Many people love nothing more than a game that will challenge their intelligence and wit. Puzzle games serve as great brain-teasers that can occupy you for hours on end, shepherding you through puzzle after puzzle that just keep getting harder while you scratch your head trying to figure them out.
Many puzzle games receive sequels that expand upon their mechanics and add new puzzles to solve. This list, though, contains the best of the best; puzzle games that knocked it out of the park on their first go, so they don't need a sequel. You can't go wrong with the puzzles these games offer.
10 Full Metal Furies
It might seem odd to start off with what is clearly a beat-em-up brawler, but Full Metal Furies thrives on that exact misdirection. On the surface, it's a colorful pixel art brawler with four distinct playable characters and a variety of baddies to beat up. Beneath that, though, is an intricate puzzle game well worth exploring.
Every level in Full Metal Furies is crammed with secrets. Some are just hidden passageways containing loot, but others will often require you to do a lot of puzzle-solving to see their rewards. Even better, the game can be played entirely in co-op, allowing you and your friends to figure it out.
9 Antichamber
Antichamber is a non-linear, abstract puzzle game which turns everything you know about gaming on its head. Its sprawling, confusing labyrinth will disorient you in the most unexpected ways. You may go through a doorway, turn back, and find wherever you came from has suddenly been replaced with a nigh-infinite hallway.
Of course, this non-linear nature is also incorporated into Antichamber's puzzles, with stellar results. The game forces you to rethink how you look at puzzles and games in general. It's unorthodox and often disorienting, but that's exactly what makes it such a fun, memorable experience. There's nothing in gaming quite like Antichamber.
8 Jishogi
If you're looking for a more underrated, experimental game, Jishogi is right for you. The game themes itself after chess and shogi, but it isn't much like either. You have a number of pieces on your side of the board, and you have to maneuver them to the other side to capture opposing pieces. Rinse and repeat until every piece is captured. Easy to grasp, hard to master.
What might really enthrall you about Jishogi, though, is its story. The game tells the tale of Mayu, a depressed, bullied girl who has her mind invaded by a young witch named Fifield. As the two delve into Mayu's mind, they discover secrets neither is ready for. Just be warned that the game contains some dark content; heed the warnings on its Steam storefront page well.
7 Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat isn't a particularly hard game, which is unusual for a puzzle game. Instead, you'll find a number of hilarious, tricky physics-based puzzles where you'll have to grab and manipulate objects to your advantage. The main challenge is overcoming your character's awkward movement.
That may sound frustrating, but it's exactly what makes Human: Fall Flat so fun. The game will often surprise you with its challenges, and inverts typical puzzle game logic by presenting solutions that are easy to find, but difficult to execute. Plus, you can play it in co-op, which only adds to the fun, and with its workshop support, the fun never ends.
6 Opus Magnum
Zachtronics has a long history of making games that combine puzzle-solving with programming. Of them, Opus Magnum is by far the most approachable and also one of the most fun. You play as an alchemist who has to use machines to combine and transform elements.
Coming up with solutions isn't difficult in Opus Magnum; you can clear any stage with little optimization. However, the game taunts you with its leaderboards, making you scratch your head and ask how others did the puzzles so efficiently. Chasing these solutions can easily give you dozens of hours of playtime.
5 The Talos Principle
The Talos Principle is often compared to Valve's Portal series, and that's definitely not without merit. Its third-person puzzle solving will have you picking up and manipulating objects, requiring specific timing to get everything exactly right. The real draw, though, is the game's story.
The Talos Principle is a deeply philosophical game, questioning the nature of humanity and how robotic beings can fit into that. You play as a robot yourself and can find many terminals which expand on the game's story and themes. If you want to get a little existential with your puzzles, look no further than The Talos Principle.
4 The Witness
The Witness plops you in the middle of a deserted island and presents you with a surprisingly straightforward main mechanic. Move around a line on a board in a first-person view to reach an end-point and solve puzzles. That simple mechanic, though, is used and expanded upon in countless creative ways throughout.
Every area in The Witness presents you with a new way of puzzle-solving, many using the environment to clue you in or present solutions. It's incredibly difficult but equally rewarding. The game also has an understated, philosophical story that may draw your attention.
3 Return Of The Obra Dinn
In 1802, the Obra Dinn set off on its maiden voyage. In 1807, it returned with all of its passengers and crew dead or missing. You play as an investigator who must identify every person on the ship and figure out how they died. Using a magic pocket watch, you can return to the exact moment of their death to find clues.
Return of the Obra Dinn is an incredibly unique spin on puzzle and detective games. The game will test your deductive reasoning and ask you to connect dots to figure out who everybody is and how they died. It also has a unique one-bit graphical styling, which gives it a fascinating aesthetic.
2 Stephen's Sausage Roll
Stephen's Sausage Roll is a deceptive game. On the surface, you may really believe it's the "simple 3D puzzle game" it advertises itself as. Just roll around sausages and grill them on both sides. However, it's one of the most intricately designed and difficult puzzles game you will find today.
Every puzzle in Stephen's Sausage Roll is designed so that there's only one way to beat it, and no room for error. The game steadily introduces new mechanics that will shock you and frustrate you the more you go. Stick with it, though, and Stephen's Sausage Roll will easily become one of the most satisfying puzzle games you've played.
1 Baba Is You
Baba is You is a puzzle game that asks a complicated question: what if the rules of the game itself were objects you could manipulate? Everything from the character you control to what you need to touch to win a level is something you can determine by moving around words on the screen.
The depth and intricacy of this central mechanic is nigh-limitless, and Baba is You makes fantastic use of it over its campaign. Jam packed with a ton of levels that constantly introduce new mechanics, mind-bending secrets that will take all of your brain power to find, and a charming pixel aesthetic, Baba is You is the cream of the crop.