Did you know that playing video games can improve your manual dexterity? They may even be able to increase your brain's grey matter while improving social skills.
If you're an avid gamer or just starting out, then you're probably interested in the best online puzzles and games to build your puzzle-solving skills while providing hours of fun and entertainment. Luckily, this list has you covered.
You'll learn about the best online games and puzzle apps and which devices they're available for. So if you're looking for the complete lineup of games and puzzles that incorporate everything from strategy to problem-solving skills, be sure to keep reading.
Hocus is available for Android and iOS devices. It's one of the highest-ranking, top-rated games available on the Play Store, and with good reason.
It's easy to learn and fun to play. While the levels are challenging, the overall premise of the game is simple to understand.
You navigate a cube through a series of optical illusions, but need to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, using as much logic as you can muster up. There are over 120 puzzles to choose from, making this a fun way to spend your free time.
If you're looking to create your own puzzles or play puzzles created by other users, then this game is for you.
Threes! is a great game that's available for Android and iOS devices where you slide tiles around to form three and their multiples. As you slide the tile,s you need to join them and form a new tile.
The game begins with the number three, with multiples of three following suit. You have to correctly slide a tile in every step to achieve the required number.
There is a clear instruction guide that helps get you started. If you've played Move The Block, this is a similar game.
Monuments Valley is another game available for both Android and iOS devices. This puzzle game requires you to help the characters reach their destination using logic and reasoning.
It's one of the best puzzle games and features 3D settings. The only drawback is that this isn't a free game. However, if you don't mind paying for a game, Monuments Valley 1 and 2 is a great addition to any puzzle game collection.
Two Dots is an engrossing game that features mini-puzzles within the larger game. It's available for Android and iOS devices and is engaging to play. You have to connect two dots so they meet one another, with each puzzle giving specific instructions on how to connect the dots to complete the level.
The playing methods change and increase in difficulty as you advance to new levels. There are even hidden picture games to play.
Dots are connected vertically, horizontally, or on angles, but can't be connected diagonally. You're only given a certain number of moves to complete each board before having to start over.
You need to think fast and use logic to determine the best moves. The beginning levels are relatively easy, but you'll quickly see difficulty levels increase.
This app is only available for Android users, but if you have one of these devices and enjoy medieval backdrops, then this is a must-play. In this game, your mission is to search for a series of objects.
You're given hints if you get stuck so you know how to proceed. Each scene has particular objects for you to search for. You'll need to tap different items placed around the scene to find the hidden objects.
You may even need to combine two items to create a pair. It's a fun, exciting game with increasing difficulty levels as you advance within the game. If you enjoy real-world escape rooms, be sure to give this one a try.
Angry Birds is available for both Android and iOS devices. This game is a classic with its original gameplay, where you're responsible for shooting down pigs using your arsenal of birds.
You can create your army of birds to take down the pigs and their homes. This version is a remastered version of the original featuring 390 levels and eight fun-filled episodes to play.
As you advance, you'll find new ways to use each bird and the best way to aim as you clear each stage. You'll need to use this newfound logic to solve each level. You'll find Angry Birds incorporates physics and provides hours of entertainment.
If you love golf and puzzles, then this is the perfect game for you to try. It's available for Android and iOS and boasts over 120 levels that you'll travel through as you navigate across a total of ten worlds.
You utilize cards for movement and need to understand which card gets your ball in the hole, making this a puzzle game filled with logic. The illustrations are visually attractive and helped make this game one of the top 10 in the Big Indie Pitch.
Hidden Through Time is another game for Android and iOS alike. It's a hidden object game that skillfully enmeshed world history and exquisite hand-drawn animation. You need to figure out a series of clues and cryptic hints to locate the hidden objects throughout the levels.
Before you can advance to the next level, you need to find a predetermined number of objects. If you follow the course, you can advance through the four ages of the game. Everyone is free to access the editor, so you can create your own levels and even share them with others, something ideal for creative people to partake in.
If you're looking for a memory maze, then G30 is your go-to game. It's only available for Android, however, but the unique storyline makes it well worth it.
In this game, you work with someone who has a cognitive disorder to piece together their memory by way of solving two-part puzzles. You'll use random text and images to solve each puzzle.
The second puzzle follows up with the original puzzle, completing the storyline. You need to solve all the puzzles to fully understand the story.
Zenge is a great game for Android and iOS devices. If you're a fan of live-action role-playing and enjoy rich storylines, then check out Zenge.
It incorporates puzzle-based gameplay with a space-time story. There's no time restraint, so you can play at your leisure.
There aren't any score targets so you're free to solve this game at your own pace, taking your time. Zenge is a great relaxing puzzle game if you're just looking to enjoy and escape as you play.
The Eyes of Ara is only available for iOS devices but is great fun if you're able to access it. It's an open-ended game packed with adventure.
It's similar to Myst or Riven if you've played and enjoyed them. You have to solve puzzles and unlock clues. From there you're able to uncover each piece of the puzzle, one piece at a time.
The game features a great 3D environment which makes it that much more challenging and exciting. You have to purchase this game, but you won't have to worry about irritating ads when you play. You'll get to solve puzzles as you find hidden rooms and secret vaults, unraveling the story as you go.
Candy Crush Saga is one of the most popular games out there. You can play for free but have to deal with the occasional ad. As you match three candies in a row, you burst them until you meet each level's overall objective.
It's a simple game but does require some strategy. However, if you're stuck, there are Candy Crush Sage tips, cheat sheets, and hints available for you to use. If you're looking to sync your browser progress, you can play it on Facebook.
Connecting three similar shapes is familiar if you play Candy Crush Saga, making Jewelanche a fun spin on the game. Each jewel is dropped haphazardly, the laws of physics stepping into it. Your goal is to make chains with three or more jewels, with the longer chains being the best.
The more chain combos you have the more gems you get. Gems allow you to purchase power-ups between each of the levels.
If you don't clear everything, your jewels continue piling up till your scene is filled, which means the game is over. And if you're able to master Jewelanhce, Jewelanche 2 will provide you with a host of new challenges.
Crush The Castle (CTC) is similar to Angry Birds but actually the game before Angry Birds was even available to play. Some people claim Angry Birds stole its concept from CTC, although this is just conjecture.
This game is set in medieval times and you're responsible for flinging rocks at castles in an attempt to kill the king inside. Your goal is to go on a quest of the kingdom, looking for rocks of all sizes and even bombs.
You need to wisely choose how you use them when you try to knock the castles down. If you visit Armor Games you can find additional levels ad expansion packs.
Heubrix is a fun, entertaining game that's ad-free- a win-win! This smooth game has you fill in grids with different colors.
However, each color has a finite number of moves, and you need to ensure you don't cross two colors together. There are plenty of videos to watch that explain how to play the game, but keep in mind that once you advance past level 15, things get challenging!
While most games involve you steering one character (or hero) toward the end of the game, Mirror Runners is quite different. You play with two heroes that are simultaneously playing towards two exits.
However, your keyboard controls both simultaneously. If you touch your left arrow key, both heroes move left, and vice versa. While your move might lead one hero on the right path, the other one might be led into a trap.
You need to figure out ways to get them both to the exit.
This is a single-player game, unfortunately. But that doesn't mean it won't provide you with hours of entertainment!
When you think of traditional games such as Mario, you think of characters moving among a platform. However, Rotate moves the whole screen and the world inside the game. It rotates 90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise and even changes gravity.
Keeping this in mind, you need to get your character to the exit in each level. There are spikes and obstacles to watch out for, making the game tricky but fun.
Do you love jigsaw puzzles? Then check out Jigsawplanet.com! You'll be greeted by thousands of puzzles in this seemingly neverending database.
And if you don't like what you see, you can create a free account and make your own puzzles to solve!
This website boasts some of the most extensive customizability available, allowing you to choose the title, number of pieces, image, and shape of your puzzle pieces. This is a great website if you're looking to compete with friends when solving puzzles.
Sudoku is another classic game that most game players love. But if you don't have access to a physical sudoku book, playing online is a great option. The concept is easy- you place numbers in a grid but need to be mindful that no box or column contains a repeating number.
Sudoku.com is one of the best websites, although other platforms are available to access. You can also check out websudoku.com, sudoku.game, and nytimes.com/puzzles/sudoku. Each website allows you o change the difficulty levels so the puzzles are great for beginners and experts alike.
If you enjoy deductive reasoning and solving puzzles, then deductive logic puzzles are a must-try. They're similar to mystery-solving, where you need to match various attributes with one another using provided clues that follow a set storyline. You may find that the process of elimination technique works best, tracking your work on what's called an "elimination grid."
Deductive logic games and puzzles are known to be more engaging that KenKen and Sudoku due to their varied clue types and the fun background stories that accompany them.
You can access Logic.puzzlebaron.com for grid sizes that range from three-by-four to four-by-seven. Levels include easy, moderate, and difficult. The small grids are simple after you get the hang of them, but some people report them as being quite challenging nonetheless.
Are you a fan of number patterns? If you are, then Nonograms is a great game for you to try.
You complete certain squares within a grid and they're all based on number patterns. The end result may be a completely random assortment of shaded regions and squares, but the completed game will often be of a picture or pattern.
The best website is Puzzle-nonograms.com. There are millions of nonograms to choose from, with tons of different sizes to try. You can even create your own patterns to share with friends.
If you're familiar with substitution ciphers, then you know what cryptograms are. They're an entertaining puzzle for creating scavenger hunts and looking for mental competitions.
You simply need to figure out what letter corresponds to what symbol, number, or letter. This allows you to decode the secret message. It's a great way to identify patterns and apply your linguistic knowledge.
You can visit Cryptograms.puzzlebaron.com for cryptograms of famous quotes, but you can create your own to share with friends.
Do you look forward to the New York Times Daily Crossword? Then the New York Times Mini Crossword is a great game to add to your collection. It's a simpler 5x5 version of the same game that you can play Monday through Friday at 10 pm ET and Saturdays and Sundays at 6 pm ET.
The daily mini crosswords are free, but if you opt for a New York Times subscription, you can solve any mini crossword puzzle from August 2014 until the present day, providing you with tons of puzzles to solve.
Perhaps you want the normal-sized crossword puzzle. If this is the case, you can visit nytcrosswordanswers.org. There are several online games as well that provide equal amounts of fun, such as Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles, and Vertex.
Mekorama offers you the opportunity to play a wonderful 3D puzzle game similar to Monument Valley and Treasure Tracker. You get to control an adorable little robot ad help it through various puzzle rooms. Each room has different mechanics and a variety of obstacles, keeping the game fresh and interesting.
As soon as you unlock a level, five more are unlocked. Progression of the game is open-ended, so don't ever feel stuck, as there are over 50 levels to unlock.
This game is laid-back but still presents a challenge. It doesn't always run correctly on older phones, but it's available for both Android and iOS devices.
If you love Chess and puzzle games, then you should play Chess light! It's a Chess-based puzzle game that combines the best of both worlds.
The game offers over 180 different scenarios and it's up to you to find a way to win. And best of all the game is free and ad-free, a rarity in this day and age.
You'll have to choose from six different difficulty options depending on whether you find the game too easy or too difficult. If you need a hint, they're there for you.
The variety of puzzle combinations is huge, but you have to know the basic rules of Chess. You can play it on Android and iOS devices.
QuizUp is another great game that you can play on an Android or iOS device. You can challenge your friends to a battle of trivia with categories such as movies, TV, general trivia, and then some.
Keep in mind that each question is timed, so you need to think fast when answering. You can connect to Facebook and challenge your friends and family, too!
Are you a fan of the classic game Dominoes? If so and you're looking for a new twist to the game, then be sure to try Dominoes: Battles.
You can play it on Facebook via Instant Games and even play against your friends using Messenger. If you're in a hurry and can only play a few games, then this is a great option for you.
Pirates and Treasures is a fun, free hidden objects game available on Arkadium. You and a friend have to play separately, but you can compare your scores once you complete each round.
There's the Pirates and Treasures hidden object game which is an exciting option to play. You get to wander through a series of pirate ships so you can search for hidden objects and various numbers. However, if you click on the wrong items, you get a penalty. Make sure to click accurately but also with speed.
Have you played the traditional form of Mahjong? If so and you're looking for something a little different, then Dog Mahjong is worth checking out!
This version is- you guessed it- dog-themed, for a truly unique playing experience. It's available on Gamesgames.com and offers you and any of your friends the opportunity to play a new version of a familiar classic game.
Now that you know all about the best online puzzles and games, it's time to start downloading some game apps! Look for games that incorporate your interests and offer a series of levels that work for your particular skill set. But above all, remember to have fun when playing games and to enjoy whatever app you choose.
If you're looking for more great information about games and puzzles, Puzzle Seek has you covered. We've got tons of great information about the latest games along with tie benefits, so be sure to check out the rest of our blog about games!
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