Privacy Policy
This policy explains what Sudoku Games (https://sudokugames.online) does with information when you play here. The short version: there is no account system, we do not ask for your name or email, and the only information that leaves your device is a leaderboard entry you choose to submit.
Who we are
Sudoku Games is an independently run website offering free Sudoku puzzles. You can reach us at contact@sudokugames.online about anything in this policy, including a request to remove data.
Information stored on your device
The game keeps a small amount of data in your browser's local storage. This never leaves your device and is not readable by us:
- Your current puzzle, so an unfinished game survives closing the tab.
- Your best score and fastest time for each difficulty level.
- Your light/dark theme preference.
- The nickname you last used for the leaderboard, so you do not retype it.
- Whether you have dismissed the cookie notice.
You can erase all of it at any time by clearing site data for this domain in your browser settings. Nothing breaks — the game simply starts fresh.
Information you send us
The only way information reaches our servers is if you choose to post a score to the leaderboard after finishing a puzzle. That submission contains:
- The nickname you typed. Pick anything; it does not need to identify you.
- Your score, solve time, difficulty, and the number of mistakes and hints used.
- The time of submission.
Leaderboard entries are deleted automatically when their board expires — a few days after the daily board closes, and a few days after the weekly one does. We do not keep an archive.
To prevent flooding, our server briefly counts submissions per IP address. That counter expires within 24 hours and is never stored alongside a leaderboard entry, so entries are not linked to an IP address.
If you want a nickname removed sooner, email contact@sudokugames.online with the nickname and rough time and we will remove it.
Server logs
This site is hosted on Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel processes standard request information — IP address, user agent, requested URL, timestamp — in order to serve pages and protect against abuse. See Vercel's privacy policy.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how many people visit, which pages they read and roughly where in the world they are. It is used in aggregate — to decide what to write next and what to fix — and we make no attempt to identify individual visitors.
Google Analytics sets cookies and processes information including your IP address (which Google truncates before storing), device and browser type, approximate location, the pages you view and how long you spend on them. It does not receive your nickname or any score you post. Google's description of how it handles this data is at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
You can opt out of Google Analytics on every site you visit by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, or by blocking cookies for this domain in your browser settings. The game works exactly the same either way.
If you are in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, analytics and advertising cookies are set to denied before you make a choice, and are only enabled if you consent.
Cookies and advertising
We use cookies and similar technologies for three purposes: remembering your game settings (as described above, via local storage rather than cookies), measuring traffic through Google Analytics, and showing advertising.
Advertising on this site is served by Google AdSense. The following applies to it:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
- You can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info/choices or the NAI opt-out page.
Google's own explanation of how it uses data from sites that use its services is at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
If you are in the EEA, UK or Switzerland
Where required, a consent dialog is shown before personalised advertising cookies are set, and you can decline. Declining does not restrict any part of the game — you will simply see non-personalised ads. You can change your choice at any time through the privacy controls offered by that dialog.
Our lawful basis for the essential parts of the site is legitimate interest in delivering a working website; for advertising cookies it is your consent.
If you are in California
We do not sell personal information as that term is defined by the CCPA/CPRA, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. You may exercise your rights to know about or delete information by emailing us at the address above.
Children
This site is suitable for all ages, but it is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has submitted a nickname that identifies them, email us and we will remove it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live you may have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of your personal information, and to object to processing or lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Because we hold almost nothing, most requests resolve immediately. Write to contact@sudokugames.online.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes materially, the date at the top will be updated. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the revised policy.
See also our terms of service and the contact page.