Summary
- Puzzle games are not only mentally stimulating but also provide relaxation and stress reduction, making them a wonderful experience.
- Co-op puzzle games like It Takes Two can strengthen relationships as players learn to communicate and work together as a team.
- Puzzle games come in various genres and are available on multiple platforms, offering a wide selection for players to choose from.
Puzzle games are a genre of video games that not only help keep minds sharp but also can be remarkably relaxing and help reduce stress and anxiety. Whether they are games focused on problem-solving and critical thinking skills like Portal 2 and Tetris or designed for peaceful stress reduction, a well-crafted puzzle game can be a wonderful experience. Playing co-operatively with another person can also help build relationships as people learn to communicate better and work together as a team.
Puzzle games have been around since the creation of gaming and are often incorporated into almost every game and genre in some way or another; even The Legend of Zelda games are known for having puzzles for players to solve. Though this makes it a broad category, many games are focused on the puzzles themselves, including those shown here in this list. These are just a few of the best puzzle games that are easily available to play right now, although the catalog of puzzle games to choose from is growing daily.
10 It Takes Two
It Takes Two is a wonderful example of co-op puzzle gaming where players need to work together to solve various challenges despite the title being labeled as an action platformer. The game does not stick to the same format for each level but offers wildly different experiences, covering many different genres for each section that the characters have to cross. Throughout the entire game, the teamwork becomes a puzzle in itself as the players must work together constantly to progress. It Takes Two is currently available for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
9 Human Fall Flat
Human Fall Flat uses a physics-based mechanic in this hilarious slapstick-style puzzle game. It can be played solo, with friends, or even strangers online, and is available nearly everywhere, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. The puzzles in Human Fall Flat revolve around using the game's physics to manipulate objects in the world, whether stacking boxes or operating a wrecking ball and can lead to some laugh-out-loud moments.
8 Carto
Carto is a puzzle adventure game that gives players a chance to alter the world around them to find the solutions to each puzzle. As the player explores the world, they find pieces of paper that can add things to the map and even move them around to create new areas in a jigsaw puzzle-style fashion. Arranging these pieces can become a bit of a logic puzzle to figure out how the world should be laid out in order to progress the game. Carto is currently available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch.
7 The Witness
The Witness is a solo game that provides over 500 puzzles in its open-world format. The player's character doesn't know who they are or why they are alone on an island and goes out to search the island in search of clues. It is said that completing The Witness can take anywhere from 20 to 40 hours, and its puzzles range from simple to complex. Combined with a captivating storyline and beautiful art style, it is a wonderful experience for puzzle fans. The Witness is currently available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Android.
6 Station To Station
Though some puzzle games can become frustratingly challenging, Station to Station is a much more relaxed and peaceful experience. From its charming voxel graphics to its serene soundtrack, the game soothes anxieties so that even when failing a level, it doesn't feel like a failure. The puzzles are set up to gradually build on themselves as players connect railway stations together to get resources where they need to go, with several extra objectives to focus on along the way. Station to Station is currently only available on PC.
5 Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Playing as a dog with a magical paintbrush, Chicory: A Colorful Tale lets players solve puzzles through the use of color in an otherwise black-and-white world. It does explore some darker themes of mental health and perfectionism through this otherwise cute and cartoony game and is filled with satisfying puzzles that are unique. Using the paintbrush, there are secrets to uncover and areas to unlock, and the puzzles can revolve around using different types of colors or using the environment to work with the paint. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch.
4 Unpacking
Unpacking is a short and calming puzzle game that tells the story of one woman's life from childhood through adulthood by looking at her objects in each major move of her life. The puzzles are easy, with simply unpacking boxes and deciding which rooms and where things need to belong. The game will not progress until items are put away correctly, but they usually are not too difficult to figure out, and players can just relax and unwind with the experience. Unpacking is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
3 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
For a more adventurous take on cheerful puzzle games, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker combines the feeling of a Super Mario platformer with an engaging puzzle experience. It can be played solo or co-op with one other person and offers many levels of different puzzles to solve. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is available exclusively on Nintendo.
2 Tetris
Regarded by many to be one of the first major puzzle video games, Tetris is still incredibly popular among gamers and non-gamers alike. Several off-shoots of the simple game can be enjoyed, including Puyo Puyo Tetris, Tetris 99, and Tricky Towers. Otherwise, the original game can be found for free online or available on many different platforms.
1 Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person shooter take on the puzzle genre, with its portal gun mechanics allow connecting portals to be opened up wherever the gun is shot. Using these portals, players take on a myriad of puzzles to work their way through the story and discover how to get out of this scientific testing center run by robots. Like Tetris, Portal 2 is an exciting and unique puzzle game that is available on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Switch.