Updated with Patrick's Parabox. Enjoy!
From the very beginning, Nintendo handhelds have been a powerhouse in the puzzle genre, championing games that might have been lost in the bombastic, graphics-obsessed arena of home consoles. Switch’s bridging of the portable/home console divide means it upholds that proud puzzling tradition and gives on-the-go gamers a chance to dive deeper than ever before into the ever-addictive world of puzzlers.
Of course, the avalanche of software on Switch can make it tough to sort the good’uns from the not-so-good’uns. Fear not – we’ve donned our thinking caps and waded through the eShop to fish out an assortment of puzzle games of all shapes and sizes which will set you on the right track. Until the incredible Pocket Card Jockey bolts onto Switch from 3DS, we’ll just have to ‘make do’ with this little lot.
So, without further ado, we present — in no particular order — our selection of the best puzzle games on Switch...
Puyo Puyo Tetris (Switch)
What happens when you throw arguably the two most popular falling block puzzle games in a blender? It’s a miracle that the result wasn’t a horrible, horrible mess, but Puyo Puyo Tetris mixes the two so confidently that it doesn’t occur to you how catastrophic this cocktail could have been. Sonic Team respects the fundamentals of each series and offers a rock-solid game of both, but isn’t afraid to have fun stirring them together. There’s a bevy of multiplayer options for up for four people, and everything is presented with a vigour and verve which belies the decades-long history behind both puzzle genre titans. The Story mode is… well, it’s a bit nuts, but it’s there if you want it (we were glad for the skip button). Overall, this is a glorious firework of a crossover, uniting puzzle fans of all creeds and it shines very brightly on Switch.
And there's always the sequel if you simply can't get enough Puyos and Tetrominoes. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 could never hope to have the same impact as the first game, but it remains a brilliant puzzle title nevertheless. While some may feel it's not quite different enough from its predecessor, the new single-player story is just as entertaining as the last one, and the Skill Battle mode adds interesting mechanics to the mix. It's still absolutely packed with content; it's just that the first game was too, so the impact is lessened slightly.
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7 Billion Humans (Switch eShop)
A real winner if your melon isn’t irreparably twisted by code, 7 Billion Humans squeezes onto the list thanks to its heady mix of puzzling and Tomorrow Corps’ trademark humour. A direct sequel to Human Resource Machine, it has you programming worker drones to solve increasingly complex number-based admin tasks. It can be pretty impenetrable if you’re unwilling (or unable) to buckle down and process what it’s asking of you. The developers’ next project promises to be a ‘road trip adventure’, and after two esoteric puzzlers we’ve got our fingers crossed that it’ll be a real treat for a wider audience, but the dopamine spurt here when you finally crack a code is really something, and we’d recommend anyone with the head for it give this a try.
Gorogoa (Switch eShop)
Six years in the making, Gorogoa is utterly unique and tough to describe. It requires you to zoom in and out of scenes to make connections between overlapping tableaus displayed in four static windows. Its inked, storybook presentation sees you aligning seemingly unrelated landscapes and architecture, making intuitive mental jumps as you guide a young boy through its pages. A brief, beautiful game that is best experienced unspoiled and in one sitting, do yourself a favour and tap that eShop icon – you won’t regret it.
Art Of Balance (Switch eShop)
Originally released on Wii back in 2010, Art of Balance has popped up in some form on every Nintendo console since, and we’re not tired of it yet. It has you fighting that most persistent of foes, gravity, by stacking shapes in such a manner that they don’t topple into a bowl of water. Your construction only needs to survive three seconds without falling, but that can be tough when the shapes become more cumbersome. With a variety of modes, its zen-like setting and chillout soundtrack are the perfect accompaniments to the hair-tearing frustration of trying to balance a triangle on a circle.
Toki Tori (Switch eShop)
Toki Tori has you guiding the titular chick to collect his half-hatched pals as they sit around five worlds of maze-like levels. Starting out on the humble Game Boy Color, Two Tribes’ waddle-puzzler has seen multiple rereleases over the years, each with a fresh lick of paint and quality-of-life improvements, and it’s never looked better than on Switch. The rewind feature is also a godsend – one wrong move or misused power-up can make collecting those hatchlings impossible. If you can’t get enough of cute chicks waddling around punishing puzzle platforms, the sequel is also well worth investigating.
Picross S7 (Switch eShop)
You’ve got to work quite hard to mess up Picross, so whatever version you have handy is sure to be fun. This, like its predecessors and its successors, offers solid, no-frills Picross puzzling...
Hang on! Holy moly, they added touchscreen support! Other than the touch controls, Picross S7 is pretty much the same game you’ve played countless times before; an 'expansion pack' with another few hundred nonogram puzzles just like the last several hundred nonogram puzzles. It remains a brilliant puzzle game, though, so if you're not tired of Picross, we'd recommend S7 for the fact it was the first to launch with touch support.
However, all of Jupiter's Picross S entries now have touch controls and multiplayer support added, and any of them will go down very nicely with a cup of tea thank-you-vicar.
Soldam: Drop, Connect, Erase (Switch)
Releasing towards the end of 2017, this highly polished presentation of a popular early ‘90s arcade game in Japan got buried as Switch releases began piling up. Screenshots show what looks like a Puyo Puyo clone; Soldam is anything but. 2x2 blocks of primary-coloured fruit fall into a well and matching fruit at the far ends of the lines (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) link together, transforming everything in between to their colour and causing them to vanish if you change an entire line. It’s confusing and counter-intuitive for anyone who’s spent hundreds of hours with Tetris or Puyo Puyo, but its unique take on the falling-block genre is equally addictive. With a whole bunch of modes and some cursory online multiplayer, this is a gem that shouldn’t remain hidden at the bottom of the eShop.
Little Inferno (Switch eShop)
When Kyle Gabler teamed up with Allan Blomquist and Kyle Gray, their first release served as notice that Tomorrow Corporation’s output wouldn’t be your average puzzle games. Little Inferno has you buying objects from an extensive catalogue, combining them in your Tomorrow Corp-branded ‘Little Inferno Entertainment Fireplace’ and seeing what happens when they go up in smoke. Burning stuff produces coins enabling you to buy more stuff and experiment with new combinations to unlock more from the catalogue. Mining the same vein of dark satire as Gabler’s previous game, World of Goo, this pyrotechnic sandbox is oddly relaxing and a good remedy after some of the more gruelling puzzlers on our list.
Magical Drop III (Neo Geo)
With a wealth of newer titles to choose from, it would be easy to overlook the older gems that have found a home on Switch. Hamster’s ACA Neo Geo releases have been a regular fixture on the eShop from the start and we’ve seen some cracking puzzlers amongst the shmups and beat 'em ups; Data East’s Magical Drop III is a shining example. You control a jester at the bottom of the screen who grabs matching balloons from the descending columns and deposits them together in order to clear them. A simple objective, catchy tunes and a fun cast of characters make this one of the most addictive retro puzzlers on the console (Puzzle Bobble – or Bust-a-Move, depending on your region – is another classic you should avail yourself of).
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido (Switch)
Battling across a series of conveyor belts loaded with sushi, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido tasks you with chaining together and stacking matching plates before lobbing them at your rival; the more expensive the plate, the more damage it deals. Sounds simple enough, though a complex system of transformative abilities and sprites multiply the strategies available as you fight. While it’s possible to play on the TV, the touchscreen makes things much easier, so this vibrant, sushi-centric brawler is best suited to portable play.
Battle Chef Brigade (Switch eShop)
Another game for foodies, Battle Chef Brigade is a daring mixture of culinary puzzling and 2D RPG-lite monster battling. In its 2D world, slain beasties drop ingredients and heroes promptly dash to the kitchen for some pot-based match-three puzzling. Combining ingredients enables them to knock up scrumptious stews and other heavenly dishes to appease demanding judges. Its unique blend of Monster Hunter and Masterchef is topped off with a beautiful, hand-drawn aesthetic, making it a particularly tasty puzzling treat.
Comments 80
Puyo Puyo Tetris is great fun! Will probably try Lumines in the future.
heads up up for colorblind folks:
Puyo Puyo Tetris is unplayable if you are colorblind.
Will get Gardens Between, Lumines, and Gorgoa sooner or later.
Glad Toki Tori 2+ got a mention, even if, as with Human Resource Machine, it was only in passing. I love a puzzle game that actually makes you think, rather than just match shapes.
Gorogoa is an unforgettable experience. I read the glowing reviews and bought it at launch, then sat on it for a couple of months... Then one day at a dinner party, all the kids went to bed and on a random whim us adults collectively completed the game in one sitting. It's beautiful, it's breathtaking, it's ingenious. My friend figured out (what I feel is) the trickiest puzzle and to this day I am in awe of his lateral thinking. It's not a cheap game and it's not a long game but it's worth every penny.
I have to agree with @TheFongz: Gorogoa is a pretty unique and memorable experience. Well worth the asking price, in my opinion.
I'd put in:
Death Squared
Pode
...though maybe you put them into multiplayer?
Death Squared does seem like an omission here.
Hexalogic should’ve made the list. A cool and relaxing puzzle game. An understandably, yet criminally overlooked title.
Magical Drop 3 for the win!
Does Picross S2 really not have touch screen support? That's crazy.
Was gonna pick that up but might not bother now!
Though I only played the demo, Piczle Lines DX was pretty fun too.
I'd love a Tetris game in the vein of Tetris DS.
@CharlieSmile Wasn't there an option to turn the Puyos into different sized shapes? Maybe people who are colorblind can play that way too.
No Zen Bound mentioned. Will riot.
But good to see a nod to Sushi Striker, surprised nothing of it is in Smash at all.
Wow! Puyo Puyo Tetris at #1! Now that's a sight for sore eyes.
@Nagi_Nagisa
wait, what???
Just got Puyo Puyo Tetris from the eShop sale. Really good game, even though I'm not great at Puyo Puyo. XD
Too bad. 🤔
Magical Drop 3 on Switch = Arcade version, Not the PS1 version which each gems associated with their Elementals (Red = Flame Sword, Yellow = Twinkle Stars, Green = Leafy Tornado, Blue = Glass of Water) + some Gimmick gems like Frozen gems, Bomb, Direction gems, Bubble gems, etc.
It called Special Mode on PS1 version.
I love puzzle games, and am rather good at them. That said, I can't wrap my head around Puyo Puyo. I have never struggled with a puzzle game so much, and I don't understand the love it gets. Puzzle League, Tetris, Bust-A-Move, and Lumines are all better, and even amongst Sega's puzzle offerings, I find Columns superior.
@CharlieSmile - In Puyo-Puyo (at least the last two games), you are given options to change (sometimes drastically) the shape and theme of the puyos. Not the most ideal scenario for those colorblind, but a current work around til SEGA starts considering the feature for future titles.
Where's Puzzle Adventure Blockle?
@Paraka that's actually super useful, thank you.
I could not play the demo of the game on account of my eyesight.
I preferred Sushi Striker over Puyo Puyo- I didn’t think the Puyo Puyo demo offered me much I haven’t experienced to warrant purchasing it. My favorite puzzler now is Piczle Dines DX- I’ve gotten 70 hours in it and still have at least 1/3 of the puzzle packs left. Well worth the money spent. I’m thinking about picking up The Gardens Between since it’s on sale now. Overall I’m glad Nintendolife did a column like this I think puzzle games get overlooked compared to games like Smash Bros..
I stink at these games but nonetheless have PPT and Lumines from this list. I never played Lumines on the PSP but this game rocks on the Switch. Chaining those combos is addicting.
I can also recommend Whip! Whip!. Great little killemup!
Lumines is number 1 for me
Puyo Puyo Tetris and Toad Treasure Tracker are my top 2.
Where is The Room? This game looks a lot better than the mobile version.
@Mamabear Agreed! I love puzzle games. Glad they don’t get overlooked.
I liked Tumblestone on Wii U, but I hit a mode that I found too difficult to pass.
I forgot about Soldam. Sounds interesting.
@datamonkey Pic-a-Pix Deluxe and Pic-a-Pix Pieces both have touchscreen support. Free demos of both.
I wish I'd not been so terrible at Gorogoa. That is a difficult game. Ingenious, but difficult. 😥
@chrisnewman Thanks I'll take a look!
I Haven't played many of these games. Captain Toad has a special place in my heart. I love that game! Lumines and Puyo Puyo Tetris are the other two games in this list I've played and loved. I still play them now and then. Maybe I'll take a look at Gardens Between
@Paraka There is at least one spirit from Sushi Striker in Ultimate.
Puyo Puyo Tetris is superb. The swap mode is amazingly fun.
Ive held on to the JP demo of ppt, though we tend to have a blast whilst playing, we don’t play it that often to warrant buying the full game.
@Paraka
update: I flexed my peepers on all the available skins, none of them worked for me.
the Sonic character Puyos have Sonics and Amys that look too similar, and the alphabetical Puyos still have strong colors.
I tried
@CharlieSmile - I am actually pretty disheartened that none of the options worked for you. Were any the shapes at all useful?
@Paraka sadly, no. like I said, the shapes still have intense colors that really blur together for me.
Added The Talos Principle
@dartmonkey I only recently got a Switch and have been finding your list articles super helpful, so thanks!
I was wondering whether you might consider creating a list of the best "relaxing" Switch games — I'd be keen to get your expert advice on top choices in that regard!
@MegaWatts Glad they’re useful I was thinking a while back about games to help combat stress. So many have the opposite effect! I’ll ruminate on it 👍
@CharlieGirl
Are you colorblind yourself? Someone at my workplace is color blind, and he has trouble identifying blues and purples (which ironically they sent him on a dumb course to know what color category a person is XD).
Puyo Tetros / Champions allows you to change the style of the Puyo and Tetris pieces. One of the Puyo options allows the Puyos to display the first letter of the color:
R = Red
B = Blue
G = Green
Y = Yellow
B = Black
I don't know how helpful that is to people who are colorblind, and personally, I would prefer matching colors instead of letters.
Puyo 2 Sega Ages for the Switch does have an option where you can change the colors of each of the Puyos. So the colors you are having trouble identifying, you can set to what is easier on your eyes. It maybe worth giving that version a go if you want to try the Puyo series.
Donuty County is the best sub-two hour experience I've had in years and Lumines Remastered is the best drop-puzzler not named Tetris.
Elechead and Toodee & Topdee should totally be on this list. Fantastic puzzle platformers, just like Portal is.
Sushi striker and battle chef brigade are my favorites.
@Maulbert There are not too many puzzle games that are designed for versus co-op. Maybe it shines better when playing against someone else?
I actually have quite a few of these. But I want to add to the discussion more. An obvious miss is probably Catherine Full Body, technically still a puzzle game.
And now I want to mention a few games for people that like to go off the beaten path.
I would say look at "Infini" if you like weirdness and stories intertwined with your puzzles. Also, look at mini-Trains, it's a little bare bones, but it's puzzles are interesting.
Also, just for diversity, check out Pudding Monsters. It definitely feels like a mobile port, but it's a well done port. It also might be the ONLY game that is both touch screen only and tate mode only. It has a lot of personality (as opposed to mini-Trains), and some puzzles that are really stump you.
Some great titles... don't overlook "Mr. Driller" as it's a fully realized, AAA quality console game from the GameCube era that we finally got an English version of.
Amongst my favourite genres in gaming and I have played and enjoyed all of thos games bar Tricky Towers and 7 Billion Humans. They are all either decent, good or excellent. The Switch is a great console for puzzle, brain and strategy games. My favourites out of this list are the Tetris games, Captain Toad and Gorogoa. I'd recommend all the others too though
@Royalblues I'd argue that fitting matching pieces together until you win makes it a lot closer to real world puzzle games than most of the other entries, though obviously the broader definition of a puzzle as something that's difficult to solve is a bit more flexible.
❗️I only have 'Toad: Treasure Tracker' as I liked it on the 3DS.
While you're adding things, I'd throw PAN-PAN, The Room, and Flood of Light on here. By the way, I can see there's already some overlap, but wouldn't Portal be more appropriate for the puzzle platformer list?
@Royalblues Fair enough. I'm just saying they look a lot closer to what most people would call a puzzle than something like Portal or Toki Tori. You know, like a rubik's cube or a box with a thousand pieces in it or one of those things where there's one empty square and you need to slide the rest around. Most of those just involve matching up shapes or colors.
Six Wii U ports, but I may have missed a few.
Captain Toad and Baba is You on this list are both great puzzle games.
One of my favorites not on this Iist is the rpg-one-room-puzzle game Dungeon of Dreadrock. Switch also has a ton of great puzzle-platformers (Wunderling comes to mind but there are a lot).
Tetris games are great too of course, they're just not what I would really call 'puzzle' in the same sense (Tetris and matching, bubble pop etc games really just need a different category). I also really enjoyed Gardens Between but the puzzle aspects were pretty light, it was mostly just pretty and had a nice mood, with almost a point-and-click vibe.
I think puzzle is a bit of an over-loaded and hugely varied game category and you could easily make a Switch list 10 times this long with great games.
@CharlieGirl Seconded. Blue and purple puyos are wayyyy too similar in color. Tetris is fine.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 has a colorblind mode, but it doesn't do much to help me.
Many of these games gave me hours and hours of enjoyment. Captain toad, Gardens Between and Lumines etc. One I would add is the Quell games. They are nice to look at, peaceful, with a gradual learning curve.
@RadioShadow It's totally the blues and purples that get me. Can't speak for @CharlieGirl, but I'm red-green colorblind, so anything with red hue shading (like purple) is hard to differentiate.
Fun fact, any male biological children of a woman who is colorblind has 100% chance of also being colorblind. Thanks, Mom!
Tricky Towers is very good. It's a game that needs a sequel!
What about Money Puzzle Exchanger? I wish the port had an online mode, but still. It one of the best arcade puzzlers.
The Turing Test should be on here. Pretty cool game with a lot of atmosphere and you can pick it up really cheap on sale.
I was also impressed with Q.U.B.E, 2
My favourite puzzle game that I've played so far on Switch isn't even a Switch game: it's Mario Picross on the SNES NSO service. It is by far one of the most relaxing and satisfying puzzle games I've ever played and I would highly recommend it to anyone with Switch Online. I have also been meaning to get Captain Toad though since I quite liked the demo and it's camera moving shenanigans seem right up my alley.
I don’t trust this list, as Superliminal isn’t listed, and am highly disappointed by that that. That game was profound!
@geo-shifter : I blind-bought Super Rare's release of that and really, really enjoyed it. In fact, it's one of few Switch games that I've seen to completion. Quite a relaxing, unique, and immersive experience.
In hindsight, I'm particularly glad that I didn't spoil myself by watching any footage of the game before the fact, as it's not often that I buy a game based solely on instinct.
I blinking love Grindstone. So glad it got a mention in this list. Sure, it's not perfect, but I have been playing it on and off for the last few months and I still haven't finished the Main Quest.
@BlueMoose I'm among the 0.5% of women with some form of colorblindness (protonopia).
YAY ME 🥴
Puzzle Bobble not being here is a sin.
@Silly_G Yeah. I’ve played through twice, and then have gone back to play specific sequences. I try to space the play time out to give myself time to forget the puzzles. I wish I could mind zap to forget and play all over again.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is as much of a puzzle game as it is an RPG.
Puzzle games have definitely grown more on me with the Switch as I like the pickup & play, quick game session appeal of them.
Def wishlisted and piqued by Gorogoa, Lumines, Boxboy + Boxgirl to check out sometime eventually.
For this Puzzle Games list I’d also add:
I’d love to see more intriguing entries in the genre keep coming. (Also I’m looking at you Taito, we need a new Bust-A-Move game on Switch!)
… Wun can only hope.
Puyo Puyo and Touhou Spell Bubble are mad fun
I really wish Captain Toad Treasure Tracker would get a sequel, it's so fun and charming and unique.
wHaT aBoUt tEaRs oF tHe kInGdOm?
But seriously, Art of Balance is one of the best puzzle games I've ever played, and it's super relaxing.
@ModdedInkling I didn't even think about Origami King as being a puzzle game until I read your post, but you're absolutely right. And I actually consider Origami King to be more of an action/adventure game with RPG elements.
My current obsession is Wario’s Woods for NES on Switch Online. I just discovered it and it’s brilliant.
I wish pushmo was on this list…
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