Puzzle games are straightforward: they’re all about teasing your brain in a fun way, with a knack for getting your mind working and helping you focus while ensuring you have a blast. They hit that sweet spot between making you think and keeping things super fun when you just want to chill and kill time.
When we think of mobile gaming, the puzzle genre definitely pops up as a top choice. It makes sense if you think about it, really. The top mobile puzzle games are usually enjoyable on a touchscreen device, ideal for quick breaks during rides back home or whenever you’ve got a second. They get the stop-and-go vibe of mobile gaming.
The Play Store and App Store are flooded with some seriously good puzzlers, no doubt. We’ve moved past the era of basic mechanics and goofy graphics – now you can find high-budget titles with evoking stories and slick visuals, too. But there’s also a bunch of copycats riding the wave of popular ones.
We’re here to sort through the clutter and bring you the absolute cream of the crop in this roundup of the top mobile puzzle games for Android and iOS.
Two Dots
Two Dots is a follow-up to the hit 2013 mobile game Dots, which hit phones back in 2013. Easy to start, tough to master, and seriously addictive. This sequel ramps up the experience by adding more power-ups and a story mode, with over 5000 levels divided into different worlds, each with its own challenges, missions, and themes.
The gameplay sticks to its simple roots: link up dots of the same color without going diagonal and wrap it all up within a set number of moves. The initial levels ease you in, but then it cranks up the difficulty. Dots will drop, except not where you’d like ’em. Make the longest chains possible and hunt down those squares. Making a square wipes out all dots of that color, a move you’ll need to master as the game heats up.
If you want more, dive into the weekly Treasure Hunt for a global showdown across seven levels, or unlock the Expedition Mode for an extra challenge.
Two Dots is a chill puzzle journey with loads of variety, charm, and a super minimalist style. It’s big on rewards, giving you that sweet serotonin kick now and then. Plus, it’s got serious replay value, and don’t even get us started on that soundtrack—it’s pretty relaxing.
Monument Valley 1 & 2
Monument Valley stands tall as one of the mobile platform’s ultimate puzzle games, hitting mega-success by bagging the Apple Design Award in 2014. It’s been a massive hit, selling millions of copies and staying close to the hearts of puzzle aficionados everywhere.
With breathtaking art and relaxing sound design, Monument Valley plunges you into Ada’s shoes, a princess navigating through abstract mazes with structures to manipulate in unexpected ways and pave her path to the goal.
Inspired by the art of Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher, each puzzle is a miniature masterpiece, with mind-bending architecture alongside elements of impossible objects and optical illusions. The diorama art is applause-worthy, and the soundtrack is ethereal.
This game, in some ways, flips your perspective, nudging you to see things differently. The puzzles aren’t overly tough; they’re more about chilling out than breaking a sweat. The OG game packs in a handful of levels, plus two add-on expansions for a bit more fun.
Monument Valley 2 follows suit, keeping the same charm but throwing in a few fresh twists. Both are premium titles, though they’re also included with the Apple Arcade and Play Pass subscriptions.
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Word Cookies!
Word Cookies is an addictive word puzzle game jam-packed with over 2000 levels to put your spelling and vocab chops to the test. The aim is to form words by sliding your finger across the letters they’ve dished out. And as you keep going, you can stack up rewards by filling that cookie jar.
It’s a fun and educational ride where you can play at your own pace without time limits set Plus, it’s free to dive in with ads (or you can chuck the ads with a VIP subscription). Feeling stuck? No worries, there are hints to bail you out. And if that’s not enough, a sneaky peek at wordscookiesanswers.com can help tackle those daily puzzles.
Wordament
Another word puzzle game we recommend checking out is Wordament, developed by Microsoft Studios and first debuted in 2012 for Windows Phone. The relaxing word game has made its way to Android and iOS since then, now with hundreds of non-timed levels alongside random daily challenges of three unique modes of varying difficulties.
Your goal is to link adjacent or diagonal tiles to find words with three or more letters within a 4×4 grid while avoiding abbreviations and proper nouns. Slide your finger through tiles to form words; each tile works once. Some tiles have double letters or special roles: slashes mean you get two letters to work with, while dashes represent prefixes or suffixes.
Wordament also features a Multiplayer game mode where you compete with hundreds of other players in real-time rounds, sometimes with challenges like themed words, two and three-letter tiles, etc. The more words you find, the higher the score and, in turn, a higher rank on the leaderboards.
Wordament is free and has Xbox Live integration, so you can sign in with your Microsoft account to sync your progress and achievements across various devices.
Bridge Constructor Portal
The Portal franchise is the epitome of puzzle games—those portals you hop in and out of? Total brain benders. Bridge Constructor Portal is a genius mash-up of Headup Games’ Bridge Constructor series and Valve’s Portal.
Bridge Constructor rocks its physics-based simulation puzzles, but this spin-off grabs all the zany Portal and Aperture Laboratories goodness and mixes it with classic bridge-building fun.
You must go through sixty test chambers in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, loaded with portals, aerial faith plates, gels for propulsion and repulsion, and all the hazards: sentry turrets, laser fields, acid, you name it—while GLaDOS keeps an eye on you.
It’s this epic combo that bridges (pun intended) the gap between Bridge Constructor and Portal fans. Yeah, it’s a premium title, but for over ten hours of campaign fun, plus DLC for extra puzzles, it’s worth every penny for a puzzle lover.
Mini Metro
Mini Metro is yet another BAFTA award-winning strategy game that packs a serious puzzle punch. Think of it as your personal subway management playground. Your gig starts simple, which is to sketch out subway lines, linking up new stations as your city sprawls. The trick is to make sure commuters get where they’re going, pronto. That means rerouting transit lines and reallocating trainsets to handle the rush like a boss.
The game’s got this sleek, minimalist look with straight lines and bold colors, with the audio evolving as you build your mass-transit empire. There are four game modes to keep you hooked, making Mini Metro ideal to play while you’re actually on the go.
It’s all about planning and timing—getting those trains where they need to be, when they need to be there. Tweak the difficulty, aim for achievements—trust us, 20+ hours of chill-out gameplay? That’s bang for your buck.
The Room Series
Fireproof Games’ The Room as a mobile puzzle franchise has earned serious critical acclaim. With four mind-boosting installments under its belt, the series is a throwback to point-and-click adventures from an era gone by.
Puzzle boxes are a trip—a whole world packed into a single object, daring you to crack it open out of pure curiosity. The Room nails this experience, giving you a pocket-sized enigma with bizarre yet sublime puzzles that demand your problem-solving skills. It hooks you with surprises; every stage dishes out something fresh that’ll keep even pros guessing.
The newer titles lean on a gripping narrative as well, with the most recent entry, Old Sins, set in a devious dollhouse. They’re relatively short and sweet, and you don’t have to play ’em in order. Add in the top-notch graphics and haunting atmospheric audio, and you’ve got a mystery worth unraveling.
The Room is a premium title but reasonably affordable, ranging from $0.99 to $4.99 each. No ads, no sneaky transactions—just spooky puzzling that keeps you on edge.
Lara Croft GO
In a game series, sometimes one entry doesn’t quite measure up. Square Enix Montréal’s turn-based “GO” puzzle series is an example. Hitman GO got tangled up in weird turn-count challenges that felt more like time fillers than fresh content. Deus Ex GO’s big plans for daily levels and community puzzles didn’t quite hit the mark. But Lara Croft Go? It’s the crème de la crème.
Athletic and daring, Lara’s GO game tosses her into turn-based puzzles where she navigates deadly traps and menacing foes across 115 levels, split into seven chapters set in the ruins of a long-forgotten ancient civilization.
This award-winning game grabs you with stunning isometric visuals and captivating OST and keeps you hooked on increasingly tough puzzles. There’s unlockable stuff and intense turn-based action to keep the adrenaline pumping and even the sharpest minds fully engaged. And just like the other two GO titles, you have several ways to crack a level.
Final Piece
The top mobile puzzle games seem so easy at first glance but can really twist your brain. It’s wild how a puzzle can go from impossible to “Eureka!” in a flash.
Of course, puzzle games on smartphones are a match made in paradise. The intuitive touch controls make them super easy to pick up whenever you have a few moments to spare, a far better choice than getting sucked into endless scrolling.
In our roundup, we’ve highlighted some beautifully crafted games—real gems in the Play Store and App Store that’ll keep your brain buzzing for hours. Each one’s a solid investment, but hey, if you’re on a budget, there are plenty of freebies to keep you puzzling away!
Looking for more? Here’s a bonus round:
