29 Best PC Puzzle Games of All Time

There are a lot of people who love puzzle games. If you’re one of those gamers and you have a PC, check out these titles.

#29 Portal: Revolution

Platform: PC
Release Date: January 6, 2024
Steam

When it comes to a certain Valve franchise, the puzzles are truly the “fun part” that you can’t get enough of. After all, you only get your cake after you beat them all. Or, that’s what a certain computer person told us…

Anyway, Portal Revolution is a fan mod of the second title that gives a special prologue story for you to enjoy. But if you’re hoping that the puzzles are just as good, you’re in luck. They’ve brought in all sorts of new challenges, including ones that only work with one of the portal guns.

So, do you think you can take on this special challenge?

#28 The Talos Principle 2

Platform: PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One XSX|S
Release Date: November 09, 2023

Steam | PlayStation | Xbox

Nearly a decade after the release of The Talos Principle, developers Croteam brought out a sequel. This puzzle adventure game takes place years after the first installment. It’s hard to offer the premise of this game without spoiling the first installment. So, if you haven’t played the first game, you might want to skip ahead of this point. However, the game takes place after the first game, where we see the first android to be awakened, Athena. You’re stepping into another android who is slowly unraveling the mystery behind a world humanity left behind, and now androids take control. But a large part of this game is all about puzzles. You’ll continue getting harder puzzles, some stumping you for hours until it finally all comes together. If you enjoyed The Talos Principle, then you’re going to get very much the same type of game in its sequel. But will you be able to avoid making the same mistakes that humankind made, or will a new, more prosperous world come from the choices you make?

#27 We Were Here Expeditions: The Friendship

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: September 14, 2023

Steam | PlayStation | Xbox

If you’re familiar with this franchise, you know that things aren’t going to be as simple as they might want you to think.

We Were Here Expeditions: The Friendship is a co-op puzzle adventure game with horror elements where you and a partner will need to work together to work your way through a mysterious place that you’ve ended up in.

Your “boat ride” won’t go far if you can’t work as one and get through the puzzling challenges. So, how strong IS your friendship, and can you make it work for you in the long run? Either way, you’re about to find out!

#26 HUMANITY

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5
Release Date: May 16, 2023

Steam | Playstation

If you were told to lead humanity to safety, how do you think it would be handled? You’d expect it to be a fellow human guiding them to safety. But in Humanity, the hope of all now rests within a dog, a dog controlled by you. Furthermore, this dog has to instruct people what to do so they can overcome the puzzles and trials ahead.

The title isn’t just a puzzle game that requires precision. You’ll have to use the people following you to fight against bosses who want to stop the group in its tracks.

When you’re done with the game, you can put your creativity to the test by making your own puzzles and uploading them online!

#25 Human Fall Flat

Let’s start with a simple yet fun puzzle game that many have enjoyed. Human Fall Flat is a “light-hearted” puzzle game where you’ll create a clumsy character and then set them out into the world. You’ll have 22 levels to traverse, each with a unique environment and puzzles to solve.

The best part is that the puzzles can be solved on your own or with friends. So call up some buddies and watch as you hilariously try to solve everything in each level. The ragdoll style will throw you off at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have a blast.

Plus, you can make levels and puzzles to add to the title!

#24 Helltaker

If you’re in the mood for a more bite-size puzzle title, then Helltaker is for you. Of course, it’s also for you if you like the idea of flirting with demon girls. Just saying.

That is the plot of the story. You play a character lusting after demon girls and wants a harem of them. So he opens a portal to the underworld and must fight skeletons, solve puzzles, and woo the demon girls of his dreams. Does this sound insane to you? Good, because it is, and the game rolls with that.

The irony is that you can choose to skip the puzzles and focus on the demon girls.

#23 Baba Is You

In most games, the rules of the title are set, and they can’t be changed. However, Baba Is You is a game that loves turning that on its head with every level you enter.

The “rules” of each level are written onto blocks, and those blocks can be moved, swapped, manipulated, and so on to help you out. So get clever with how you manipulate the rules and see what outcomes emerge from it.

You can change objects, warp what they do when you touch them, or even rewrite the level’s purpose! The possibilities are nearly endless, so see what you can come up with.

#22 A Way Out

A Way Out is a clever twist on puzzle gameplay by putting you in a real-world scenario and asking you to get out of it. What’s the scenario? You’re in prison!

You play as either Leo or Vincent, with the other character being controlled by your co-op partner. The two of you are determined to break out of the prison you’re in, and you must work together. Figure out the best ways out of the prison, then work to make your escape.

Once you break out, you’ll have to survive out there too. Can you trust each other long enough to make your escape?

#21 Teardown

After getting into debt, you decide that the best way to get out is by taking on heist jobs from shady people. Of course, to get in and out safely you’ll need to plan the operation from start to finish perfectly.

Or you can plan on the fly and see if you make it out alive. It’s your call in Teardown. The joy of this game comes from the fully destructible environments you’re in. You can make a quick and easy plan to get in and out, or you can call an audible to try and bring the building down with you!

Do the campaign mode to test your skills and the sandbox mode to have a blast in!

#20 Besiege

How good are you at building things? More accurately, how good are you at building things to serve a purpose? Regardless of your answer, Besiege is a game that’ll task you with making things to do a specific purpose. That purpose is to bring down fortresses, castles, and other constructions.

What will you need to make to take them out? Weapons of war! You’ll have complete freedom to build a weapon that will crush the walls and show your ingenuity. You can build something basic like a catapult or take to the skies and make a flying machine to rain terror from above!

If you can think it up? You can likely build it here.

#19 Unravel Series

The Unravel Series is two titles that blend a beautifully rendered world with a clever puzzle aesthetic. In the titles, you’ll play as beings made of yarn. They travel out into the world and must use the yarn that comprises them to solve puzzles and complete challenges.

By that, we mean that you can use your yarn to lower yourself down to a position or pull something to get somewhere else. But your body has a limit on how far it can stretch. So use what you have, and see if it’s enough. In the sequel, you can team up with a friend to help you out!

#18 The Wolf Among Us

Telltale Games does a great job of fusing story, puzzles, and characters into an experience that people remember long after they play it.

The Wolf Among Us is one of many titles they have done over the years. It’s based on the DC Comics line, Fables, and you play the Big Bad Wolf. But don’t worry, Bigby is a good character. In fact, he’s the sheriff of Fabletown!

When a murder sets off a chain of events, it’s up to Bigby to solve them and figure out who’s responsible. But, a dangerous journey awaits him, and you’ll need to “unleash the wolf” at times to save the day.

#17 Stray

If you’re looking to play a puzzle game featuring a cat, then we have a game for you! Stray was the title that took the video game world by storm, especially with streamers. It even got nominated for Game of the Year by some.

The title features you as a cat who is separated from its feline family and flung into a world where robots have replaced humans. You’ll wonder this mish-mash of a world and attempt to get back to your family.

Wander around and solve puzzles to help yourself and the robot population. Did we mention you press a button to meow all the time? Because the game has that.

#16 Return of the Obra Dinn

Are you up for a mystery? If so, check out Return of the Obra Dinn, an indie puzzle and mystery title that impressed many when it came out.

The premise of the game is as follows. A ship in 1802 called the Obra Dinn didn’t arrive at its destination with its cargo and was deemed to be lost. However, five years later, the ship arrives in a town with visible damage and no crew.

You play an insurance investigator sent to the ship to figure out what happened to the crew. Board the ship and search for clues to help you piece together what happened, who’s at fault, and why the ship was always doomed.

#15 The Room Series

The Room Series is puzzle games personified in some metrics. For example, in the first game, you’re put in a room with nothing more than a puzzle box. Simple enough to solve. Right? Except the further you dig into the box, the more you start to wonder what is going on. There is darkness within that box and the puzzles you solve.

That’s just the first of many titles that will put your puzzle skills and sanity to the test. You’ll soon deal with mysterious authors, other dimensions, and puzzles that you’ll have to get clever to solve. So can you overcome the darkness that is approaching?

#14 The Talos Principle

The Talos Principle focuses on a robot that awakes to find itself ordered to solve puzzles. Order by who? Its master. Said robot finds itself in a world of clashing visuals. It looks like ancient ruins in parts, yet has technology that wouldn’t fit in the cultures that used to live there.

With over 120 puzzles to solve, your work is cut out for you. But the further you progress in the game, the more you have to ask questions about who you are, what you are, and why you’re doing this. Will you continue to obey your master so that you can complete their will? Or will you try to have a will of your own?

#13 Little Nightmares Series

It’s poetic that in the No.13 spot, we have a game about nightmares. The Little Nightmares Series is two titles that’ll put unsuspecting characters in creepy worlds that they must escape from. Adding to their woes is that terrifying creatures are looking to take them, and that must be avoided.

You’ll travel the warped levels and solve puzzles to make it past the monsters and onto the next stage. However, there are dark truths hidden everywhere, so be on the look out.

Each title has unique levels, monsters, and characters to meet. So give them a try and see if you can withstand the terror!

#12 Celeste

While not a puzzle game overall, Celeste is a platformer with puzzle elements and a profound story.

You play Madeline, a young girl on a mission to climb Celeste Mountain. The challenges she will face reflect her mental struggles and the turmoil she’s in. The higher you climb, the more characters you’ll meet, and the greater the challenges.

Speaking of challenges, the title loves its difficulty. There are 700+ screens of areas you’ll need to get through, and death is almost assured, depending on your skill level. So what will Madeline find when she reaches the top of the mountain? Play and find out.

#11 Untitled Goose Game

HONK!

Yep, it’s time to talk about Untitled Goose Game. The game where you play a goose that decides to have fun in a little too much fun in a nearby village.

We say that because the point of the game is to have the goose annoy people so much that they chase it. You’ll use the goose to set up pranks, annoy people by honking at them, and steal their stuff. Mayhem is the name of the game here, and the real puzzle is figuring out how to screw with the villagers even more.

Plus, if you want more fun, you can do a co-op adventure and use two geese to annoy the villagers!

#10 Life is Strange

Next, we have a series that has grown its popularity throughout many titles. The Life is Strange saga is a series of games focusing on young people with extraordinary abilities. But it’s not a superhero title. Instead, it’s a game about life and how our choices affect everyone else.

Your powers are used to further the story and how it progresses. Through the characters, you’ll learn more about all that’s happening and why it’s happening to you.

The games are profound, and they’ve been praised by pretty much everyone who’s played them. So if you have not played them yet, you really should give them a try.

#9 Limbo

Here’s a game that put a certain game developer on the map, and we’ll talk about another of their games later on.

Limbo is a title where the team doesn’t tell you much about the game going in. However, if you look up the store pages of their title, you’ll get one line. It tells you about how a boy is trying to find his sister and to get her back; he enters Limbo.

The game’s art style is simplistic yet haunting. You’ll need to be wary of where you go and how to interact with those you meet. There’s something wrong with the place you’re in, so do your best to survive it.

#8 What Remains Of Edith Finch

What Remains Of Edith Finch is another narrative-focused game with puzzle elements. You play Edith Finch, the last of her family, who must explore her family mansion to learn the truth. What is that truth? She’s trying to understand why she’s the last of her line.

The answers will come as you wander the house and find portals into the lives of your loved ones. Through their experiences, you’ll learn about their life, and how they died. With each new experience, you’ll slowly come to understand the truth about who you are and why life can be so cruel.

The game is not for those who can’t handle grim stories, so you’ve been warned.

#7 Tomb Raider Series

Many people seem to forget that while there is a lot of action in the Tomb Raider Series, there’s plenty of puzzle-solving. Lara Croft can’t muscle her way out of every situation. She’s an intelligent woman who has to weave her way through complex challenges and solve puzzles to get where she wants to go.

Throughout her journeys, regardless of whether you play the original games or the reboot trilogy, you’ll be put to the test time and time again. You’ll fight monsters, stop evil organizations, and find treasures never meant for human use.

So rise and take on the challenge these tombs offer and see how far you go.

#6 The Walking Dead

While not your typical puzzle game, The Walking Dead from Telltale Games is one of the best narrative stories you’ll ever partake in, and there are puzzle elements in it.

Set within the world of the comic, you’ll play primarily as Clementine, a young girl who has to learn quickly about how to survive in a world where monsters are everywhere, and they’re not just the undead.

Through her travels, you’ll make difficult decisions that’ll heavily affect the story. Will you be able to survive the world and its horrors?” Or will you become just as much a monster as those you fight? Jump in and find out.

#5 Inside

The people at PlayDead know how to make games that subvert expectations. Inside is just one of the titles that creepily does that.

You’ll have to play the game yourself to get the full picture of, but here’s the loose synopsis. You play a boy who is being hunted. You’ll have to explore a building with a dark secret that you are inexplicably drawn to.

You’ll have to avoid detection, solve puzzles, evade monsters, and learn the truth about this odd place. But the question is, will you be okay after learning the truth? It’s not a simple answer as you’ll find out.

#4 Outer Wilds

Are you wanting a grand-scale puzzle game that’ll give you a sense of awe and wonder as you attempt to figure out what’s going on? Well, that’s oddly specific, but we can still help you with that. Outer Wilds puts you in a part of space constantly going through a time loop. Your job is to explore and figure out what’s going on and whether you can stop things from rewinding once again.

As you explore planets, you’ll learn more about the history of this part of space and that things aren’t as random as they appear. Fly through the starry sky, solve puzzles to help you delve deeper into planets, survive the creatures that live there, and more!

#3 The Witness

When you’re a puzzle game with over 500 puzzles for gamers to solve? You get credit for working that hard.

The Witness puts you on a mysterious island full of puzzles, and you’re tasked with solving them all. Why? Because you have no idea who you are, how you ended up there, and there’s nothing else to do!

As you explore the island, you’ll learn clues about who you are, what the island is, and more. An important thing to note is that you can do these puzzles in any order, each of which is unique. So if you’re struggling with one, jump to another until you’re ready to return.

#2 It Takes Two

It may seem strange to have this title so high on the list, but did you forget it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards? You have to be good to win that.

But the other reason it’s so high on our list is that it’s one of the few puzzle games out there that focuses on co-op puzzle solving to the extent that it’s impossible to play the game without a partner. You play two parents who are about to have a divorce. Through some magic from their child, they’re turned into dolls and must work through the puzzles put in front of them to return to their human forms.

#1 Portal 2

There can be no other title on the top of this list. Portal 2 is hands down one of the greatest video games ever made, and it’s because of its innovative puzzle gameplay. Whether you’re playing the main campaign or the co-op campaign, there’s so much to do and solve.

Glados is back, and she has some new challenges for you. So whip out your portal gun and use it wisely to solve each test you’re put in. You’ll have to think a few steps ahead and in multiple directions to figure them out.

There’s a reason that people have been begging for a third entry in the franchise, and it’s because this one was phenomenal.