Highlights

  • The Nintendo DS and 3DS revolutionized puzzle games with their touchscreen capabilities, allowing for unique and challenging gameplay experiences.
  • From Professor Layton to Picross 3D, these handheld consoles offered a wide range of brain-bending puzzle games that are worth playing.
  • While some of these games may no longer be available, their impact on the puzzle game genre and their success on the DS and 3DS cannot be ignored.

When Nintendo debuted the DS back in the 2000s, the reaction was a sort of puzzled interest. What could this new touchscreen bring to gaming? How would Nintendo deal with Sony's competing PSP, which promised console-quality gaming on the go? That puzzled interest soon turned into genuine success when players saw how developers could use the unique format to create interesting puzzles. (See what I did there?)

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The 3DS carried on the hard work, and Nintendo's last generation of solely handheld consoles leaves behind a legacy of excellent, thoughtful, brain-bending puzzle games that are worthy of being highlighted. If you want to test yourself with challenging puzzles, the DS and 3DS are great consoles to do so with.

Updated November 26, 2023 by Casey Foot: When it comes to puzzle games, the DS and 3DS are unrivaled. Their touchscreen capabilities added a new dimension to puzzle-solving, and you could easily take them on the go because of their handheld nature. We've added a few more great DS and 3DS puzzle games for you to try.

13 Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright promo art

As you may have guessed from the title, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney sees puzzle aficionado Professor Layton and defense lawyer Phoenix Wright come together in the same title. Alongside their assistants, Luke and Maya, Layton and Phoenix do what they're known for: solving puzzles and unraveling cases.

The game has lots of thought-provoking puzzles to solve as you explore and attempt to uncover the mystery of the world of Labyrinthia, which Layton and Phoenix were transported to by a strange girl. Professor Layton and Ace Attorney are both excellent puzzle series, so it's only natural they both work together so well.

12 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

official art of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

999's story and gameplay revolve around the Nonary Game, where nine players must find the door with the number nine on it within nine hours (...yeah, that's a lot of nines). Playing as the protagonist Junpei, you interact with the other players in the Nonary Game, and in the Escape sections, you must solve puzzles to progress.

The story itself has an overarching mystery, including the identity of Zero, the person who placed everyone in the Nonary Game in the first place. Your decisions throughout the game will influence what happens next, as there are branching storylines and various endings to achieve.

This title is rated Mature for blood and violence.

11 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick Phantom Detective Banner

Directed by the creator of Ace Attorney, Shu Takumi, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective sees you solving puzzles after death. When Sissel, the main character, finds himself dead with no memories of his identity or how he died, he must use his newfound powers to uncover what happened to him.

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You can manipulate the environment, which is known as performing 'ghost tricks'. This allows you to interact with items and influence people in the area to help Sissel complete puzzles and discover clues about his death.

10 Meteos

meteos puzzle game

Meteos was one of the first killer apps for the original DS. Created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the puzzle mastermind behind classics like Rez and Lumines, Meteos was an early proof-of-concept for how the second screen could enhance gameplay. It's a good example of why puzzle games flourished on the system.

The game is a falling-block style puzzler, but when you link similar blocks together, they blast off to the top of the screen. Chain several links back-to-back and your block rocket gains more power, scoring you more points. One might say that it's a... blast.

9 Professor Layton And The Curious Village

professor layton and luke surrounded by the st mystere villagers in professor layton and the curious village

Professor Layton was one of the DS' most visible mascots, emphasizing the platform's approachable design philosophy. The first game in the series still holds up incredibly well, too. In Professor Layton and the Curious Village, you control the titular professor and his apprentice, Luke, as they explore the village of St. Mystere.

The residents of the village will assist you in your quest... provided that you solve their brain-tickling puzzles. The game mixes a beautiful aesthetic, an interesting story, and great puzzle design to fantastic effect.

8 Picross 3D

A screenshot from Picross 3D, showing a field of 3D blocks that must be formed into a shape

In Japan, Picross games have been appearing on Nintendo systems for years, but after the commercial failure of Mario's Picross in 1995, few of those made their way westward. That changed with the advent of the DS, when Picross DS and its excellent sequel, Picross 3D, found a new audience on the DS.

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Picross DS is a good puzzle game, but Picross 3D is better. The added third dimension allows for more complex and interesting puzzles, as you use the stylus to chip out blocks and create 3D shapes.

7 Tetris DS

A screenshot from Tetris DS, showing a falling block on a Mario-themed background

Tetris is a good bet on any system — it's hard to screw up the game's enjoyable loop of falling shapes and clearing lines — but Tetris DS stands out as one of the best entries in the long-running series.

In addition to the normal mode, the game adds several modes inspired by Nintendo classics like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. It also featured online multiplayer through the since-discontinued Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. It remains a blast to play and a tribute to Tetris — and Nintendo's — legacy of puzzling perfection.

6 Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords

A thief arranges mana and skulls to attack the protagonist in Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns.

Take a basic match-three style puzzler in the vein of Bejeweled. Now make it a competitive, turn-based system, and mix in RPG tropes like experience points, side quests, and stat-building. Finally, throw in a simple story, and you have Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.

Developed by the Australian studio Infinite Interactive, Puzzle Quest became a word-of-mouth sensation upon its launch in 2007 thanks to its combination of puzzling gameplay and RPG elements. It's kind of like peanut butter and chocolate: two great tastes that also taste great together.

5 Planet Puzzle League

A screenshot from Planet Puzzle League, showing two players attempting to clear their board of colored tiles

Panel De Pon is one of Nintendo's most iconic puzzle series, but it's had a strange journey in the West. The original game launched as Tetris Attack, despite having no connection to Tetris, while later installments would get rebrands to fit in with blockbuster series like Pokemon.

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Planet Puzzle League is the first standalone Panel De Pon game that launched without such a rebrand, allowing the competitive block-matching gameplay to shine. Plus, it's one of those games that asks you to hold the DS sideways like a book, which automatically means it makes you smarter.

4 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad Captain Toad Runs Towards a Crown As Toadette Looks Down From Above

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker represents something of a full-circle moment. When Super Mario 3D Land launched on the 3DS, the game's excellent use of the 3D slider helped revitalize Nintendo's ailing handheld. Its sequel, Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U, introduced players to Captain Toad's delightful puzzle-platforming mechanics.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker completed the circle, first coming out on the Wii U, and then landing on the 3DS for those who wanted to play on the go. The game is a modern puzzle classic, as you guide Captain Toad through toybox-style levels in search of treasure, avoiding enemies along the way. It's cute, charming, and plenty of fun.

3 Mario And Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move

A screenshot from Mario And Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move, showing a mini-Mario doll pondering an obstacle course

The Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series of handheld puzzlers has brought us plenty of gems, and Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move is one of the best. It challenges you to guide mini-Mario dolls through stages by placing down tiles to direct their movement.

For an extra challenge, you can go for optional coins, forcing you to think on your feet. The game also includes a level-creation mode, allowing you to challenge other players all over the world.

Unfortunately, this game was exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS eshop, which has now shut down.

2 BoxBoy

boxboy with four boxes on his head

Another 3DS eShop success story, BoxBoy started as a smaller, more experimental project from the developers at HAL Laboratory. The game is a seemingly simple puzzle platformer in which you control the titular BoxBoy, Qbby, who is able to spawn groups of boxes to move around compact levels.

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Though it starts off simply, the puzzles slowly grow more complex until you get to some real brain-benders. The game was so successful that it spawned several sequels and an amiibo figurine, making Qbby a modern-day icon of sorts.

BoxBoy is another title that was exclusive to the 3DS eshop, which means it's sadly no longer available.

However, BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! is available on Nintendo Switch.

1 Pushmo

pushmo next to a sign that says this way to pushmo park

The 3DS was in dire straits after its original launch in the early 2010s. The system's high price and faddish commitment to a screen-popping 3D feature, along with an underwhelming array of launch titles, all contributed to chronic low sales and a sense of impending doom. But Pushmo, a 3D puzzler released on the 3DS eShop, helped to change that.

The game asks you to push blocks to create platforms, allowing you to climb higher and push even more blocks. The game's cute style and fiendishly challenging puzzles made it an early 3DS success story, leading to a few sequels and an appearance in WarioWare — the ultimate stamp of Nintendo royalty.

Sadly, Pushmo was exclusive to the 3DS eshop too, so it's no longer available.

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