Games to bend the brain... Sometimes, it's nice to sit down on a quiet day and figure out a puzzle. Crosswords, jumbles, and other word-based puzzle games have appeared in newspapers for dozens of years, and the evolution of that premise--the puzzle video game--has created the same sort of brain-teasing brilliance on our TV screens. Below are some of the best puzzle games available today: 22 games that challenge your critical-thinking skills in ways other games simply cannot manage. Some of these are newer games--including one indie darling that's recently taken the world by storm--while others have been around for quite a long time. Puzzle games offer some of the most engaging gameplay experiences in video games, and these 22 currently sit at the top of the puzzler pile. For the best of the best in other genres, check out our rundowns of the best RPGs, best open-world games, and best racing games currently available. Blue Prince Developer: Dogubomb Release Date: April 10, 2025 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC The most recent puzzle game on this list has become the apple of the entire gaming industry's eye since it launched in April. Blue Prince follows a teenage boy named Simon as he tries to find a hidden 46th room in a mansion with 45 rooms--but no two visits are the same. Simon must "draft" a room with different properties, items, and configurations in order to reach Room 46 and complete his task, but doing so is no small task … and for every question you answer along the way, two more are asked in its place. Oh, and when you do reach Room 46 and the credits roll, well, that's when the game actually begins. If you dig the game, be sure to check our some other great games like Blue Prince. See at Fanatical Fanatical and GameSpot are both owned by Fandom. The Outer Wilds Developer: Mobius Digital Release Date: May 28, 2019 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch The Outer Wilds is an intriguing experiment of a game, with time serving as the central conceit--how much can you explore in only 22 real-world minutes? The unnamed spacefarer starts in the same location during each run, and after 22 minutes--or if the spacefarer should die--the cycle repeats itself. In that limited time--and across multiple runs, you'll gather clues, make discoveries, and solve the mystery of the Nomai, an extinct race that built the space stations hovering overhead. The Outer Wilds is a truly unique experience, and one with a fascinating puzzle to solve at its core. See at Fanatical Return of the Obra Dinn Developer: Lucas Pope Release Date: October 18, 2018 Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch A merchant ship, lost at sea for five years, suddenly appears off the English coast, but with none of its crew aboard. As an investigator for the East India Company, it's your job to find out what happened to the crew and the Obra Dinn itself through the Memento Mortem, a pocketwatch-like item that can recreate the moment of someone's death. With it, you must solve the massive puzzle in front of you, while determining the interconnected fates of all 60 known crew members. Return of the Obra Dinn is a remarkable game, with a distinct low-resolution graphical style and a few "a ha!" moments that other games simply cannot replicate. See at Humble Store Tetris Effect Connected Developer: Enhance Games Release Date: November 10, 2020 Platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, VR Tetris's classic line-clearing gameplay has been delighting players for decades now, but there's something about the way Enhance's take on the puzzler with Tetris Effect completely enhances the experience, especially in VR. Ethereal wisps flying across the screen, lights pulsing to the beat of the incredible soundtrack, and flashes of brilliant light at key moments make Tetris Effect--and its expansion, Connected--one of the best ways to play Tetris available today. See at Amazon The Talos Principle 2 Developer: Croteam Release Date: November 2, 2023 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC In The Talos Principle, an android solves a series of puzzles and becomes the progenitor of a new robotic civilization, after the death of humanity from global warming. Talos Principle 2 continues that story, but adds on a layer of political intrigue and tension that drives you to solve the puzzles even more. Croteam has devised some of the most thought-provoking challenges on this list, and the reward for solving them is a story rooted in real-world issues despite being told through the eyes of robots. See at Fanatical Baba Is You Developer: Hempuli Release Date: March 13, 2019 Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC. Mobile Baba Is You is a puzzle game where you push blocks, but the blocks are words that represent certain actions. It's also a game that plays by its own rules--specifically, it allows you to change the rules as you progress, solving puzzles through the new rules you create. By shifting the words around the stage, you can fundamentally change how the world works around you, which creates some truly baffling challenges that stay with you long after you've completed them. This one has flown under the radar for most players, but those that have played Baba Is You cannot say enough about it. See at Humble Store Viewfinder Developer: Sad Owl Studio Release Date: July 18, 2023 Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC Imagine finding an old photo book and holding one of the photos inside to your eye level, only to find that the image has somehow superimposed itself on the real-world and you can walk into it to explore. That's Viewfinder at its core, and puzzles are solved by strategically placing photos in this manner all over the world to create paths and access teleporters that take you to the next stage. It's a novel approach to the puzzle genre, as each picture warps the world in cool and interesting ways that it's always surprising to see how things turn out. See at Fanatical Riven Remake Developer: Cyan, Inc. Release Date: June 25, 2024 Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC Remaking one of the best puzzle games in the world is no small task, but Cyan did an incredible job bringing Riven--the sequel to the massively influential PC puzzler Myst--into the modern age with the 2023 remake. Riven is a sprawling adventure in the mystical world of D'Ni, where an ancient race hides its secret behind massive, mind-bending puzzles. Nothing about what made Riven so magical in the first place--from the unique puzzles to the always-foreboding atmosphere--is lost in translation through Riven's modernization, and the result is the new best way to relive this absolute classic. See at Humble Store The Witness Developer: Thekla, Inc. Release Date: January 26, 2016 Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, iOS Speaking of Myst, The Witness plays a lot like the early-'90s classic--you're thrown into a mysterious island, filled with puzzles littering the entire landscape, and the more progress you make, the more you learn about the world around you. This is also one for the completionists; though it's not required to finish the game's story, there are 650 puzzles scattered around The Witness's world. See if you can solve them all. See at Fanatical Botany Manor Developer: Balloon Studios Release Date: April 9, 2024 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch Botany Manor might be the most "zen" game on this list, as its go-at-your-own-pace structure and relaxing vibes make it a great way to find some calm at the end of the day. The point-and-click game tasks you with growing magical flowers, called Forgotten Flora, and you must find clues on how to do so, as well as the items needed, scattered throughout the manor. Once you have the parameters for each plant, you must create the correct environment in the greenhouse, and then you'll have your Forgotten Flora. If you want to cozy up on the couch with a low-stakes game, Botany Manor fits the bill. See at Fanatical Portal 2 Developer: Valve Release Date: April 18, 2011 Platforms: Xbox One (backward-compatible), Nintendo Switch, PC The original Portal bent your mind into a pretzel with its first-person, physics-based, portal-powered puzzle solving fueled by the sarcastic and sadistic AI GlaDOS, all within a tidy package that could be wrapped up in a few hours. Portal 2 ups the ante with a much longer campaign, as it also adds lasers, tractor beams, colored paints with different properties, and a new AI named Wheatley with a devious side of his own. Portal 2 is simply a classic, and a game that everyone should try for themselves at least once. See at Steam Chants of Sennaar Developer: Rundisc Release Date: September 5, 2023 Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch A lot of the puzzle games we've seen so far use environmental aspects to challenge your mind, but none of them are centered around translating fictional languages, writing systems, and other word-based mechanics in order to more fully understand the world around them. Chants of Sennaar does this incredibly well, all while telling a tale about language barriers and their ability to separate the world around us. Chants of Sennaar was a big surprise hit when it launched in 2023, and you'll understand why the first time you boot up the game--no words required. See at Fanatical The Room Developer: Fireproof Games Release Date: September 12, 2012 Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile That The Room--which began as a mobile title over a decade ago--still ranks as one of the best puzzle games ever made should give you an idea of just how enjoyable it is. The presentation is as simple as it gets--it's a box with puzzles, and as you solve them, the larger box disappears and a smaller box is revealed--but the solutions are dastardly clever, and the accompanying letters add an interesting bit of world-building to the puzzle-solving experience. There have been many Room games released since 2012, but you never forget your first. See at Steam Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Developer: Simogo Release Date: May 16, 2024 Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is the kind of puzzle game where taking notes is paramount, as the game's 150 puzzles can be solved in any order you prefer, so if you have to backtrack, you'll want to remember what you've done. It's also the kind of puzzle game that will make you want to solve "one more puzzle" to learn more about what's going on in this weird house and who's behind it all. A puzzle game and an interesting mystery? Say no more. See at Steam Humanity Developer: Enhance Games Release Date: May 16, 2023 Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC A stream of humans are walking down a path, and you have to lead them to a specific destination. What better way to do this than with a cute little doggo made of light? You'll assign certain actions to humans in the mob as you progress, with strategically placed actions being essential to the overall goal of getting these people where they're going. Humanity hearkens back to the days of Lemmings in a fun and interesting way, and best of all, cute little doggo! See at Humble Store Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 Developer: Strange Scaffold Release Date: April 22, 2025 Platforms: PC "MATCH DNA BUBBLES IN AN UNDERGROUND LAB TO KEEP YOUR PSYCHIC CLONE FROM INVADING YOUR MIND AND TURNING YOU INTO A CANNIBAL." That's the game's official description on its Steam page, and frankly it sets the tone pretty well. Battling the many dinos and rednecks in the creepy mansion is done through a match-3 puzzle system, and the wacky enemies keep a smile on your face while you're doing it. The story is a commentary on video games as a whole too, which explains the "3" in the title--don't go looking for Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 or 2 … they don't actually exist. See at Steam Rise of the Golden Idol Developer: Color Gray Games Release Date: November 12, 2024 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile Rise of the Golden Idol couples stellar storytelling with a simple point-and-click system, where finding names, actions, and other important terms through investigation allows you to (literally) fill in the blanks on what's going down in the scene in front of you. The overarching story has a lot of interesting twists and turns, and you'll never actually know what's coming next, but that's part of the fun. Color Gray Games has a true hit on their hands with the Golden Idol series. See at Fanatical Puzzle Quest 2 Developer: Infinity Plus Two Release Date: June 22, 2010 Platforms: PC, Mobile, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS Puzzle Quest 2 frames a high fantasy story with elves, orcs, and magic within a match-3 format, and it was a big inspiration to similar games that followed--like the previously mentioned Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. Each colored gem holds a specific attribute when matched--red, for example, increases the chance of a critical hit on the next attack--and your abilities rely on the class you choose at the beginning of the game--Barbarian, Sorcerer, Assassin, and Templar. There have been sequels and spin-offs, but for the peak Puzzle Quest experience, Puzzle Quest 2 is the one to check out. See on Xbox Store Animal Well Developer: Billy Basso Release Date: May 9, 2024 Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch Animal Well is a pixelated and atmospheric puzzle game that sees you dive down into the depths of a dark and mysterious world. You'll need to solve a variety of puzzles, interact with the environment, and deal with dozens of different creatures to find a path forward and progress to a new level. As you move along, you can place candles on the ground to light up your surroundings so you can attempt to uncover some secrets or potentially a new item to aid you in your journey. Animal Well is completely nonlinear as well, so you can explore the game at your own pace and follow whichever path you want. See on Steam Antichamber Developer: Demruth Release Date: January 31, 2013 Platforms: PC Antichamber is an older puzzle game, but it's one that still holds up extremely well today. It's clearly inspired by the Portal series, but it's much different from those experiences. For starters, the graphics look like they were drawn onto your screen with a pencil, which takes some time to adjust to. Once you do, you have to somehow navigate your way through mind-bending halls that all connect in some shape or fashion. You'll also encounter a number of geometric objects that don't obey the laws of physics in any way. To deal with everything in your path, you're given a matter gun that can manipulate objects and space around you, and this tool is imperative to solving the numerous puzzles that emerge as you try and explore more of the areas Antichamber offers. See on Steam Lingo 2 Developer: Brenton Wildes Release Date: March 13, 2025 Platforms: PC Lingo 2 is an in-depth puzzle game that has a little something for every player. It features a wide array of different kinds of puzzles, ranging from word puzzles to geometry problems. The entire map in Lingo 2 unfolds as you explore it, and that only happens as you solve more puzzles that you come across. The game only features puzzles, so don't worry about any jump scares or tricky combat to interrupt your puzzle-solving flow. See on Steam Split Fiction Developer: Hazelight Studios Release Date: March 6, 2025 Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC When it comes to traditional puzzle games, Split Fiction doesn't fall as neatly into the genre as others on this list. However, there are a large number of puzzles to solve throughout this co-op action-adventure game that should satisfy any puzzle fan's craving. Split Fiction needs to be played with another person, and with your partner, you'll enter different levels brought to life by two authors, who are the characters you control in split-screen action. The game features action-packed combat, heart-warming storytelling, and plenty of puzzles featured in both the main story and side activities. If you have someone to play with, Split Fiction will surprise you even if you don't traditionally play these types of games. See on Best Buy