Cubicles is a free daily logic puzzle of the kind known as Shikaku, or rectangles. The office floor is a grid, and some squares hold a number: the size of a team. Split the whole floor into rectangular rooms. Every room holds exactly one number, and the number says how many squares the room has. Nothing may be left over, and rooms never overlap. Every floor has exactly one answer. Monday is a floor of 5 by 5. Friday is 9 by 9.
No sign-up and nothing to install. It runs in your browser on a computer or a phone, and your progress is saved on your device.
- Drag to draw. Drag from one corner of a room to the opposite corner. A small counter shows the size while you drag. You can also tap two corners.
- Green fits, red does not. A room turns green when it holds one number and has that many squares. Otherwise it turns red, and the game tells you why.
- Tap to remove. Tap a room to take it away. A new room replaces any room it overlaps.
- Stuck? The lightbulb removes a room that is not part of the answer, or draws one room that is.
How to play Cubicles
- Start with the numbers that have only one possible room, such as a big number in a corner or a number squeezed between others.
- Drag across the squares to draw the room.
- Use the rooms you have drawn as walls. They leave fewer shapes for the numbers next to them.
- You win when every square of the floor is inside a green room.
What you see on the floor
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Number | The size of a team. Its room has exactly that many squares. |
| Green room | Fits: one number, and the right size. |
| Red room | Does not fit: no number, two numbers, or the wrong size. |
| Dashed outline | The room you are drawing, with its size. |
| Yellow square | The first corner, when you draw with two taps. |
| Squares in rooms | How much of the floor is covered. |
| Rooms that fit | Green rooms, next to the number of teams. |
Tips for splitting the floor
- List the shapes. A 6 can be 1 by 6, 2 by 3, 3 by 2 or 6 by 1. A 7 can only be a straight line.
- Look at the corners. A corner square belongs to exactly one room. Ask which number can reach it.
- Find the lonely squares. If only one number can reach a square, the room of that number must cover it.
- Big numbers first. Large rooms have few places where they fit.
- One number per room. A room can never swallow a second number, so other numbers act as walls.
How the week gets harder
| Day | Floor | Rooms | Largest room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5 by 5 | 5 to 7 | 6 squares |
| Tuesday | 6 by 6 | 7 to 12 | 8 squares |
| Wednesday | 7 by 7 | 8 to 16 | 9 squares |
| Thursday | 8 by 8 | 12 to 16 | 10 squares |
| Friday | 9 by 9 | 11 to 22 | 12 squares |
Saturday plays like a Wednesday and Sunday like a Tuesday. On every day the floor has exactly one answer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cubicles free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall.
Is this Shikaku?
Yes. It follows the rules of the classic Japanese puzzle Shikaku, also called rectangles: divide the grid into rectangles, one number in each, with the number as the area. Cubicles gives it an office floor and a new puzzle every day.
Do I ever have to guess?
No. Every floor has exactly one answer, checked by a program, and it can be found by ruling out the shapes that do not fit.
Can a room be a square?
Yes. A 4 can be 2 by 2, and a 9 can be 3 by 3. A room of one square exists too, when the number is 1.
How do I draw on a phone?
Put a finger on one corner of the room and drag to the opposite corner, or tap one corner and then the other. The page does not scroll while your finger is on the floor.
When does the new puzzle appear?
At midnight in your local time.
Can I play earlier puzzles?
Yes. Open the calendar button at the top of the game and pick any day from the past eight weeks.
Does it work with a mouse and a keyboard?
Yes. Drag with the mouse, or move with Tab and press Enter on two corners.
More to play on WiseChecker
- Browser Games: every WiseChecker game in one place.
- Clean Desk: remember the desk and find what is gone.
- No Blind Spots: place cameras so that no square is a blind spot.
- Cell Value: find the number behind every letter.
- File Pairs: turn over two cards and find the pairs.