
Yes — Picross, Griddlers, Hanjie and Nonograms are different names for the same picture-logic puzzle, popularised in Japan in the late 1980s.
More classic games: Hanjie, Kakuro, Sudoku, Futoshiki, Minesweeper, and all 100 free games.