The 22 Best Puzzle Games

The block-dropping and clearing puzzler that made everyone purchase a Game Boy back in the day has maintained a long-lasting legacy. That addictive puzzle game is Tetris, which has been remixed numerous times, splashed with flashy colors, and featured in crossovers with other puzzle gaming brands. The best take on the Tetris formula is...A BATTLE ROYALE? Yep, and it's Tetris 99. The concept of playing against 99 other players, clearing lines of blocks to send trash to other players' boards, and striving to remain the last person standing works like a charm within the confines of the Tetris formula.

We already mentioned how Tetris has been a part of some cool gaming crossovers. Sega's beans married those famous Tetris blocks to present the first-ever Puyo Puyo Tetris. Everything that worked in that debut crossover puzzler returned for the sequel, of course. But what makes Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 so much better is the emphasis on "Skill Battles" that made each character's skills impact the flow of the match, which gives off heavy RPG vibes. And along with all the traditional modes this game focuses on, the online co-op "Boss Raid" mode increases the fun factor of this game tenfold.

Picross is one of those old pastimes that's known for being captivating for players of any age. Picross 3D on the DS brought that style of puzzle play to plenty of players and that same audience got another serving of that goodness with this 3D sequel. Picross 3D: Round 2 features 300+ puzzles that challenge you to paint and break away blocks to unearth unique 3D objects and characters. The Nintendo-themed puzzles always stick out as our fave ones to tackle, plus the satisfaction that comes from blowing up a whole column/row is unmatched.

In 1993, Myst was released to tons of acclaim and made headlines as one of the most defining games for Windows and Mac PCs. As a mysterious being referred to as the "Stranger," players set out across different "Ages" during a mission that entails aiding an explorer named Atrus to create links between worlds. Going to "Myst Island" to get to the bottom of its most intricate mysteries and solve its demanding puzzles leads to an astonishing experience for first-timers. Myst in its past and current iterations is recognized by many as one of the best puzzle games ever made.

Myst inspired a ton of the elements attached to Croteam's The Talos Principle. This narrative-based puzzler is played from a first- & third-person perspective, drops you into a hub world spread out via gorgeous biomes, and a vast array of puzzles that implement all sorts of advanced technology. Laser beams, drones, cubes, and other elements come into play during some of the most mind-bending puzzles we've ever tried to solve. The Talos Principle's thought-proving plot and immersive gameplay mechanics make it a top candidate for the best puzzle games.

Fez may look like the cutest, most approachable puzzler on the surface. But the more you delve into it, the harder it becomes. It's great how this game messes with players' perception of 2D spaces included within a 3D world. Rotating between four 2D views to reveal new pathways and connect previously inaccessible platforms leads to some jaw-dropping reveals. Thank god for those instant respawns and lack of combat - Fez's ascending difficulty factor is fine just the way it is without having to worry about enemies and long load times.

Here's another shining example of the legacy of great games left in the wake of Myst. From a first-person perspective, players are entrusted with solving 500+ puzzles centered around devious line formations attached to grids. To open up new locations on a mysterious island to explore and figure out why you're on that island in the first place, you had to put your thinking cap on while tackling brainteasers that evolve. The huge revelations that come after successful puzzle solutions are more than reason enough to inspire players to earn total completion status in The Witness.

We have to mention the fact that The Witness and Braid have one huge connection - they owe their creation to the work of video game designer/programmer Jonathan Blow. In the case of this puzzle platformer, Xbox 360 players first flocked to Braid because of its painterly art style, deceptively simple side-scrolling hopping & bopping, and darker-than-expected lore. The usage of time-manipulation powers that are themed after each world you inhabit plays a huge part in the huge sense of discovery and "AHA!" moments Braid has in abundance.

The Swapper fully embraces the trippy makings of your average sci-fi experience and makes them enjoyable within the confines of a side-scrolling puzzle platformer. Wrapping one's head around the ability to create clones of the main character results in some incredible moments where those clones help you solve yet another enigma. The "Metroidvania" exploration structure also adds an extra element of enjoyment to this game centered on perusing through an abandoned research station.

Everyone knew The Orange Box's inclusion of Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 made it worth its weight in gold. But the biggest surprise to come from the release of that epic compilation was this one. Valve created another smash-hit franchise through Portal - the very first series entry gained a massive fan following thanks to its clever puzzle-solving gameplay centered around a portal gun. True innovation came into the picture as players made their way through the harrowing "Aperture Science Laboratories" by relying on two types of portals to maneuver themselves and objects through space.

And then came its sequel! Portal 2 gets all the props in the world for being one of the best puzzle games for several reasons. One of them is owed to the amazing co-op campaign, while another revolves around the clever implementation of paint-like gels that added another clever wrinkle to all the portal-puzzle solving. We'll always look back fondly on having to figure out the best ways to use our portals to use laser and tractor beams to our advantage. Plus we'll always love the return of that ever-so-loyal Weighted Companion Cube!

Physics-based puzzle games tend to get a whole room of gamers to laugh at the top of their lungs thanks to the wild outcomes derived from everyone's outlandish creations. World of Goo tackled that fun concept by allowing players to concoct structures with nothing but balls of goo. It always felt so good to create a surprisingly sturdy bridge and the tallest tower possible while competing against fellow goo builders for bragging rights. World of Goo will always stand out for being one of the biggest success stories of the Wii's digital WiiWare service.

The creep factor for this game is off the charts! And once you get sucked into its dark, brooding atmosphere, you'll get attached to all the madness surrounding its main predicament and have your mind blown by its thought-provoking ending. INSIDE provides harrowing platforming sections and a cool mechanic where the young boy you control is capable of taking over other bodies to complete assorted puzzles. The moody vibes and challenging puzzles contained within INSIDE are a winning combination.

Being loyal to one's longtime partner is crucial to maintaining one's sanity. In the case of Vincent, his acts of infidelity lead him down a path of despair where his dreams are nothing but constant nightmares. Catherine: Full Body presents the intriguing plotline from the original game while adding in a third love interest, even more endings, and the same compulsive yet demanding block-moving/climbing puzzle setups fans have played extensively. The inclusion of remixed versions of each puzzle stage and a competitive online battle mode makes this game an engrossing timesink for hardcore puzzle game aficionados.

The overall concepts of automation and chemical bonding are daunting enough. Just imagine how much more demanding those areas of interest are within the confines of a puzzle game. SpeceChem embraces that concept by tasking players with building factories to transform raw materials into chemical elements to meet production quotas. Coming up with game-winning designs for your employers starts simple enough, but quickly ratchets up to a level of difficulty that demands your undivided attention.

It's always fun to gather a few of your most intelligent friends who work well under pressure for a day centered around going to an escape room. Escape Simulator replicates the gratification that comes from solving escape rooms in video game form. This first-person puzzler lets you hop into each room on your own or with a friend to interact with furniture, locks, and other random objects to find a solution to your current predicament. Making your way out of the developer-made escape rooms and getting the inspiration to create your very own produce unlimited bouts of fun.

Molding the rules to your liking is the main focus of this trippy puzzler. Baba is You gets top billing as one of the best puzzle games thanks to the captivating ways in which it presents that theme to players. With Baba under your command, you'll find yourself getting fully locked into the act of creating three-word phrases consisting of a single object, one verb, and a sole property/object. The 200+ puzzle setups contained within this game do a great job of playing around with your knowledge as a wordsmith and asking you to manipulate locked-in rulesets.

You might be shocked to learn that Devil Dice moved a couple of million copies when it made its way to the PS1. We're not that surprised to learn that since we poured an ungodly amount of hours into the addictive gameplay loop and know plenty of other gamers that did the same. Standing atop your chosen dice piece and moving it around to create big die-clearing combo chains always manages to hold our interest. It's even more of a blast when four other players join the fun and get caught up in all the madness that occurs when a whole bunch of dice pieces get cleared out and lead to big damage for the opposition.

The visual palette of Anitchamber immediately sucks you in. And as soon as you wrap your head around its intricate impossible object geometry-based puzzles, you'll gain a huge appreciation for what it's trying to accomplish. We christen Antichamber as another one of the best puzzle games deserving of way more attention due to its highly immersive first-person gameplay, eye-popping art design, and puzzle rooms that subvert your expectations at every turn. And just like Portal, this game provides players with a useful tool that changes up your surroundings through the manipulation of matter.

Leading hundreds of humans as an oh-so-precious Shiba Inu dog sounds pretty crazy at first. But when you witness it in motion, it begins to make way more sense and convince you of how strong its gameplay is. Humanity is a mystifying experience that entrusts you with leading humans around and using them to reach the end goal of each stage via a suite of crucial maneuvers. Along with all that running, jumping, floating, and several other actions that aid you along the way during your puzzle-solving acts, Humanity also throws in more action-based situations in the form of intense boss fights and platforming challenges.

Lemmings is such a cherished staple of 90s gaming. After debuting on the Amiga line of personal PCs, it got ported to other consoles and eventually got quality expansions & remakes that magnified its legendary status. This puzzler is all about making sure those miniature green-haired creatures reach the exit of each stage in one piece. And to do that, players must assign different roles to certain "Lemmings" (such as climbers, bombers, and blockers) in order to make good use of the different stage elements you'll come across. Is it weird that we get some sort of satisfaction from watching our precious Lemmings perish in a variety of ways? Yeah, possibly...

The Bubble Bobble franchise first introduced gamers to the adorable dragon duo of Bub and Bob. Then they got the starring role once again during their tenure across the bubble-popping Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move series. The modern-day take on those games is thankfully alive and well in Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! The "Rainbow Islands" mark the return of Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab in a game full of unique bubble-clearing stage arrangments. Additional level gimmicks, a four-player co-op story mode, 2v2 battles, and a Space Invaders-themed crossover mode add so many great portions to the overall package of this cute puzzler.