Portal: Companion Collection (Switch eShop)

It's hard to overstate our satisfaction with Portal: Companion Collection. Portal and Portal 2 felt incredibly fresh when they first released, and the years since have not diminished their immense impact. To now have two of the most unique and mind-bending puzzle games on a Nintendo console, and on-the-go if you choose, is a pure joy.

If it weren't for the frequent load screens punctuating the experience, we'd have absolutely nothing to complain about here. The motion controls work like a dream, the games run at a near-rock-solid 60fps, and the writing remains as funny now as it did all those years ago. If you haven't played the Portal games before, this should be a no-brainer. If you have... well, just play them again.

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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition (Switch eShop)

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition is a worthwhile remake of a somewhat obscure puzzle classic. Its clever integration of light RPG elements on top of the puzzling action gives it an impressive amount of strategic depth, while the rotating cast of characters and factions offer plenty of variety in unit types and playstyles across its run.

Though we were put off a bit by its difficulty spikes and the woes of RNG, add a strong multiplayer component and this is ultimately a game that we’d give a strong recommendation.

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A Little To The Left (Switch eShop)

When it all clicks, A Little To The Left provides an experience that is a weird mingling of the semi-passive and viscerally intrusive. It is only the occasions when tiny touch targets cry out for a mouse pointer that the magic falls away. Once that happens, the plainer, less surprising puzzles aren’t able to carry the show on their own.

As a piece, it can’t always sustain its best rhythm, but when it does, it's stimulating, quiet, and memorable.

Chants of Sennaar (Switch eShop)

Chants of Sennaar is defined by its peaks as its valleys. For every moment of mind-blowing, brilliant puzzle design comes an inversely frustrating moment stymied by '90s adventure game logic. The game's ability to teach a player aspects of a language is awe-inspiring, and its way of guiding players along with as little information as possible is intensely rewarding - when it works.

Even though it isn't for everyone (or consistently excellent), it's constantly impressive. If it clicks with you, it really clicks, as it did for some of us. If you're interested, we recommend checking out the free demo that's available on the eShop, which will help let you know whether or not this game might be up your alley.

COCOON (Switch eShop)

Cocoon is a fun and addictive puzzler. Its unique mechanics and gameplay had us glued to our screens, and it’s gorgeous to boot. Its lack of explicit story may come as a minor disappointment, and it's a consistently sub-30fps experience on Switch, but its performance never adversely affects the gameplay and if you love puzzles, this game will be an easy favourite — even if it flies by all too quickly.

And if you're playing on Switch 2, the extra power pushes this to a rock-solid 30fps. Lovely.

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! (Switch eShop)

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! does not come to Switch with a swathe of bells and whistles or make a host of changes to Game Freak's weirdest mash-up. It's a simple port of the Apple Arcade version — which, in itself, made very few changes to the 3DS original — but with a game this great, that's no bad thing.

Sure, not much has changed since 2016 (even less since 2023), but this charming hybrid card-racer is absolutely worth taking for a ride wherever you can. Giddyap.

Botany Manor (Switch eShop)

It looks like The Witness and it plays a bit like StreetPass Garden, but Botany Manor blooms into something that's not only entirely its own, but also something quite special. Don't let its cosy aesthetics fool you — Botany Manor is packed with nicely challenging, well-designed puzzles, and isn't afraid to tackle heavy subjects, too.

The Star Named EOS (Switch eShop)

Like a photo, The Star Named EOS is a fleeting moment in time. During its all-too-short playthrough, the game gives us so much to love: between the art, the story, and the puzzles, we can't choose just one highlight. And once the credits rolled we already wanted to take another turn.

Puzzle games don’t have the best replay value, but we would be delighted to return to this one thanks to the tricksy teasers and compelling mother-son narrative. There’s not much more to say here — a photo is worth a thousand words.

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (Switch eShop)

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure dares to be different, and it succeeds with aplomb. By interweaving a heartwarming and inclusive story with addictive gameplay, Furniture & Mattress teaches us that puzzle games can be more than just a vehicle for making the cogs in your brain turn.

If you’re looking for pure puzzling, then the game won’t be for you, but a simple story and simple gameplay loop are both elevated to new heights because of the thought and care that’s gone into them.

Can of Wormholes (Switch eShop)

Wiggling onto Switch from solo dev Munted Finger, Can of Wormholes dares to open that proverbial can and launch squiggly bird food straight at a wonderful array of cross-dimensional puzzles. The variety is seriously impressive.

Challenges are grouped in sort of wormy spaceships, and hopping between ships – a meta-puzzle in its own right – introduces new concepts alongside new visual themes. But even within each ship, the range of logical tests is impressive, with new ideas stacked on top of each other continuously.

With ingenious puzzles, a high level of difficulty, and an educational hint system, be careful or this will have you hooked.

Monument Valley III (Switch eShop)

The confusing lack of touch controls aside, Monument Valley 3 lives up to its predecessors as an excellent little puzzler with stunningly presented, mind-tickling M.C.Escher-inspired structures.

Twisting those structures in various, perspective-altering ways, you open pathways for a small figure walking between screens of surreal architecture across land, sea, and sky - all sewn together with a delicate narrative thread.

Even though this mobile-developed gem is screaming to use the console's touchscreen, ultimately, it its absence isn't confounding enough to significantly affect your enjoyment of this slight but satisfying adventure.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Switch eShop)

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is one of the most unique-looking games you'll see on the Switch, and it's got the substance to back up the style. Channelling Nouvelle Vague cinematic inspiration into a surreal, disturbing adventure which sees the titular protagonist visit a padlock-and-puzzle-filled hotel, this game has a wicked sense of humour to go with its avant-garde stylings and brain-tickling conundrums.

Following on from developer Simogo's excellent Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lorelei's heavy emphasis on puzzles and its refusal to throw players a bone when they need help (it flags upfront that you'll need a pen and paper, and it isn't lying) may not be to everyone's tastes, but anyone up for a mental challenge in what's essentially an elaborate escape room will love it.

So that’s our list of Switch mind-bending essentials. Puzzled by our choices and think we’ve overlooked something? Which ones have sucked hours of your life away? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.