It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch isn’t the most powerful console on the market. There are still plenty of Switch games with great graphics, but the best Switch games tend to focus more on style and gameplay than anything else. Puzzle games already have a massive appeal, but the Switch might be the most popular place to play them. Since you can play the system on the TV or in handheld mode, you can take your puzzles on the go to challenge your brain whenever and wherever you are. Puzzle games come in a ton of different forms that test your mental skills in different ways. If you are looking to keep your mind sharp with the best puzzle games on the Switch, these are the ones to play.
If you are looking for the best puzzle games on PS5, we have a list for that, too!
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Picross S+
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Strategy
Developer
Jupiter Corporation
Release
February 29, 2024
If you’ve never played a Picross game before but love Sodoku, Picross S+ will be your new obsession. It is played on a grid like Sodoku, but instead of trying to fill in every square with unique numbers, you are tasked with trying to determine which squares need to be crossed out and which are left blank based on the numbers lining the top and sides of the puzzle. It is a process of elimination game, again like Sodoku, but in a way just different enough to feel fresh and satisfying. Plus, unlike Sodoku, each puzzle is also a picture that you’re slowly creating. This can help give you clues once you start to realize what image you’re building, plus gives you a cool treat for finishing beyond just a grid filled with numbers.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
67%
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Platform, Puzzle
Developer
Nintendo Software Technology, Nintendo EPD
Publisher
1-UP Studio, Nintendo
Release
July 13, 2018
Most of the best Wii U games got a port to Nintendo Switch, including the brilliant Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. While there is something lost by not playing it with the gamepad, it is still a delightful little puzzler staring the unlikely hero Captain Toad. Each level is a mini-diorama where you need to navigate the stage without the ability to jump. This is trickier than it sounds, but never to the point of frustration. This is a perfect puzzle game for kids to play with a parent. It is friendly, can be played in short bursts, and teaches great critical thinking skills. If you’re a more hardcore puzzle player, however, this one might be a bit too easy for you.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
90%
Platforms
PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Simogo
Publisher
Annapurna Interactive
Release
May 16, 2024
If you are the more hardcore puzzle gamer, then Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is exactly what you’re looking for. Besides being a visual treat, the puzzle design in this game is on another level. You are exploring a mansion filled with over 150 puzzles that can be approached in almost any order as you explore, giving you some freedom to make progress somewhere else if one puzzle has you stumped. We can’t properly fit this game into one genre of puzzle game since it constantly evolves and shifts, but still maintains a cohesive vision. Every bit of text and knowledge you get is important, but it takes a lot of lateral thinking and investing yourself in this wild world.
Baba is You
81%
Platforms
Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Strategy, Indie
Developer
hempuli
Publisher
hempuli
Release
March 13, 2019
You might think a game that lets you rewrite its rules would make for an easy puzzle game, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Baba Is You lets you do just that by moving around the words that define every part of the game, such as what you are, what the goal is, what can hurt you, and more. All you can do is move and push things, but because you have so much freedom it takes that much more thought to know what is the right move or in what order things should be done. It demands that you think beyond the normal bounds of what you can do in a video game. If you are addicted to that “ah-ha!” moment, Baba Is You will constantly reward you with them.
Tetris Effect: Connected
93%
Platforms
Meta Quest 2, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation VR2, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest
Genre
Music, Puzzle, Indie, Arcade
Developer
Monstars, Resonair
Publisher
Enhance
Release
May 14, 2020
We all know and love Tetris, right? It is the most popular puzzle game ever made, so the latest version called Tetris Effect: Connected deserves a spot on this list. We all know how it works by now. Different shaped tetrominoes fall from the top of the screen that you need to build into a wall to delete rows and last as long as you can as the speed increases. This version sticks to the same gameplay formula but delivers it in an audio-visual landscape that elevates the flow you reach while playing to almost meditative levels. You can also play with friends in this version to puzzle together.
Bridge Constructor Portal
72%
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Simulator, Strategy
Developer
ClockStone Studios
Publisher
Headup Games
Release
December 20, 2017
You have plenty of options for bridge-building games on Switch, but none have the charm or character of Bridge Constructor Portal. Mixing the gameplay of building bridges to complete various tasks with the world of Portal, you get a game that might as well be a spinoff from that main series. You need to build bridges with struts and cables to carry a truck from one end of the stage to the other, but need to do so in a way where the bridge is stable and avoids dangers. Being a Portal game, portals, fluids, turrets, and lasers will all add wrinkles to the stages. So long as you can get at least one truck through the stage, you pass, but getting all the trucks across using as few resources as possible will earn you a high score.
Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy - Deluxe Edition
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Adventure
Developer
LEVEL-5
Publisher
LEVEL-5
Release
November 08, 2019
Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy started out as a 3DS game but got a new release on Switch to let us enjoy the latest narrative detective game. Instead of playing as the titular Hershel Layton, you play as his daughter Kat solving puzzles in London with the help of her talking dog. The game is broken up into 12 cases that require you to scour environments, put together clues, and deduce what really happened. It is a friendly, cozy, and wholesome puzzler that is great for all ages.
