How to play LinkedIn Patches

One new puzzle daily · Free in the LinkedIn app and at linkedin.com/games

Patches is LinkedIn's daily grid-division puzzle, in the family of the Japanese classic Shikaku: split the whole board into rectangular patches so that every numbered clue sits in a patch of exactly that many cells — with icon clues dictating whether a patch must be square, tall or wide.

Looking for today's Patches answer? LinkedIn Patches Hints Today → — spoiler-safe tiers, from a gentle nudge to the full solution. This guide covers the rules and the solving technique that cracks every board; see all eight games on the LinkedIn games hub.

Patches rules

Divide the entire grid into rectangular patches — every cell ends up in exactly one patch, with no gaps and no overlaps.
Each numbered cell anchors one patch, and the number is exactly how many cells that patch covers.
Every patch contains exactly one number.
The clue's icon sets the shape: a square icon needs a perfect square; a tall icon needs a rectangle taller than it is wide; a wide icon needs one wider than it is tall; flexible clues may be any rectangle.
There is one unique solution, reachable by logic alone — no guessing needed.

How to win at Patches — strategy

1Start at the corners and edges

A clue near the boundary has far fewer legal rectangles — often just one or two — because the wall cuts off its options. Those forced patches are the thread that unravels the rest of the board.

2Prime numbers are strips

A 5 or a 7 can only ever be a one-cell-wide strip, so its direction is often decided instantly by the space around it. Combined with a tall or wide icon, a prime clue usually has exactly one home.

3Square icons are the strongest clues

A square icon on a 4 means a 2×2, on a 9 a 3×3 — no other option. Place these early; they consume a lot of board and simplify everything they touch.

4Ask who can reach the lonely cell

When a far corner or awkward cell has no clue nearby, check which anchor could possibly stretch a rectangle to cover it. Frequently only one can — and that fixes a patch you couldn't otherwise decide.

LinkedIn Patches — common questions

What do the icons on Patches numbers mean?

They constrain the patch's shape: square icons need an exact square, tall icons a rectangle taller than wide, wide icons one wider than tall. A clue without a shape icon can be any rectangle of the right size.

Does every cell have to be used in Patches?

Yes — the board must be completely divided, every cell inside exactly one patch, and each patch holding exactly one numbered clue. A leftover cell means an earlier patch is wrong.

Is there a new Patches puzzle every day?

Yes, one daily board shared by all players, with streaks and time comparison like the rest of the LinkedIn games lineup.