When you think about video games, there’s always an element of mystery and puzzle-solving involved, isn’t it? You always have to get to the next level by doing something uncanny, solving a mysterious element in the gameplay, or crossing some bridge over a pond, filled with some monsters, and so on. Well, there’s a whole domain of games dedicated to this genre.
Puzzle games have been around forever. They’re the pioneers of gaming itself, coming at us from arcade times and even before that, when the very first physical games were put together. Remember those times, when games came in a box and you’d have to think about how to solve them? Because there were no cheats on the web? Because there was no web? Good times.
A Great Puzzle Game Has… What?
Nowadays, puzzle games are artistic, fast-paced, some would even say peculiar. In fact, a great puzzler comes with a handful of features that are universal, but surely personalisable based on the title you’ve chosen for the afternoon. First, a great puzzle game comes in levels. Once you beat a level, you move on to the next and cannot go back down to level 1, if you don’t die a lot.
Second, puzzle games are games of thought. You have to think and then act to the best of your abilities to beat the level, and then ultimately the game. The linear progression is only fun and possible if thinking is one of your strong suits. If not, you’ll be unhappy playing such games. Third, puzzle games are artistic, just simple, but somehow complicated, and just gorgeous!
Our Most Famous Puzzle Games
On Egaming.com we provide a ton of puzzle games, from the very classics, all the way to the more peculiar, hidden gems we could discover ourselves from our amazing providers. You’ll find a list of our most prized puzzlers below. Yet, do not stop at this! Look here for the entire spectrum of puzzle games you can find on our vast collection, and pick your favorites yourself!
Scribblenauts Unlimited - Prepare for a whole series of events and activities that are set to make you crave more and more. Scribblenauts Unlimited is the long-awaited commuting of the most famous, best-selling series, now ready to be enjoyed on your PC. If you're into puzzles, regardless of age and other interests, this game will surely be on your side, with mysteries and creative tests like no other title. Play Maxwell through the many levels, one more daunting than the last, and use your creative part of the mind to solve the puzzles and riddles. Gather objects and craft your own items to help yourself level up faster.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare - Welcome to a world in which plants battle zombies, and then some other, even more peculiar things happen. For example, you will be put to the test of creativity by solving many situations that are puzzling, and then come out the other way victorious. That's if you don't get eaten by a zombie, of course. This shooter at core is also an ideal candidate for a puzzle challenger, in which you don't shoot for terrorists, but for the most impossible plants or zombies, depending on which side you choose to be. Ready? Fire away!
Unravel - Entering the world of Unravel, there's no turning back. You just have to go through the whole thing, to see, with your bare eyes, how the story ends. This incredible game in terms of visuals and sounds tells the story of Yarny, a character that you'll be playing in your mind for years after finishing the game. Even if it's a game we're talking about here, you'll fall for Yarny in a heartbeat. With many puzzles to solve and levels to pass, the wonder and magic of Unravel are in its simplicity, mystery, and uniqueness. This is the creative game of the century.
Prison Architect - This simulator is a puzzler in itself because you need to piece together every single part of the prison puzzle in order to get it done right. It's all about planning, trying, failing and then trying again, before you can safely say that you've put together the perfect establishment. And when you think you did, deep down, that's when things fall off and go south, really fast! Prison Architect is the ultimate puzzle game in terms of atmosphere, general tone, and overall mission, in which you have to turn yourself into the ultimate prison creator.
Hello Neighbour - What's more of a puzzle than sneaking into someone's house, let's say your neighbour, without getting caught? This is what this peculiar game, "Hello Neighbour", is all about! It's about getting into the home of a stranger without getting caught, without ever having to say the magical words from the title of it. Released as an adventure title with puzzling elements, this game is all about planning, and yes, putting the pieces of the break-in puzzle together for the greater good. Suspense and horror elements were added for a completely unique experience.
Motorsport Manager - This is a game for sports fans, but managing a team of motorsport games is nothing more than piecing the parts of the racing puzzle together for the best possible outcome when racing days show up. Manage the motorsport team of dreams with your abilities as a great contractor, mechanic, man of your words and coach. Ask yourself what's the next piece in this puzzle that will make your team truly shine on the tracks and outside of them? A game about motorsports, finances, adrenaline, racing, and puzzles, Motorsport Manager is a unique, complete managerial experience.
Surviving Mars - Mankind has dreamed about going to Mars for generations. There's something about the Red Planet that screams things like hope, future, curiosity and new life. In "Surviving Mars", you're in control of the very first colony that turns Mars into a human-ready habitat. This is more than an adventure. This is a puzzle, and all of its parts are constantly moving depending on environments, needs, discoveries, struggles and issues. The fate of humanity colonizing Mars is now in your hands with this title, so it is up to you if this is a successful or a failed mission.
7 Days to Die - More than 10 million copies of this game were sold all over the world, which is a clear indication that there's something about it that makes it desirable. Is it the end-of-the-world adventure with zombies and the struggles that come with it? Is it the gore, the horrors, and the uncertainty of tomorrow? Or the restraint of having, well, just 7 days to live left? Or is it the overall puzzle element that binds the game together into something bigger than it seems at first? You've only got 7 days left to figure it all out. Better start right away!
Owlboy - Presented as an indie adventure, we simply couldn't miss this game as a puzzler. Sure, there are no actual puzzles to be solved, but the entire progression of the game looks and feels, and acts like the ultimate riddle. In this game of incredible visuals and sounds, you play the role of an owl boy, as the title suggests, who is reaching for the skies in an adventure that can either be enjoyed solo or with friends alone. A true masterpiece of graphics and features, Owlboy is about solving the demanding realms of friendship, while mastering the gift of flying.
Fly'N - Another game that's about flying and encapsulates elements of a puzzle is Fly'N. This title challenges your utmost abilities with 40+ levels of gameplay, set in a world of luxurious settlements, with pristine visual graphics and many incredible features. With the help of creatures named Buds, your mission is to pass through the levels, solve the riddles, and save the world from a bad hair dryer who's up for destroying everything in its path. Do not stop until everyone is safe, and all of the puzzles have been put together. Surely your enemy won't, so you shouldn't either.
Tricky Towers - Prepare to own and master your very own robe and book of spells, and then rule the world of building towers up high. This simulator puzzler is all about skill, as you develop your ingenuity and engineering traits to enhance the lives of your people with magic and smartness. Erecting your Tricky Towers is not easy, but tricky, as the name suggests. Yet, with stacking one brick over the other, one at the time, you will eventually lay your hands on some massive, impressive, precious structures the entire world will be talking about. Then it is all about blocking the spells of the enemies, and keeping them towers nice and standing!
Broken Age - With superstars like Elijah Wood, Masasa Moyo, or Jack Black playing the voices in it, this title is surely going to ring some bells, and make you feel like you're in a movie theatre. Broken Age is an adventure indie with puzzle elements in it, featuring a story that's all about two teenagers who, although separated, are united by destiny in the most mysterious ways possible. With elements like talking spoons, barfing trees, and many more, you will be immersed in a world of magic, action and adventure, as well as solving the puzzles that will keep you going!
How To Beat Most Puzzle Games
What’s the best way to beat a puzzle game? It depends on the title, obviously, but for the record, there are about 3 rules that apply to most puzzle games and that you can use to enrich your chances at winning the game. If you follow these rules, you will ultimately make a better sense of the game and beat it, one level after the next until the end credits that we all crave for.
Rule #1: Patience - This is the fundamental rule for when you’re playing a puzzle game. Patience is a virtue that few gamers can safely say they’ve managed to get a hang of. When you’re playing a game that relies on discovering secrets and putting pieces together to form a whole, and move to the next level, you will fail a lot. And when you do fail a lot, it’s easy to quit fast. Patience gives you one more chance after the last, and will keep you playing until you ultimately reach the solution of that puzzle you’ve been stuck on for days.
Rule #2: Observation - The most important thing you have to do in a puzzle game is to observe. A great sense of observation is crucial for those who’re into puzzlers, as they allow them to better understand the game. For example, if you’re in a maze and have to get out, you will surely need to be 100% on your best observation game in order to find the best trial and run out of it. If you can’t do the observation properly, you’ll simply spend hours, even days inside it.
Rule #3: Creativity - One of the most important elements of a puzzle game is the creativity behind it. With a racing game, for example, it takes very little control of the car to play the title. You just hit the gas or the break, steer, and then that’s it. With a puzzle game, where everything is about creativity, your sense of creativity also has to be on the money. Without your creative sense and mind activated fully, you will struggle to find the tiny details, so beautifully put, that will move you on to the next chapter, or level.
And, of course, fun! Remember to have a ton of fun while playing a puzzle game. It might be demanding, and even hard at times, but it’s still a game, and it’s meant to be enjoyed. If it gets too much, take a break. Ask a friend. Cheat! But keep it fun, as that’s its ultimate purpose.