The very best puzzle video games for 2024

Threes! took the cellular gaming world by storm a few decade in the past — it was the unique “sliding numbers” puzzle recreation. As a result of the three-person improvement crew behind Threes! had the audacity to cost for his or her recreation, tons of lesser clones rapidly adopted. However Threes! is essentially the most satisfying expertise, and it is now a part of Apple Arcade.

As with most excellent cellular video games, the mechanism right here is very simple and really satisfying. You slide numbers throughout a four-by-four grid, making an attempt to mix a 1 and a couple of right into a 3, after which combining threes to make more and more bigger numbers. Every new quantity greets you with a goofy catchphrase, and the sport has a pleasant rating that by no means will get outdated. If you happen to by no means tried Threes! in its heyday, that is your excuse to get sucked in. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor

Mini Motorways and its predecessor Mini Metro are the sorts of video games that may be concurrently chill and intensely anxious. The nippiness comes from developer Dinosaur Polo Membership’s easy animations, brilliant however someway additionally muted coloration schemes and minimalistic music and sound results. The stress comes from the gameplay, which at all times finally ends up spiraling uncontrolled.

In Mini Motorways, you’re tasked with constructing roads to attach homes and companies and hold site visitors flowing. It begins off easy sufficient, with a pair homes and some completely different locations, however your metropolis retains getting bigger, there are extra automobiles on the highway and the format that was so efficient a couple of minutes earlier is all of a sudden strained. Mini Metro has the same vibe, as you construct subway traces and stations on a map vaguely resembling a number of the world’s largest cities.

Each video games finish when stations get too crowded, or automobiles aren’t in a position to get to and from their locations. The previous couple of minutes earlier than all of it comes crashing down is extremely anxious, as you attempt to reorganize streets or utterly change subway designs to maintain up with the inflow of passengers all in service of getting a better rating. However there’s an plain sense of calm that may occur when your subway line is simply buzzing alongside, or when everybody in your metropolis can get to the shop. There’s almost countless replay-ability right here, too. — N.I.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a third-person noir detective recreation set in a haunted lodge with inconceivable structure and a grotesque historical past. Its hallways are dense with logic-melting puzzles about magicians, mazes, astrology, filmmaking, mausoleums and physics, and it isn’t even clear why the protagonist is there within the first place. With artifacts from the 1800s, set items from the Nineteen Sixties and know-how out of the 2010s, it’s barely clear when she’s there. Lack of route is a key tenet of the sport, leading to a way of solitude that’s deliciously unsettling.

It’s additionally empowering. The lodge in Lorelei is a playground of secrets and techniques with no set path for gamers, and there’s a wealthy density of riddles and lore to untangle in each scene. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is horrific and emotionally highly effective, and its visible vibe is “David Lynch does Kentucky Route Zero.” The whole factor is deeply, endlessly satisfying as a puzzle-solving expertise. For lovers of riddles and psychological terror, this is among the finest video games of the era. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter

I’ve been taking part in Grindstone on and off since Apple Arcade launched in 2019. The puzzler does nearly every little thing proper, introducing you to the marauding viking-type Jorj who has to do battle with boards filled with cute however creepy enemies. Out of your place to begin, you possibly can hint a shower by way of the baddies, chopping by way of ones of the identical coloration multi functional transfer. Make a large enough combo, and also you get a grindstone — this allows you to swap to a different coloration of enemies in the identical chain, making it attainable to string collectively greater and extra advanced runs throughout the board. To beat a stage, you normally have to take down a sure variety of enemies, or beat a couple of of the upper hit-point baddies that spawn.

That’s the core mechanic, however developer Capybara Video games put a ton of selection into Grindstone. Enemies get extra aggressive the longer you’re on the board — so when you can rack up plenty of loot, you may also find yourself in a state of affairs you possibly can’t escape. There are world bosses that use the mechanics of the earlier ranges in intelligent methods, tons of things you possibly can unlock and use to even the chances and a handful of additional recreation modes that hold issues contemporary. To not point out ridiculous outfits you possibly can equip to present Jorj further powers, just like the Santa swimsuit that provides you random power-ups. If you happen to requested me the primary recreation you must obtain from Apple Arcade, I’d must advocate Grindstone. — N.I.

Cocoon is a near-perfect puzzle recreation wherein you play a bug and who has to leap between worlds to progress. It’s a laser-focused expertise that solely allows you to mess around with one or two mechanics at a time, and stretches every of its concepts to its pure conclusion. After fixing a few rudimentary riddles in its introductory phases, you’ll encounter an orb — these are the center (and the physique) of this recreation. You carry them in your beetle again, initially utilizing them as keys to open doorways and remedy puzzles, earlier than discovering that inside each orb is a brand new world of mysteries and challenges to beat.

Cocoon is the primary recreation from Geometric Interactive, a studio based in 2016 by Jeppe Carlsen and Jakob Schmid. Each are alums of Playdead, the Danish studio behind Limbo and Inside, for which Carlsen labored as lead gameplay designer — however Cocoon’s construction of layered, interconnected worlds showcases one other stage of maturity and artistry. It’s an expertise I can (and can) advocate to anybody that performs video video games, and lots who don’t. The seven hours or so I spent with Cocoon are among the many most memorable of this decade, and I’ll positively be returning to it in a few years, as soon as my mind has purged all the solutions to its puzzles. — Aaron Souppouris, Government Editor

The Talos Precept 2 reintroduces a post-apocalyptic world crammed with the puzzles and desires society left behind, and populates it with a race of machines who concurrently worship people and take into account themselves to be the pure evolution of the race. The sport provides an optimistic and immersive playground of puzzle fixing and philosophical inquiry, and it feels each grander and extra cohesive than the unique The Talos Precept (which can also be value taking part in). The primary recreation featured a lone robotic in an AI-powered testing floor; the sequel stars a complete society of sentient machines. It additionally has a number of laser-powered, logic-based spatial puzzles, after all.

The puzzles are devilish. They begin merely, prompting gamers to divert laser beams into portals of the identical coloration utilizing connector rods, jammers, blocks, stress pads and followers. As gamers progress by way of the puzzles, the sport introduces new instruments, like a drill that may create holes in some partitions and an inverter that reverses the laser coloration, including surprising complexity to the mechanics. Nothing beats that breakthrough feeling when the complete room all of a sudden is smart, the lasers align, and all the proper doorways slide open. The Talos Precept 2 effortlessly captures this sensation, repeatedly. — J.C.

I do know this isn’t a courting column, however I’d like to supply some relationship recommendation anyway: Discover somebody you possibly can play Escape Academy with. Escape Academy masterfully interprets essentially the most entertaining features of real-life escape rooms into online game type, providing dozens of intelligent puzzle phases on a pleasant platter. Enjoying with a associate, the puzzles obtain that particular type of collaborative rigidity that escape rooms are identified for — you realize, the sort that ends in bursts of frenzied yelling and livid encouragement at common intervals, even from the quietest of individuals. Escape Academy produces this exact response and that’s what makes it so magical.

Escape Academy was created by a crew of former escape room producers at Coin Crew Video games, and their experience exhibits in each stage. The sport got here out in 2022, however Coin Crew remains to be dropping new content material on the common. This will probably be a spotlight of your puzzle (and co-op!) recreation library. — J.C.

Animal Properly provides barely any steerage in any respect. You (as a squishy little meatball factor) emerge from a flower right into a cave with a big, ghostly squirrel on one facet. It is not clear which route to maneuver in, what the target is, what your character is or why you are there. All you are able to do is discover and attempt to determine all of it out.

It’s been described as a Metroidvania, and the principle recreation takes most people between 4 and 6 hours to complete. However Animal Properly is de facto extra of a puzzle platformer: If you realize what to do and learn how to do it, it’s attainable to beat the sport in a couple of minutes. That’s a part of Animal Properly’s allure and sweetness. Solo developer Billy Basso has weaved an intricate net of secrets and techniques, a lot of that are hidden within the shadows of the sport’s beautiful pixel artwork. — Kris Holt, Contributing Reporter

In Paper Path, the intention is to information protagonist Paige by way of mazy environments towards her purpose of attending faculty and turning into an astrophysicist. However there are a lot of obstacles in her means. Luckily, Paige can bend actuality. This implies gamers get to fold over the sides of the sport’s world, which has two planes — identical to a bit of paper — to open up new paths for Paige.

Paper Path builds on this central thought and the problem curve is honest however difficult. A pleasant trace system exhibits what folds to make, however not learn how to transfer Paige or any objects round. Though the controls could be finicky, even whereas taking part in it on cellular, it is maybe the puzzle recreation I’ve discovered the best to have interaction with recently. I take pleasure in contorting the world round Paige and lining up some patterns to unlock a path. It is the type of recreation that makes me really feel good and happy at any time when I determine an answer. — Ok.H.

How do you write a few recreation that’s finest skilled with out expectations? That’s the problem of claiming one thing significant about Tunic. You’ll be able to communicate to its influences — primarily The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening, with a touch of Soulslike fight — however that doesn’t do the sport justice. Worse but, it fails to seize its attraction. I might additionally point out its haunting soundtrack by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan or the austere great thing about its artwork model. However once more that’s not fairly what makes Tunic so particular.

I’m being purposefully obscure as a result of to say extra can be to rob the sport of its magic. So I’ll depart you with this: It’s becoming Tunic casts you as a cutesy fox as a result of the sport has a knack of creating you’re feeling so intelligent anytime you’re employed by way of one among its many mysteries. Do your self a favor and attempt to play this one with out turning to the web should you run right into a roadblock. On the opposite finish is among the most rewarding gaming experiences in latest reminiscence. — Igor Bonifacic, Contributing Reporter

Right here’s a easy and welcoming one. POOOOL is probably finest described as a Suika-like, should you’ve encountered that fruit-combining recreation on Swap, iOS or Android — however it has extremely candy sound results, supremely satisfying physics, and it’s set in a billiards corridor relatively than the produce part. In POOOOL, gamers fling a ball at a desk of different variously sized balls, hoping to smash the identical sorts collectively so that they develop into an even-bigger ball. The mixed balls pop after a sure measurement and the desk fills up with bouncing globes of various colours, and it’s enjoyable to see how every flip transforms the panorama. Additionally, the faces on the balls really feel somewhat bit like Threes!, which is cute. POOOOL is senseless in the absolute best means. — J.C.

Do you bear in mind that video of Soulja Boy discovering Braid in 2009, a couple of months after it hit Xbox Dwell Arcade (RIP)? Yeah, that’s how taking part in Braid, Anniversary Version feels.

Braid is a legendary indie recreation with a time-control mechanic that permits the participant, somewhat dude named Tim, to navigate platforming worlds in his crisp swimsuit, avoiding obstacles and surviving jumps by rewinding and pausing the motion. He’s trying to find the Princess, who’s been snatched by an evil knight — however as Tim defeats every stage, reminiscences shine mild on the reality of his relationship with the Princess, leading to a strong story of introspection and notion.

Braid, Anniversary Version retains every little thing that made the unique recreation so unbelievable and expands on these options. Its paintings has been repainted, pixel by pixel, and revamped with further animations and visible particulars. The Anniversary Version seems to be unbelievable, sounds nice and nonetheless feels magnificent to play, plus it consists of 15 hours of developer commentary from developer Jonathan Blow (who has one other recreation on this record, The Witness), artist David Hellman (who additionally has one other recreation on this record, Arranger) and others. — J.C.

Arranger is completely distinctive. You play as Jemma, who lives in a world that’s primarily an enormous interconnected grid. Whereas a lot of the inhabitants can transfer round as they please, Jemma is actually mounted in place; shifting her will transfer every little thing in entrance of and behind her like an enormous slide puzzle.

As you progress, you’ll use Jemma’s means to resolve puzzles and (hopefully) save the day. The gameplay is one thing like a Sokoban recreation — that traditional puzzle format the place you progress bins round a warehouse — however with every little thing interconnected, the foundations and patterns are completely different. Your pure intuition is likely to be to stroll in a straight line in direction of an object, however that received’t work: The item will transfer with you, so you want to transfer out of the row or column and discover a completely different technique to attain it.

Discovery and software is every little thing in Arranger. There’s nothing significantly thrilling about shifting in a circle to methodically drag a dagger down a hall, however it’s genuinely enthralling to determine that’s the important thing to advancing to the following space, and apply that to future puzzles as if it’s second nature. There’s not a ton of replayability, however it’s positively value setting apart six hours or so to play the entire recreation. — A.S.

The Witness is actually Jonathan Blow’s tackle Myst, and it’s an skilled show of puzzle design and immersive intrigue. You’re alone, on a small island, and method a terminal. On it’s a easy maze — you draw a yellow line from the doorway to the exit, after which, in first-person view, comply with the yellow line that’s generated in entrance of you to the following terminal. The sport takes this easy loop and iterates on it in more and more inventive and sophisticated methods, and it options over 600 extraordinarily taxing puzzles.

The ultimate puzzles in The Witness can take literal hours to finish. That is the puzzler’s puzzle recreation, and it holds up nicely almost a decade after its debut. — A.S.

Humanity can be grotesque if it weren’t so oddly charming. In Humanity, gamers are a Shiba Inu shepherding hordes of individuals throughout harmful platforming landscapes, coordinating their leaps and turns till they make it to the exit, which is at all times someplace extraordinarily inconvenient. The extra advanced ranges lead to streams of tiny individuals leaping throughout enormous gaps, falling off ledges, pooling in divots and even swimming by way of cubes of water, type of like a lethal, half-synchronized dance.

Humanity is likely to be the closest we get to understanding how canines actually view people — simply lots of pleasant flesh continually on the verge of deadly catastrophe, and at all times in want of safety. — J.C.

2016’s Poly Bridge was removed from the primary bridge-building simulator, however it rapidly stood out from the gang with forgiving-but-real-enough physics, a calming vibe and enjoyable challenges. Since that preliminary launch, there have been two extra, and Poly Bridge 3 is undoubtedly the perfect of the bunch. The sport has a extra sensible physics engine, with a stronger give attention to foundations than earlier entries. It additionally has essentially the most creative challenges the sequence has provided so far.

The official marketing campaign has somewhat over 100 ranges to play by way of, a few of which I am nonetheless caught on, however there are leaderboards to climb (judged by funds effectivity and power, after all), and new problem ranges posted each week.

If the third within the sequence is a bit an excessive amount of on your funds, Poly Bridge 2 is lower than half the value and nicely value a glance. It has the same variety of marketing campaign ranges and likewise incorporates the whole thing of the primary recreation’s puzzles (hidden behind the developer’s brand within the workshop, should you’re curious). — A.S.

Want a puzzle recreation that appears like meditation? Ouros is it — it’s about manipulating orbits and curves to hit a sequence of factors within the right order, full with soothing bell tones and a reactive, water-like background. Like most good puzzle video games, it begins easy and grows more and more advanced, with connections that require loops, whorls, twists and different types of inventive geometry. Chances are you’ll want to interrupt out a pocket book and pen right here.

Ouros is a perfect recreation to play after a taxing day, or as a sluggish technique to get up your mind within the morning. After fixing the Wordle, after all. — J.C.