10 puzzle games of all time: Challenging titles for testing your brain

The puzzle game genre is unbelievably vast, including everything from cozy mobile titles and daily brain teasers to dark puzzle-platformers and detective games. As a result, trying to narrow down the best of the bunch is no easy feat – but we’ve given it a shot.

Below, you’ll find the 10 best puzzle games to pick up and play today, including both legendary titles from the genre and newer indie gems that deserve more love. There’s a good mix of platforms on offer, including everything from VR to mobile.

10 best puzzle games of all time

The games in this list were picked based on the quality of their puzzles – how much challenge they present and how satisfying they feel to solve – along with their aesthetic appeal and overall user experience.

In some cases, the narrative appeal of the game has also been taken into account, but this doesn’t apply to every title listed – it’d be quite unfair to mark Peggle Deluxe on narrative, after all. The list below is in no particular order.

Baba Is You

Baba Is You is one of the best word puzzle games in the most literal sense of the term. The words in this game make up part of the puzzles, acting as movable blocks that change the rules of the puzzle at hand.

You can manipulate the level rules to unlock doors, move walls, and mitigate hazards, all by rearranging the colorful word blocks. It sounds simple enough, but this game gets surprisingly tricky at times.

This 2019 masterpiece is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch, and it’s a delight to play through. While it’s a great experience on any platform, it stands out in particular as being one of the best mobile puzzle games for folks who enjoy a challenge.

Despite being difficult in the later stages, it never feels unrewarding or cheap. Baba Is You was clearly made with love and attention to detail.

Portal

Portal is one of the best puzzle games on Steam, without question. It combines elements of adventure games and platforming with the puzzle format to make for a truly immersive experience.

This 2007 gem has a distinct sci-fi flair, putting the player through a number of challenges in the mysterious Aperture Science test facilities with a portal gun at their disposal.

It’s available on plenty of platforms – Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Switch – and is a must-play for anyone trying to uncover the best puzzle adventure games around.

The Case of the Golden Idol

The term “puzzle game” can mean sliding puzzles, match-3 titles, or mini mazes, but it can also refer to detective games that task the player with solving tricky crimes via puzzles and mini-games. The Case of the Golden Idol falls into the latter category.

The Case of the Golden Idol is weird, wacky, and wonderful. It was released in 2022 and built up a cult following thanks to its quirky style, immersive puzzles, and rewarding yet challenging gameplay.

It’s one of the best puzzle games for adults that still manages to feel whimsical and surreal in places. It’s available on Mac, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.

I Expect You to Die

Virtual reality sets and puzzle games are a match made in heaven, as demonstrated by the incredible 2016 release I Expect You to Die.

Available for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Meta Quest, this sci-fi escape room gauntlet places you in the shoes of a special agent with telekinetic powers. You’re tasked with saving the world from an evil corporation, all while making your way through increasingly trickier puzzle sequences.

It’s one of the best VR puzzle games around. If you pick it up and enjoy it, make sure to check out the rest of the series, too.

Peggle Deluxe

If you’re hunting for a puzzle game that has more of an arcade flavor, you need to pick up Peggle Deluxe. It’s a 2007 title that encapsulates the best bits about arcade puzzlers, and it’s available on Windows.

It’s simple at its core – aim a ball, shoot it, and clear the pegs. It gets frantically tricky at times, but the gameplay loop is incredibly moreish and it’ll keep you coming back for more. It gives the best puzzle video games a run for their money with its vibrant level designs and ramping difficulty.

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is the perfect pick for a puzzle fan who wants more of a narrative drive in their games. It’s an open-world mystery game that uses a time-loop format, keeping the player on their toes as they try to uncover why the world keeps ending.

This 2019 release is visually stunning, too, making it one of the best puzzle games on Xbox for folk who want their puzzles to be tied into a mysterious story.

The Talos Principle

Out of all the games in this list, The Talos Principle is one of the most well-known and celebrated. There’s a good reason for this – the 2014 title is a mesmerizing experience, and it’s had an undeniable impact on the world of puzzle games.

With heavy philosophical, sci-fi themes, The Talos Principle places you in the shoes of a robot, seemingly tasked with solving puzzles that get increasingly trickier. It’s a story-driven experience that’d be easy to spoil, so it’s worth picking it up for yourself if you like engaging puzzles and games that make you think about consciousness.

The Talos Principle is available on Windows, Linux, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, with PS4 and Switch players having the Deluxe Edition to pick up. The Deluxe Edition is one of the best puzzle games on Switch, especially in the sci-fi niche.

Is This Seat Taken?

Is This Seat Taken is a fresh spin on the standard logic puzzle format, putting you in the role of matchmaker and tasking you with making all of the funky little people on the screen happy. It’s simple yet utterly engaging, and it’s one of the best puzzle games on Android.

Alongside Android, this 2025 release is available on Nintendo Switch, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Portal 2

Not featuring Portal 2 in a list of legendary puzzlers would be a crime. Much like the first Portal, this game has had an unmistakable impact on its subgenre and it holds up exquisitely to this day, particularly when the discussion of the best co-op puzzle games comes up.

It’s got two separate campaigns – one for solo players, one for co-op – and they’re both well-written, with plenty of dark humor sprinkled in with the sci-fi themes. Much like the first game, it involves completing tests for the mysterious Aperture Science.

This 2011 masterpiece is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac, and Windows. It’s a best-in-class example of a puzzle-adventure hybrid and stands out as one of the best online puzzle games for friends to play together.

Limbo

For readers who prefer their games with a darker flair, Limbo is a must-play. This puzzle-platformer has the perfect blend of 2D side-scrolling action, physics-based puzzles, and just a scoop full of horror elements.

The 2010 title can be picked up for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

References

1. Tetris Helps My Stress and Anxiety Fall Away (WIRED)
2. Trauma, treatment and Tetris: video gaming increases hippocampal volume in male patients with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PMC)