1. Lumen
Price: Free Lumen (iOS) is an Apple-exclusive game that has you solving puzzles through the use of mirrors, lenses, and lights. You relive the discoveries of Olivia McLumen, a renowned Scottish inventor from the early 1900s who tucked away cinematic frames of her inventions in a cryptic antique box for you to restore. Your goal is to basically collect all the light bulbs and achieve the trophies across more than a hundred well-crafted levels that start off simple but steadily ramp up in difficulty as you move along. Lumen draws you in with its gorgeous vintage-style graphics and soothing mix of piano and brass music that never gets old, even after your hundredth level. If you need a break from matching colorful candies or tiles and want something a little classier, this game should be right up your alley. Lumen is exclusively available to Apple Arcade subscribers and is definitely worth a try if you’re a member.
2. Maze Machina
Price: Free Maze Machina (iOS | Android) puts you in the shoes of a tiny mouse who’s being held captive by an evil overlord known as Automatron. To curb his boredom, Automatron has our little hero reluctantly participate in their perpetually transforming mechanical maze, as you make your way past mischievous machines to get to the next section of the labyrinth. This game offers a truly unique puzzle experience through its turn-based mechanics. Your playing field is a 4×4 grid that you traverse using a series of swipes, with your enemies mimicking your every move. There are weapons you can pick up to combat your foes, but each of them has very specific limitations. The sword, for example, can only attack enemies that can’t move back any further and are directly in front of you, while the bow can hit baddies that are two spaces away or further. Once you get rid of the robots and pick up the key, you can head to the next room. Maze Machina is a highly strategic puzzler that requires foresight and planning. It may prove too difficult for the more casual gamer, but real puzzle fans will find a lot to love here. Gameplay isn’t the only highlight, either, as the game features beautifully rendered character models and an eye-catching overall design.
3. Sky: Children of Light
Price: Free Sky: Children of Light (iOS | Android) is an MMORPG from the minds behind critically acclaimed titles “Journey” and “Flower.” In a niche known for combat and endless grinding, this game feels like a breath of fresh air with its serene gameplay and heart-warming premise. It pays special attention to its social element, as the game was designed to be played with friends and loved ones. The title takes place in the magical realm of Sky, where you play one of the Children of the Light, as you run, jump, and glide your way across seven realms filled with memorable characters and touching stories. You’ll be treated to console-quality graphics and satisfyingly tight controls that make platforming and puzzle-solving a joy. Sky: Children of Light is the perfect game to pick up for those who are looking for a peaceful experience and thought-provoking tales. The best part is that you can take a friend along for the journey.
4. Candy Crush Soda Saga
Price: Free Pretty much everyone with a smartphone has heard of Candy Crush – perhaps the most popular match-three puzzle game to ever exist. Candy Crush Soda Saga (iOS | Android | Web) serves as the successor to the classic puzzle title, offering a familiar style of play but with more combos, unique candies, and a plethora of brand new levels. What makes Candy Crush Soda Saga so addictive is the incredibly simple matching premise that steadily becomes more and more challenging the further you get. New obstacles get introduced that demand more innovative approaches and high patience for repetition. Plus, the adorable graphics make the game very easy on the eyes, and the addition of new social features and multiplayer modes make it much more fun with friends. If you’ve wrung out all the content from the original Candy Crush and are looking for your next match-three adventure, Candy Crush Soda Saga is definitely the way to go. It’s available on Android, iOS, and web browsers, so anyone can join the fun.
5. Friday the 13th: Kill Puzzle
Price: Free The Friday the 13th saga isn’t exactly the likeliest source material for a puzzle game, especially one for smartphones. But Friday the 13th: Kill Puzzle (iOS | Android) does a great job of paying adequate homage to the legendary horror flick franchise while treating players to a unique and entertaining puzzler. In this game, you play as popular fictional serial killer Jason Voorhees as you go around slaying campers and other unsuspecting victims through a variety of locales across more than 100 blood-soaked levels. The gameplay is delightfully simple and involves you swiping a finger in four different directions to manipulate Jason’s movement. With each swipe, he dashes in that direction until he collides with an obstacle or a victim, the latter of which he promptly murders. Kill all the victims, and you can advance to the next level. Obviously, it’s not a game for the younger audience, even with the PG filter turned on, and there are ads between levels unless you purchase an item crate. Friday the 13th: Kill Puzzle remains one of the coolest horror-themed puzzle games on mobile.
6. Flipflop Solitaire
Price: Free Card games are a lot of fun, but finding a good one that plays comfortably on mobile can be a tall order, and playing a garden-variety version of Solitaire repeatedly can get old pretty fast. Fortunately, there’s Flipflop Solitaire (iOS | Android) – a variation of the classic card game that maintains the core goal of the original but throws most of the rules out the window. In this version of the game, you’ll be able to stack your cards in either ascending or descending order, no matter the card suit, though it’s worth noting that you can only move a column of cards if they’re stacked in the same suit. This forces you to approach things in a different manner compared to classic solitaire. The free version of Flipflop Solitaire includes the one- to four-suit game modes, but you can purchase the five-suit and one-suit extended modes together. If Solitaire with a twist sounds appealing to you, you’ll probably love this game.
7. RGB Express
Price: Free Ever wonder what it would be like to manage the route of a delivery truck? RGB Express (iOS | Android) is a fun little game that has you doing just that. You’ll be in charge of delivering colors with your truck by drawing the routes with your finger on a map and ensuring that the right homes get their corresponding packages. The game boasts a simple yet catchy design with a forgiving learning curve that suits a wide range of ages. You get the first 400 levels for free and can always upgrade to the King Truck version if you’re itching for more or just want to get rid of those pesky ads.
8. A Way to Slay
Price: Free A Way To Slay (iOS | Android) is a unique puzzle game that features third-person combat elements and is intended for a slightly more mature audience. You play a fighter from different points in history with a goal to eliminate all the foes on-screen before they have a chance to counterattack you. Before you begin, you’ll have the chance to freely survey the battlefield through a fully rotatable camera. Once you come across an enemy, you’ll immediately dash and strike them down. If there’s another enemy that’s positioned too close to the one you just killed, they’ll attack and slay you in return. This means you have to figure out in which order to attack the enemies without dying. The free version includes some pesky advertisements whenever you repeat a level a few times, but you can bypass this by purchasing the full version, which also unlocks various character models and weapons.
9. Tiny Bubbles
Price: Free As its name suggests, Tiny Bubbles (iOS | Android) is a game about popping bubbles. It sounds simple enough, sure, but the lovely 3D graphics mixed with the satisfying pop sounds and vibrant colors make it a surprisingly compelling game that’s very hard to put down. It’s so good, in fact, that the game managed to net more than a dozen gaming awards. In a nutshell, Tiny Bubbles is a match-four puzzle game where you add colors to transparent bubbles in order to line up a match. Once you’re able to match all the different colors of the bubbles in the level, you’ll proceed to the next one. The free version of the game comes with ads that you can bypass with any in-game purchase. You can also buy extra levels, in case you finish all the free ones.,
10. XOB
Price: Free XOB (iOS | Android) is an exceedingly trippy game that sports flashing bright lights, out-of-the-box gameplay mechanics, and synthy music and sound effects, all rendered behind a CRT TV filter. It’s a physics-based game that utilizes gravity and screen rotations to manipulate a box into rolling across platforms and into the goal. You get one ad for every four levels you finish, but the free version of the game includes all levels. If you don’t mind supporting the devs, you can always purchase the game to get rid of the ads. XOB certainly is an oddball game, but it’s one that deserves a try.
Final Thoughts
Each of the aforementioned best puzzle games has unique features that make them compelling. Whether you’re looking for a new hobby to pass the time or a fun challenge to ignite your brain cells, these puzzle games for Android and iOS are truly the best and a cut above the rest in the mobile gaming space. If you’re in the mood for multiplayer offerings, you can check out our list of 25 online games you can play with friends.
