Puzzle games are among the most popular, ever. In fact, the most popular individual gaming franchise on mobile (Angry Birds) is a puzzle game. The genre has evolved consistently and developers have been finding new and exciting ways of teasing our brains, making us think, and stumping us entirely. It also helps that puzzle games are easily playable on mobile devices which has only helped skyrocket their popularity. Here is a list of the best puzzle games on Android.
2048
[Price: Free]
2048 is a popular and free puzzle game with a simple premise. You start with a bunch of tiles with the number two on them. You then combine them to create fours, and then you combine them again to make eights, etc until you can’t make anymore moves. It’s an excellent brain teaser with no story line or game play to get bogged down in so you can play for just a few minutes or a few hours if you want to. It’s a rehash of the game Threes! but comes with an even cheaper price tag.
Get it now on Google Play!
Agar.io
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Agar.io is a simple, multiplayer puzzle game where you start as a cell. You must swallow smaller cells to become larger while you avoid larger cells that are trying to eat you. It’s a simple idea but one that has really taken off in popular culture because it is genuinely fun to play. It’s entirely anonymous so you never know who you’re playing with and the game contains a ton of Easter eggs that you can find to make your cell more interesting. If you want to learn more, we took a closer look in our review!
Get it now on Google Play!
Cut the Rope: Magic
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Cut the Rope: Magic is the latest in the Cut the Rope franchise and continues the pedigree of being easily accessible, fun to play, and absolutely adorable. You play as a little monster named Om Nom and your goal is to get the pieces of candy in each level to Om Nom so that he can eat them. This is attained by using game mechanics in a clever manner. In this edition, you’ll also have transformation powers to help things along, boss fights, over 120 puzzles to complete, and it’s great for both kids and adults.
Get it now on Google Play!
Crossy Road
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Crossy Road is this generation’s Frogger mostly because the game mechanics are basically identical. You play as a chicken and you must cross various roads and streams without being hit by cars or drowning. It uses voxel-style graphics which adds a touch of retro to the experience which has gone over well with players and critics alike. It’s simple to play, family friendly, and there is even a Disney version that you can play that features Mickey Mouse and 99 other Disney characters.
Get it now on Google Play!
Futurama: Game of Drones
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Futurama: Game of Drones is a match-three style of game and one of the few that is bearable. The game features tons of the TV show’s trademark quirk followed closely with the kind of match-three puzzle gaming that people enjoyed with Candy Crush, Bejeweled Blitz, and similar games. Of course, in this game you actually have to match-four which adds a bit of difficulty to the game and there are plenty of levels to play through. All glory to the Hypnotoad.
Get it now on Google Play!
Lara Croft GO
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
Lara Croft GO was a smash hit in 2015 as one of the best puzzle games released that year. In this one, you play as Lara Croft as you proceed through various levels. You’ll have to get passed obstacles, bad guys, traps, and other obstacles to reach the end of the level. There are also hidden artifacts that you can find that unlock various achievements and outfits for Lara Croft. It’s a bit short, but Square Enix has been adding puzzles to help with longevity to keep people playing.
Get it now on Google Play!
Limbo
[Price: $4.99]
Limbo is a side scrolling adventure game that was one of the more unique puzzle games released for mobile in 2015. You play as a little boy who is trying to find his sister who has wandered into Limbo. The game plays like one giant side-scrolling level that takes several hours to complete. You’ll have a variety of challenges and puzzles to overcome. It received almost universal praise from critics and players alike. It’s $4.99 which is a bit much for how short the game is, but the game is really good.
Get it now on Google Play!
Monument Valley
[Price: $3.99 + $1.99]
Monument Valley is a critically acclaimed game that made copious use of geometry and illusions to craft some of the most beautifully done levels that we’ve seen in a puzzle game. The premise is that you play as a princess and you must get from point A to point B. Most elements in a level can be moved, spun, or otherwise engaged with to help with that endeavor and you’ll face some obstacles along the way. A few have lamented how short the game is, even with its expansions, but even the detractors can’t say anything wrong about the game aside from that.
Get it now on Google Play!
See also: The best free Android games!104
Pac-Man 256
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Pac-Man 256 is an endless runner puzzle game with puzzle elements from the Pac-Man franchise. You’ll play as Pac-Man and you’ll move through an endless map as you avoid ghosts, gain temporary powers, and increase your score. If you fall behind, the “glitch” will eat you and must start over again. Despite the modern additions, the game still requires a ton of puzzle solving skills as the ghosts will corner you over and over again. It’s fun, quick to play, and it’s about the best Pac-Man experience you can get on mobile.
Get it now on Google Play!
République
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
République is a masterfully done game with incredible graphics, complex mechanics, and an actual story line. At its core, though, it is probably the best escape game on mobile right now. You’re tasked with guiding a girl named Hope around surveillance cameras, guards, and various other puzzles and obstacles to get her safely out. There are deviations in the story so you can choose how everything goes down and, much like Telltale Games, you’ll have five episodes (packaged as in-app purchases) to play through to get the whole story. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s longer than most games and a total blast to play.
Get it now on Google Play!
The Room Three
[Price: $4.99]
The Room Three is the latest in a series of highly respected and fun puzzle games from Fireproof Games. The Room Three features a lot of puzzle games elements, including finding hidden items, solving complicated puzzles, and, as the name suggests, you’ll be trying to get through various rooms to the end. Each puzzle has the potential to be a puzzle within a puzzle and the clever method that it’s all done makes the game so much fun to figure out. The Room Three also features multiple endings which gives the game replay value and adds some much needed longevity, a problem that plagued both of the earlier games in the series.
Get it now on Google Play!
Telltale Games collection
[Price: Varies with in-app purchases]
Telltale Games is a developer studio that has released seven games to date. They are The Walking Dead seasons one and two, Game of Thrones, Minecraft: Story Mode, The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, and The Walking Dead: Michonne. These are all episodic, point-and-click puzzle games that take the genre to the next level. They feature masterfully done story telling with puzzles and obstacles that are easy enough for anyone to do, but challenging enough to be engaging. Each game has five episodes of content to play through and they all have good graphics, excellent voice-over work, cut scenes, story lines, and they all seem to do a good job keeping in check with the franchises they come from. You can’t go wrong with any of these games.
Get it now on Google Play!
World of Goo
[Price: $4.99]
World of Goo is another critically acclaimed puzzle game where you must build your way through each level. You’ll start with a giant pile of goo and you must extend them to form a bridge to the other side. The game physics and mechanics make this challenging and you’ll have to worry about counterbalancing and making sure you have enough goo to make it to the other side. There is also a free build mode where you can try to build the tallest goo structure that you can. It’s a tad pricey but there are no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Worms 4
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
The Worms series is well-known for its goofy atmosphere and fun game mechanics. You play as a team of worms and you must use a variety of weapons to defeat the other team of worms. The weapons can alter the landscape which makes that part of the challenge as well. Worms 4 continues the series with online multiplayer support, an 80+ level story mode, new weapons, weapons upgrades, and more. There are also daily challenges and some social elements. It’s a solid title and one that will keep you thinking.
Get it now on Google Play!
Zynga collection
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Zynga has a long line up of fun, multiplayer puzzle games. They include Draw Something, Words With Friends, Chess With Friends, Hanging With Friends, Gems With Friends, and WordStreak. These are more simple titles that let you do things like play chess, Scrabble, match-three, and other types of puzzle games online with friends. They’re easily accessible, you can play with friends or with strangers, and the mechanics make them quick and easy to play. They’re also family friendly, entirely free to play, and will challenge you in different ways.
Get it now on Google Play!
Related best app lists:
- Get your pack and prepare for an adventure with the best RPGs for Android!
- If match-3 is your style, here are the best games like Candy Crush (that aren’t Candy Crush)!
If we missed any of the best puzzle games for Android, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
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