Complex puzzle games are one of the massive foundations of the entire gaming industry. Their story began at the dawn of the history of all humanity when people designed the first games and activities that required problem-solving skills. And how did this story unfold?

The first adaptations of well-known entertainments like Rubik’s Cube or board games found their place on Atari consoles. And then it all just happened! Today, the most challenging puzzle video games are often first-person adventures that guarantee immersion and huge worlds to explore.

However, when the developers of these games got carried away by creativity in producing the most detailed challenges possible – many players confronted tasks that seemed impossible to solve. Gradually created walkthroughs and guides for the gameplay came to help. But what if you would like to accept the challenge and play the most difficult puzzle games on your own? Well, the best is ahead of you! Here is a list of the hard puzzle games that will change your life forever.

Hardest Puzzle Video Games
GameReleaseGenreDeveloper
The Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition 2009-07-15 Adventure LucasArts
Grim Fandango Remastered 2015-01-26 Adventure Double Fine Productions
Fez 2013-05-01 Adventure Polytron Corporation
Baba Is You 2019-03-13 Indie Hempuli Oy
Armikrog 2015-09-30 Adventure Pencil Test Studios
Portal 2 2011-04-18 Adventure Valve
Mages Of Mystralia 2017-05-18 Action & Shooter Borealys Games
Myst 2021-08-26 Graphic adventure, puzzle Cyan
The Talos Principle 2014-12-11 Adventure Croteam
Syberia 2002-09-01 Adventure Microïds Canada

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

Release:2009-07-15
Genre:Adventure
Developer:LucasArts

It is a refreshed version of the video game from 1990, produced by LucasArts. In this humorous adventure tale, you will play as Guybrush Threepwood – a boy who wants to become a pirate. Get ready for the fight, love, travel, and surprising discoveries! But is it going to be such an easy adventure?

The Secret of Monkey Island is a point-and-click game where you will meet dozens of memorable characters, enjoy an addictive soundtrack and travel through beautiful settings. However, there will be some tricky logic quests and puzzles that will require cleverness and reasoning skills. Although it is one of these difficult puzzles games, every determined player can complete it. And this is confirmed by thousands of enthusiastic comments on Steam.

Key features
  • Start your adventure in the fantastic world of pirates
  • Solve puzzles and discover the following chapters of the game
  • Choose dialogue options and enjoy the vibrant personalities of the characters you meet
  • Collect items and use them to solve puzzles

Grim Fandango Remastered

Release:2015-01-26
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Double Fine Productions

It is a remastered version of the adventure video game from 1998, refreshed by Double Fine Productions. It is a title that many players on Steam consider their absolute favorite. And the release of the remaster has successfully encouraged all fans to relive this dark and hilarious story.

Welcome to the most original vision of the afterlife, where the atmosphere of old crime fiction mingles with colorful Mexican beliefs. Meet Manny Calavera – a deceased employee of an afterdeath travel agency that decides who will go to heaven today and who will go there sometime later. Learn the secrets of his work and get carried away by the intrigue. It’s an adventure of exploring, meeting fantastic heroes, and solving puzzles! And the latter will not be the easiest ones, but they will provide a lot of satisfaction with their solution. The whole thing complements a wild and crazy jazz soundtrack and perfect voice acting, enriched with improved controls in the remastered version.

Key features
  • Play as an employee of an afterlife travel agency
  • Get involved in a dark plot headed by the gangster underworld
  • Explore colorful locations and meet hilarious characters
  • Solve challenging puzzles to discover scraps of mystery

Fez

Release:2013-05-01
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Polytron Corporation

Discover a world where nothing is as it seems! Fez is a platform video game set in a charming pixel-art world straight out of your favorite old retro games. It’s also a sure title to surprise you more than once.

Play as Gomez, a pixelated guy who one day discovers that his whole world is not just about 2D. The brave hero sets off on an incredible journey to discover the 3D dimension and face its obstacles. Direct his actions, overcome levels and solve dozens of challenging puzzles. Their difficulty may prove to be a tough nut to crack, but all you need is a little focus to complete the game on your own. All this in a fabulously colorful audiovisual setting that will make your adventure one of a kind!

Key features
  • Guide the fate of determined Gomez
  • Travel through various levels to discover all the secrets of your world
  • Rotate the camera to reveal platform elements in 3D
  • Solve challenging puzzles and continue your journey

Baba Is You

Release:2019-03-13
Genre:Indie
Developer:Hempuli Oy

It is an indie puzzle game from 2019, produced by the Finnish studio Hempuli Oy. Welcome to a world where each level is a puzzle and a task for you to solve! In the most unobvious way, you can think of.

Control the hero to overcome the following levels. In Baba Is You, you take control of blocks with specific messages, the adjustment of which can completely change the course of the entire gameplay. Your hero can turn into anything, and the background itself can completely transform. What’s more, an editor in the game will allow you to design your levels. This game is a challenge for people of all ages!

Key features
  • Take control of the hero’s actions and lead him through a hundred levels of gameplay
  • Adjust blocks to get the desired effect
  • Solve puzzles and discover their logical simplicity
  • Design your levels, and create a campaign

Amikrog

Release:2015-09-30
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Pencil Test Studios

It is an indie adventure video game from the creators of The Neverhood (1996), in which you will play as a crazy traveler voyaging through a strange, clay world. Solve puzzles and discover scraps of a foreign planet’s history to get out of this bizarre land once and for all!

Play as Tommynaut, who crashes on a mysterious planet in the Amikrog fortress. You will soon discover it is a location full of history, living a life of its own. To get out of this place, you have to solve many very complicated puzzles, requiring writing down data on a piece of paper or enjoying exceptional memory. One thing you can be sure of – although challenging, this adventure will be hilarious!

Key features
  • Play as Tommynaut and embark on the adventure of your life
  • Explore the labyrinth of the Amikrog fortress and try getting out of it
  • Solve complex puzzles to discover new levels of gameplay
  • Learn the mystery of Amikrog and become part of its story

Portal 2

Release:2011-04-18
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Valve

It is time to test all humanity. And you will be the only champion! Play a puzzle video game from Valve in which you’ll have to get out of a research facility controlled by malicious artificial intelligence.

All you have at your disposal is the gun portal and your brain. Can you complete a series of challenging puzzles created by artificial intelligence? Check on your own! It is a dark but fun story about the fall of humanity and the robots’ former glory. Meet the hilarious heroes of this unique game and travel through the rooms to find your way out. Although first puzzles are simple, you will soon discover that higher and higher levels can effectively break your brain.

Key features
  • Play as a hero trying to get out of a research facility
  • Meet the hilarious robots and discover the secrets of this place
  • Use the portal gun to create passages and solve puzzles
  • Analyze the layout and equipment of each room to continue your journey

Myst

Release:2021-08-26
Genre:Graphic adventure, puzzle
Developer:Cyan

This video game is a real treat for all fans of detailed secrets. Play on PC or enter virtual reality to deepen your experience of this unique story shrouded in secrets.

You find yourself on a mystical island that hides many secrets. Go on a journey full of surprises to discover them all and recognize the meaning of this place. Collect books and travel to the Ages to get even more clues and pieces of information. Myst is a recommendation for anyone who appreciates complex puzzle video games and a surreal arrangement of the game world.

Key features
  • Play as a traveler who explores a mysterious island
  • Explore the unknown land and learn its many secrets
  • Solve challenging logic puzzles to get new pieces of information
  • Get carried away by the magical atmosphere of the game

The Talos Principle

Release:2014-12-11
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Croteam

Who are you? Or maybe – why are you? In this video game, you have the chance to learn the answers to these tricky questions. The Talos Principle will set you up with a series of complicated quests that will soon awake all your doubts about the purpose and meaning of your existence.

Follow the voice and solve puzzles. You will encounter both child’s play quests, as well as challenging ones. Each of them will reveal new elements of the story that you create yourself. But are you indeed a creator? This game is a philosophical journey through the sense of existence, human history, knowledge, and curiosity. It is a unique proposition for those who are unafraid of discovering themselves.

Key features
  • Play as the hero whose task is to solve over a hundred puzzles
  • Use the elements of the environment to find answers
  • Learn parts of the story and draw conclusions
  • Make crucial decisions that will end the game

Syberia

Release:2002-09-01
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Microïds Canada

It is a point-and-click adventure game in which you’ll become part of the most addictive story ever. Set off on a journey that will change your life and show you corners of Europe that you have never known before.

American lawyer Kate Walker embarks on a business trip that will trigger a series of totally unbelievable events. Following the footsteps of the only heir of a toy factory, she will go on an adventure to face her weaknesses and meet many intriguing heroes. It is a game that will delight you with its audiovisual setting and will reveal the dark shadows of secrets and the bright sides of life. What’s more, it also allows you to set the difficulty levels, which can help while solving complex puzzles.

Key features
  • Play as a young lawyer and embark on a secret journey through Europe
  • Explore and solve difficult puzzles
  • Discover mysteries and find your place in this adventure
  • Get carried away by a captivating story and make decisions that will determine the course of the game

The hardest puzzle games are often the cause of growing frustration. It is where we have to face ourselves and use all our attention to solve one little puzzle that leads to another and then to another! Sounds like a definition of masochism? Don’t worry – one has nothing to do with the other.

Difficult puzzle games can be a challenge for inexperienced players, but all the puzzles turn out to be quite alike. Their mechanisms are similar and structures are easier to find as the game progresses. These games are also a real blessing for developing problem-solving skills. They create the ability to overcome unnecessary obstacles, not only in the game but also in life. But what’s the profit when the whole process seems like mentally challenging work? Ah, the one that puzzle game fans love the most – the sweet satisfaction.