Often one of the most impenetrable genres can be the puzzle game genre. Puzzle games are typically adventure-style games that consistently feature head-scratching puzzles that need to be completed in order to progress. Pure puzzle games are an odd bunch in that you typically either love them or despise them, depending on the type of player you are.Oftentimes, puzzles make up a large component of other genres as well, such as platformers, point-and-click games, amongst many others. If you happen to be a newcomer to the puzzle genre or if you have been scared off by many puzzle games, worry not, since there are a plethora of games that are both fun and accessible, even if they do still have a good challenge.
10 Portal Series
The Portal game series by Valve probably needs no introduction for anyone even remotely aware of the puzzle genre. The Portal games, specifically Portal and Portal 2 are two of the very best puzzle games around, full stop.
For the uninitiated, the Portal games task you with solving increasingly difficult portal-based puzzles where you must move about set stages, setting portal destinations, and making it through to the other side. Plus, the games can even be played in co-op which makes them even more fun.
9 Summertime Madness
Summertime Madness is the newest puzzle entry on this list and also one of the most overlooked. At first glance, Summertime Madness almost resembles the brutal puzzle game The Witness. However, there isn't a need to worry since this game is much easier to get into and progress through.
In Summertime Madness you play as an artist in 1940s Prague. This artist has made a dastardly pack with the devil that traps him in his paintings. In order to escape, he must complete a host of puzzles set across a gorgeous and vibrant landscape.
8 Superliminal
Superliminal is easily one of the most creative and ingenious puzzle games to have been released in recent memory. Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game that thrives off the idea of shifting perspectives both in terms of gameplay and narrative.
You will take your time playing through a bunch of puzzle rooms that need to be conquered in order to move forward. These puzzles look tricky on the surface but can often be mastered by changing the way you look at the objects in your environment. You can also bring a friend along for the ride if they like puzzle games too.
7 Braid
Braid is one of the original console indie games and one that managed to blend platforming, adventuring, and puzzle-solving with great success. This time-bending adventure tasks you with catching up to the princess that got away, however, not everything is as it seems.
Over a decade later, Braid still holds up as an excellent puzzle platforming game that begs to be played and experienced. The puzzles that need to be solved all revolve around warping time to bend the will of the environment.
6 The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable isn't quite a pure puzzle game but is instead a pure satirical adventure game that perfectly swirls in bits of puzzle gameplay. As the game's title implies, you play as Stanley, an office worker who finds himself in a bizarre workplace situation.
The Stanley Parable thrives off of its humor, charm, and dry nature. It's not a game to be played for more than a couple of hours or more, that is unless you want to get one of the various endings. Puzzles here mostly revolved around getting from point A to point B in a room.
5 What Remains Of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch is a masterpiece of an indie game, one that tasks you with exploring the crazy Finch household as the last remaining member, namely, Edith Finch. This first-person emotional puzzle adventure game is downright gorgeous and mesmerizing in equal measures.
Without spoiling anything, your time playing as Edith will lead you to understand how each of your family members passes away with each section being its own self-contained puzzle area. If you missed this game somehow, you need to remedy that right away.
4 Limbo
Another original indie game that has been around for over a decade and is also the game that inspired Playdead's Inside, Limbo is an atmospheric, horrific, and harrowing journey through an ethereal world brimming with death and decay.
You play as a young boy who must seek out his lost sister in order to reclaim her and help guide her back home through the titular, Limbo. The puzzles here are tricky but always provide you with enough guidance in order to get by. Plus, the monochromatic art style is sure to linger in your mind long after completing it.
3 Unpacking
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Unpacking might just be one of the most wholesome, charming, and easy to play puzzle games. As you might guess from the game's name, Unpacking is all about unpacking your belongings as you move from location to location through a person's lifetime.
Despite its simplicity and vibrancy, the game actually hides an emotional tale of change and adaptation. You can also choose to play the game where each unpacked item needs to be put in a certain area of the room, or you can simply turn that option off to just place items anywhere you see fit.
2 Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds, not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, is an intricate and beloved space exploration puzzle game with a time loop theme. Your mission is to explore the so-called "outer wild" in order to stop a cosmic event from taking place.
While Outer Wilds leans more into the adventure aspects of gaming, it still provides just enough puzzles to keep you connected to its world and quirky characters.
1 Untitled Goose Game
Do you like to laugh? Do you like colorful and vibrant cartoony games? Do you want to play as a crazy goose who is up to no good? If you happened to answer yes to these questions then Untitled Goose Game needs to be on your puzzle game wishlist.
Untitled Goose Game stars a wacky goose who is all about causing a ruckus in a pleasant and charming English village setting. The puzzles here are organically placed into each zone of the village and typically require you to mess with the villagers in fun and playful ways.