Best Puzzle Video Games to Level Up Problem Solving Skills
Tags: problemsolving, gaming, linux, puzzle
Published: 2019-12-06 11:04:24

---
title: Best Puzzle Video Games to Level Up Problem Solving Skills
published: true
description: Level up your problem solving skills with the best puzzle video games on Steam Linux.
tags: problem solving, gaming, linux, puzzle
canonical_url: http://jarednielsen.com/puzzle-video-games-problem-solving/
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/omfrf81dpnf31j782def.png
---


_This post originally published on [jarednielsen.com](http://jarednielsen.com/puzzle-video-games-problem-solving/)_

If you’re like me, it’s hard to turn off the problem-solving part of the brain and just relax. That’s why puzzle video games were invented! Here’s a list of the best puzzle video games to level up your problem solving skills. By best I mean my favorites. Many of the games on this list are not purely puzzle, but are also not necessarily action, as they require little to no dexterity with keyboard or controller. What distinguishes them from their genres is an emphasis on problem solving in the game play. 


## Criteria for Best Puzzle Video Game

* Low barrier to entry (hand-eye coordination is not a prerequisite)
    * This is my biggest criticism of many so-called puzzle platformers: the ‘solutions’ require a serious degree of dexterity

* Sustained interest
    * Most pure puzzle games don’t bring me back for repeated play

* Compatible with Linux
    * If it’s compatible with Linux it’s most likely cross-platform on Windows and Apple, too.


## Best Puzzle Video Games to Level Up Problem Solving Skills

### The 7th Guest 

I remember playing the original _The 7th Guest_ as a youth on my Windows box. It was one of the first games to ship on CD rather than floppy disk. The puzzles are hard, and back then the only way to get hints was to dial in on BBS, which was ridiculously slow, and even more expensive. It still holds up, considering it was released almost 30 years ago. It’s also fascinating as a timepiece to see how the developers cleverly negotiated the limits of the medium. 

[The 7th Guest on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1048430/The_7th_Guest__Legacy_Edition_English_VoiceOnly/) | [Wikipedia: The 7th Guest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7th_Guest)


### Portal 2 

This list can’t begin without a nod to [Valve](https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/). Not only does Portal 2 require you to rethink the FPS genre, the cooperative play forces players to coordinate solutions to problems _together_. The first game in the series was brilliant, but it’s this collaborative aspect that makes _Portal 2_ genius. 

[Portal 2 on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/620/Portal_2/) | [Official Site: Think With Portals](http://www.thinkwithportals.com/)

* See also: The TALOS Principle

### Hidden Folks 

_Hidden Folks_ is my favorite game of all time. It’s less game and more puzzle book, in the spirit of _Where’s Waldo?_, the difference being that the tableaus are animated and interactive. Each scene requires you to find a set number of “hidden folks” or objects in order to progress to the next level. The “mouth sounds” are even more charming than the drawings. 

[Hidden Folks on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/8978/Hidden_Folks_EVERYTHING/) | [Official Site](https://hiddenfolks.com/)


### Stephen’s Sausage Roll 

I love watching the expressions on the faces of friends and family when I describe _Stephen’s Sausage Roll_. The premise _is_ ridiculous and even more addictive. Each puzzle is an island. home to a grill and one or more raw sausages. Your goal is to cook the sausage(s) evenly, on both sides and both ends, without burning.  Whatever you do, don’t cheat. Savor it.

[Stephen's Sausage Roll on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/353540/Stephens_Sausage_Roll/) | [Official Site: Stephen's Sausage Roll](https://www.stephenssausageroll.com/)


### Antichamber 

_Antichamber_ is a mind-bending “FPS” that subverts “the rules” of 3D CG space. I put FPS in scare quotes because the guns you acquire as a player are puzzles in themselves. Every problem is structured around its own logic, so, just when you think you’ve got it, you’ve got to think again. And again. And again...

[Antichamber on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/219890/Antichamber/) | [Official Site: Antichamber](http://www.antichamber-game.com/)

* See also: Parallax


### Baba Is You

So you’re a sheep and you push blocks of text around maze-like landscapes to complete logical statements that alter the gameplay and/or the environment. Sounds simple and straightforward? The trick is to not fall into the trap of computational thinking. This isn’t [Scratch](https://scratch.mit.edu/), it’s _dysfunctional_ programming.

[Baba Is You on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/) | [Official Site: Baba Is You](https://hempuli.com/baba/)


### World of Goo

_World of Goo_ is a surreal, physics-based “bridge builder”, in which you overcome gravity by building structures, such as bridges and towers, out of balls of goo to achieve various goals, level-by-level. 

[World of Goo on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/22000/World_of_Goo/) | [Official Site: World of Goo](https://2dboy.com/)

* See also: Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine


### The Bridge

_The Bridge_ is influenced by M. C. Escher in both style and form. The graphics are hand-drawn in black & white and the puzzles are mathematically inspired impossible objects. The solutions to the problems are achieved by rotating the 2D “landscapes” to move objects via gravity and connect passages for your avatar. 

[The Bridge on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/204240/The_Bridge/) | [Official Site: The Bridge](http://www.thebridgeisblackandwhite.com/)

* See also: The Gardens Between


### Pony Island

Any attempt to explain this game will ruin the magic. It’s $5. Just get it. 

[Pony Island on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/405640/Pony_Island/) | [Official Site: Pony Island](https://www.pony-island.com/)


### The Swapper

_The Swapper_ is the only true “platformer” on the list. While platformers are my least favorite genre of puzzle game, _The Swapper_ takes it next-level with “cloning”. Problems are solved by creating copies of your avatar and strategically positioning them in the environments to trigger events. The atmosphere is beautiful and moody, composed of handcrafted assets and claymation. 

[The Swapper on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/231160/The_Swapper/) | [Official Site: The Swapper](https://facepalmgames.com/the-swapper/)

* See  also: Fez, Limbo, Thomas Was Alone


What are your favorite puzzle video games for problem solving? Let me know [@jarednielsen on Twitter](https://twitter.com/jarednielsen)


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