Portal 2 2011
Why it still holds upA few simple tools that combine keep producing new puzzles, and the writing and characters carry them, so it still plays well today.
2010s puzzle games that still hold up
The moments that stop you until you work it out
Games
Portal 2 2011
Why it still holds upA few simple tools that combine keep producing new puzzles, and the writing and characters carry them, so it still plays well today.
Return of the Obra Dinn 2018
Why it still holds upIts deduction holds up today because nobody tells you who anyone is, so you piece together who was where and when.
The Talos Principle 2014
Why it still holds upPuzzles that reward finding alternate uses for a small set of tools, with several solutions to many, are the reason to play it now.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective 2010
Why it still holds upEach puzzle is still one chain of small object changes inside a fixed room, with a mystery plot pulling it along.
Tetris Effect 2018
Why it still holds upRotating, clearing and scoring trigger audio cues, and the music sets the pace of the falling pieces, so learning how each song changes the pace still gives every stage a rhythm to master today.
The Witness 2016
Why it still holds upEach puzzle is a small discovery: you work out the rules yourself, and you can still leave a region when you are stuck.
Monument Valley II 2017
Why it still holds upSingle screen perspective puzzles with simple touch controls, and a new idea in every level instead of a reused one, still keep each screen worth solving today.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes 2015
Why it still holds upSaying out loud what is on the bomb is the only way to share it, so every round is a conversation under pressure that suits a group today.
Supraland 2019
Why it still holds upPuzzle ideas that rarely repeat, and landmarks to navigate by instead of a map, give you a reason to explore it today.
Gunpoint 2013
Why it still holds upA cross section that shows every guard and circuit lets you plan a route before moving, and that planning still pays off.
Grindstone 2019
Why it still holds upEvery move is a plan for the next ten, since combos need ten kills in a row, and it works as a puzzle today.
Opus Magnum 2017
Why it still holds upSolutions are ranked on three measures and you can go back and improve a machine that already works, which is a reason to return to it today.
Antichamber 2013
Why it still holds upA space that breaks your expectations of space still sends you back to look again.
The Room 2012
Why it still holds upA quiet hour with a tactile puzzle is still what this game offers.
Picross 3D: Round 2 2015
Why it still holds upWorking in space rather than on a flat grid is still the whole of the challenge today.
Pushmo 2011
Why it still holds upWith a rewind and a skip option, a spatial puzzle never turns into a wall, which makes it comfortable to pick up now.
SpaceChem 2011
Why it still holds upThe two waldos still make the answer a program, and a program can always be made shorter.
Infinifactory 2015
Why it still holds upThe satisfaction of building a machine that solves a problem is one players can still get here.
Baba Is You 2019
Why it still holds upThe rules are the material you move, and today that one idea still carries the whole game.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker 2014
Why it still holds upEvery ledge is still a puzzle, since the characters cannot jump.
Threes! 2014
Why it still holds upGames of a few minutes with previewable swipes suit a short break today.
Quern: Undying Thoughts 2016
Why it still holds upA puzzle island with no enemies still leaves time to wander and think.
Manifold Garden 2019
Why it still holds upIts space is the reason to play it now: with gravity you choose and buildings that repeat forever, getting from one place to another is the puzzle.
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask 2011
Why it still holds upIt is an easy game to pick up for anyone who likes puzzles with hints on hand, and that holds today.
Mad Father 2012
Why it still holds upA girl alone in a house of secrets still gives the horror a personal angle.
Sally Face 2016
Why it still holds upGoing back to a place in a later timeline to see what changed gives each location a story of its own today.
The Swapper 2013
Why it still holds upQuestions about identity and consciousness run through the story, and they are still worth meeting.
Figment 2017
Why it still holds upIt is worth playing today for its painted look and its music.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2014
Why it still holds upTwo puzzle games in one match still make every duel a swap of styles.
The Room 4: Old Sins 2018
Why it still holds upThe one house still feels like a small connected place, because its puzzles connect from room to room.
Art of Balance 2010
Why it still holds upA tower that wobbles with every block still gives a quiet kind of tension.
Tumblestone 2016
Why it still holds upEvery board still makes it worth playing now, since each has a solution and one wrong pick ruins it.
Stories Untold 2017
Why it still holds upFour short chapters about old machines still make a game to finish in one night.
Where's My Water? 2011
Why it still holds upThe cut still lets you draw a puzzle with a finger and send the water exactly where you let it.
Catherine 2011
Why it still holds upA game split between a bar and a block tower is still worth seeing.
Rusty Lake: Roots 2016
Why it still holds upFamily stories told one puzzle at a time are still easy to dip into.
Human Resource Machine 2015
Why it still holds upThe boxes are still a programming lesson in which the bug is a small person carrying the wrong box.
Angry Birds Space 2012
Why it still holds upPlanets that bend each shot still give old rules a fresh angle.
Prune 2015
Why it still holds upA tree that grows where you cut still gives each level a quiet puzzle.
The Room Two 2013
Why it still holds upThe room is still a puzzle box the size of a space you can walk around in.
TIS-100 2015
Why it still holds upThe twelve nodes still make the machine the puzzle, with the manual the only help.
Lara Croft Go 2015
Why it still holds upPuzzles that ask for planning rather than reflexes still suit short sessions today.
Gorogoa 2017
Why it still holds upWith no language to read, every image is still something to study.
Hidden Folks 2017
Why it still holds upScenes you can poke and prod still turn a search into a small toy.
The Sexy Brutale 2017
Why it still holds upThe loop still lets you save a murder party one guest at a time, by knowing the day better than the killers do.
Botanicula 2012
Why it still holds upAlmost everything in the tree still reacts when prodded today, with a seed to carry out of it.
Quiet islands full of panels, engineering puzzles that feel like programming, and short games made for a phone all share this page. Some take minutes to learn and months to finish.