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Best puzzle video games of all time
The ten best puzzle video games to play in 2026, from Portal 2 and Outer Wilds to Baba Is You and Blue Prince, with platforms and who each one suits.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 9 min read
AI generatedThe best puzzle video games give you that rare moment when a problem that seemed impossible suddenly makes sense. The ten below are the best puzzle games of all time according to critics, awards and players, from physics-bending first-person puzzle games to deduction mysteries and a hypnotic take on Tetris.
We compared review scores, award winners and long-running player recommendations, and chose games that are still easy to buy and play today. We covered a range of styles and difficulty, and noted platforms so you can find the best puzzle games on PC, the best puzzle games on Switch and PS5, and the best mobile puzzle games in one list.
At a glance
#1 · Best for Everyone, solo or co-op
Portal 2
The gold standard of puzzle games
Valve's sequel hands you a portal gun and a series of test chambers that grow more inventive with every level. Sharp writing and memorable characters make the solo campaign as funny as it is clever. A separate co-op campaign for two players is one of the best in any game.
- Portal-based physics puzzles
- Separate two-player co-op campaign
- Funny, well-written story
- Community-made test chambers on PC
- Developer
- Valve
- Released
- 2011
- Platforms
- PC, Mac, Switch, PS3, Xbox 360
#2 · Best for Explorers and mystery lovers
Outer Wilds
A solar system full of mysteries
You explore a small, handcrafted solar system caught in a 22-minute time loop. There are no upgrades, only knowledge, so every discovery changes how you approach the next loop. It won Best Game at the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards, and the Echoes of the Eye expansion adds a new mystery.
- Time-loop exploration
- Knowledge-based progression
- BAFTA Best Game 2020
- Echoes of the Eye expansion
- Developer
- Mobius Digital
- Released
- 2019
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
#3 · Best for Patient, experienced solvers
The Witness
A beautiful island of line puzzles
Jonathan Blow's game places you on a colourful island covered in hundreds of line-drawing panels. Each area teaches a new rule without words, and the environment itself hides further secrets. It is calm to explore but can be very challenging.
- Hundreds of panel puzzles
- Wordless tutorials
- Hidden environmental puzzles
- Open island to explore
- Developer
- Thekla
- Released
- 2016
- Platforms
- PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, iOS
#4 · Best for Logic puzzle fans
Baba Is You
Rewrite the rules to win
In Baba Is You, the rules of each level are blocks of words on the screen, such as "Wall Is Stop" or "Baba Is You". By pushing those words around you change how the level works. The idea is simple to learn and leads to some of the most mind-bending puzzles in gaming.
- Rules you can rearrange
- Hundreds of levels
- Simple controls
- Level editor
- Developer
- Hempuli (Arvi Teikari)
- Released
- 2019
- Platforms
- PC, Mac, Switch, iOS, Android
#5 · Best for Detective fans
Return of the Obra Dinn
A deduction mystery at sea
As an insurance investigator, you board a merchant ship that has drifted back to port with no living crew. A magic pocket watch lets you witness the moment of each death, and you must work out who everyone was and how they died. Lucas Pope's one-bit art style is unforgettable.
- Deduction-based gameplay
- Distinctive one-bit graphics
- Rich, layered mystery
- IGF Grand Prize winner
- Developer
- Lucas Pope (3909)
- Released
- 2018
- Platforms
- PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
#6 · Best for Players who like deep secrets
Blue Prince
A manor that rebuilds itself
In Blue Prince you explore Mt. Holly, a manor whose rooms change every day. Each time you open a door you choose which room appears behind it, and you try to reach the mysterious Room 46. It mixes puzzles, strategy and mystery in an unusual way and was one of the most acclaimed puzzle games of 2025.
- Rooms you draft yourself
- Daily-changing floor plan
- Layered secrets
- Mix of puzzle and strategy
- Developer
- Dogubomb
- Released
- 2025
- Platforms
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2
#7 · Best for Relaxing play sessions
Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris as a sensory experience
This version of Tetris surrounds the classic falling blocks with music, particles and backgrounds that react to every move. The Journey mode travels through dozens of themed stages, and Connected adds co-op and competitive online play. It is easy to pick up and hard to put down.
- Music-reactive visuals
- Journey mode
- Online co-op and versus
- Zone mechanic that pauses falling pieces
- Developer
- Enhance, Resonair, Monstars
- Released
- 2020
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
#8 · Best for Fans of Portal and big ideas
The Talos Principle 2
Philosophy and puzzles in harmony
Croteam's sequel sends you, a robot, to explore a mysterious megastructure while debating questions about humanity and progress. Its puzzles use lasers, connectors and other tools across large, open areas. The Road to Elysium expansion adds further puzzles.
- Laser and connector puzzles
- Philosophical story
- Large, beautiful environments
- Road to Elysium expansion
- Developer
- Croteam
- Released
- 2023
- Platforms
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
#9 · Best for Mobile and casual players
Monument Valley
Impossible architecture on mobile
Guide the silent princess Ida through structures inspired by optical illusions, rotating and sliding pieces to connect paths. Each level is short and gorgeous. The game started a series that has continued with sequels and remains one of the best-known mobile puzzle games.
- Optical illusion puzzles
- Short, elegant levels
- Beautiful art and sound
- Part of a three-game series
- Developer
- ustwo games
- Released
- 2014
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, PC
#10 · Best for Short, mind-bending sessions
Superliminal
Perspective is everything
In Superliminal, an object's size depends on how you look at it: pick up a small item, line it up against the horizon and it becomes huge. The game uses this idea, along with other optical tricks, in a dreamlike story. It is short, surprising and accessible.
- Forced-perspective puzzles
- Dreamlike setting
- Short to finish
- Good for newcomers
- Developer
- Pillow Castle
- Released
- 2019
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
How to choose
If you are new to the genre, start with a game that teaches gently. Portal 2 and Monument Valley ease you in and are ideal puzzle games for beginners, while Tetris Effect: Connected and Monument Valley are also relaxing puzzle games you can play in short bursts. Portal 2 has one of the best co-op puzzle games campaigns ever made, so it suits couples and friends too.
Experienced players looking for the hardest puzzle games should try The Witness or Baba Is You, which build complex rules from simple ideas. Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn reward note-taking and deduction rather than quick reflexes, and The Talos Principle 2 and Superliminal are excellent games like Portal. Try to play these without guides: most of the joy comes from working things out yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best puzzle game of all time?
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Portal 2 is the game most often named, thanks to its clever portal puzzles, humour and co-op mode. Tetris, The Witness and Outer Wilds are also regularly ranked among the very best.
What are the hardest puzzle games?
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The Witness and Baba Is You are widely considered among the most challenging, especially in their optional late-game puzzles. Return of the Obra Dinn is also demanding because it relies on careful deduction.
What are good puzzle games on Nintendo Switch?
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Baba Is You, Return of the Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds, Tetris Effect: Connected and Portal 2 (in the Portal: Companion Collection) are all available on Switch. Blue Prince is listed for Switch 2 on its official site.
What games are like Portal?
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The Talos Principle 2 and Superliminal are the closest matches, with first-person puzzles built around a single clever idea. The Witness is another good choice for players who enjoyed Portal's environmental puzzles.
Is Outer Wilds a puzzle game?
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Yes, although it is also an exploration game. You investigate a solar system caught in a time loop, and progress comes from knowledge you gather rather than items or upgrades.
What are the best puzzle games on mobile?
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Monument Valley and Baba Is You are two of the best puzzle games on iOS and Android. The Witness is also available on iPhone and iPad.
Can I play Portal 2 with a friend?
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Yes. Portal 2 has a dedicated two-player co-op campaign with its own story and puzzles, playable online or in split-screen on supported platforms.
Portal 2 is our top pick because it is funny, fair and brilliantly designed, but every game here offers its own kind of eureka moment. Choose Outer Wilds for mystery, Baba Is You for pure logic, or Tetris Effect when you want to unwind, and keep a notebook nearby.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
Written by
Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
