Best Brainteaser and Puzzle Apps of 2021

Boy, did we have fun trying out these apps! Each was more entertaining than the last and this was, in essence, the main criteria we focused on. The more fun a game was, the better it would fare on our list.

Since a lot of such apps today are very much story-driven, we also made sure that the tale the game tells was engaging and immersive.

Obviously, we couldn't complete the test without making sure that the platform was easy to use by all sorts of players. Puzzles, after all, cast a very wide net - from very young children to the elderly. This is why a simple and straightforward interface is crucial for success.

Last but not least, we also made sure that no annoying ads will disrupt your play or that their presence will, at least, be at a tolerable level.

This is not a new game. In fact, it was created in 2015 as the third installment of an award-winning series spanning almost a decade. We're talking about a proper veteran here. You would think that, after all this time, it would lose some of its luster but, fortunately for us, it definitely hasn't. This atmospheric mystery had had more than a few updates and facelifts that have kept it fresh and exciting.

You will begin your journey conveniently enough, in a train carriage. What will follow will be a series of unexplained events that will lure you to a remote island. You will need to rely on your intelligence, perception, wit, and, naturally, puzzle-solving skills to find your way through this peculiar yet mesmerizing world. A number of trials will await you, all devised by a rather mysterious figure - "The Craftsman".

Sounds intriguing? It's even better than you think. Once you start playing, you won't be able to put your phone down for hours. A series of hints will walk you through the first few segments of the game, after which you will be more than equipped to continue the adventure on your own. If needed, help will still be available but we have discovered that the best way to do it is to keep an open eye and an attentive ear.

You will get a chance to explore different environments, each spread over more than a couple of levels. The mysterious atmosphere is weaved into a seamless whole, creating a long and engaging story - at times, a proper cinematic masterpiece.

As you progress, you will encounter puzzles and artifacts, explore subterranean dungeons as well as breathtaking open spaces. Throughout, a light sense of unease characteristic of the best horror games will bring some chill into your room. The music will heighten this feeling in an unobtrusive, almost imperceptible way. You will never feel compelled to turn it off - instead, you will enjoy it as an integral part of this gaming masterpiece.

The game itself offers more than a couple of paths you can take - with several alternate endings to boot. This means that you will be able to play it more than once, each time experiencing something completely different.

From a purely technical point of view, there is pretty much nothing we can possibly complain about. In fact, there are a couple of features that were a genuine surprise to us - like the option to share your progress between multiple devices. Not a common one for an adventure game but still a welcome addition to it. The app is available in no less than eight different languages and, as of April 2021, holds a 4.9-star rating. Are we surprised? Not in the least. The Room Three deserves ten stars, as far as we are concerned.

Playing a game that has been around for some 6 years comes with a certain risk. Even if you love it - will the updates live up to the expectations? Will there be any in a year's time? A title such as this could potentially suffer from creative fatigue. None of this is apparent at the moment and the game is absolutely brilliant but we do fear that, after a while, it could get a bit old.

Of course, another downside that we will perpetually complain about is the price tag. Yes, we are suckers for free games and, once we see something along the lines of $4.99, we simply have to warn our frugal readers of it. Luckily, in the case of The Room Three, the quality justifies the price. If you can afford to splurge, do it. This is the real deal. We promise.

Brainteasers are a bit of an anomaly in the gaming world. While many games will be free, most of them will inevitably come with a price tag. We're not talking about in-app purchases but, instead, of a straight-up "pay before you play" approach to it. This is why we were pleasantly surprised to wander into Lily's Garden. This free game instantly become our favorite.

The story is as simple as it gets. The main protagonist, Lily, is going through a rough patch - a breakup, a stressful job, the whole shebang. She better shake things up or she'll spiral into depression in no time. What better way to do this than to restore an old, once beautiful garden that belonged to her great aunt? Who knows what might happen...

The story will develop further to include a host of colorful characters, a hint of romance, and a sense of coziness you will cherish. So - how exactly do you play? It's simple. Each task that you ought to perform, each bit of the garden you have to work on, naturally, will cost you some coins. Sounds too much like real life? Well, in the case of Lily's Garden, the way of earning them is much more fun. You just have to solve some puzzles and get all the money you need.

This, in essence, is a traditional match-3 blast game. Quite different from the Myst-like adventure that is The Room Three, we must admit. The target audience is definitely separate but the levels of fun you can have are pretty much the same. It's especially good if you're trying to avoid the chilly atmosphere of our winner and, instead, tend to prefer something more lighthearted.

Another thing that sets this app apart from others is a very pronounced social component. You can easily connect with friends, ask them for lives, send them help, and even meet new people from across the globe. The rewards system is perhaps a bit limited and repetitive but, beyond this, we couldn't possibly find any other flaws.

The game is free to play and, despite the existence of in-app purchases, we guarantee that you will be able to manage quite well without ever paying for a thing. Lily's Garden is as fun, as engaging, and as whimsical as you'd want it to be.

When was the last time you tried something new - assumed a new perspective and really put your little grey cells to the test? Now's your chance. This is not your regular match-3 puzzle. No, it's not an eerie adventure either. It's nothing like you've ever seen (or heard) before. Heard? Yes, this puzzle will excite your ears as much as your eyes and stimulate your mental apparatus in a perfectly novel manner.

Advertised as "a new musical puzzle about feeling the rhythm to find the solution", this one introduces a new twist to the concept of mobile gaming. It brings together some pretty disparate variables to make your experience extra exciting.

No less than 98 musical puzzles arranged by the level of difficulty will offer great variety and a thorough sense of fun. Despite its novelty, the game doesn't take a lot of time to get used to. In fact, there are no instructions needed - not will you have to fiddle too much with the settings. You will figure everything out on the go - we guarantee it!

Just move the ancient spirits across the board to solve each level. Said spirits come with their own individual jam so you can use their tunes to build your personal groove. The first few levels are easy - perhaps too easy - but, as you progress through the game, you will start facing tougher challenges and really having to perk up your ears. Luckily, none of the puzzles are ever obnoxiously difficult and the developers have struck a fine balance between extremes.

Still, it is not only the functionality of the app that is stellar - the visuals are just as brilliant. The graphics are hand-painted and just as beautiful as the music. The whole concept will give you a serene yet joyful feel. ELOH is a potent cure for a bad mood.

In all this awesomeness, we have managed to discern only one flaw. Unlike Lily's Garden which is free, ELOH will set you back $3.99. This is pretty the only major disadvantage we could find. Ok, perhaps the number of levels could be greater but, overall, this is a stellar app that will keep you entertained in the coming weeks - if not months.

This is a beautiful selection of match-3 puzzles. Each is focused on a different segment of an old, abandoned garden in dire need of restoration. It is your task to bring it back to its former glory and discover its secrets. Such a limiting premise does, however, offer a surprising amount of variety, and sets the foundation for some genuinely good problem-solving. However, what is supposed to be its biggest selling point ends up being a huge pain - namely the story. The animations can take forever, swallowing up the game to such an extent that you'll spend half of your time looking at cutesy clips rather than playing. The balance is off.

The impossible architecture of M.C. Escher has inspired countless artists, graphic designers, and game creators. Monument Valley is perhaps among the most successful, bringing together a fun and quirky visual aesthetic and a solid piece of code. However, for the price of $4.49, you will get a surprisingly tiny number of levels. The story is a sweet yet very short one - something you can go through in less than a day. We were hoping for something with greater longevity.

You would imagine that a horror puzzle game would be exclusively aimed at adults but the hilarious, cartoony graphics of this app made us think otherwise. Even if the violence and gore are there, they are presented in a manner that can only be described as ridiculous. We loved it. The gameplay itself is good enough - at least in the beginning - but, as you progress, the difficulty level gets ramped up to such an extent that it will easily suck out all the fun from this great game. It really boils down to how challenging you like your puzzles to be. For us, this was a tad too difficult.

A cross between a game and a comic book, this app is steeped in noir aesthetics and conjures up an atmosphere of mystery like no other. Your task is to arrange the panels of a comic book and move the story forward. The mechanics of the game are quite innovative and perfect for everyone who loves old-school detective stories. The creators really did their homework - up to a certain point, that is. For some reason, the exceptionally responsive interface can sometimes become too responsive. The app will move the pieces even when you're not touching the phone as if a ghost hand was tapping on your screen instead. We are pretty sure this is not a fun and quirky feature but a proper bug that needs to be corrected before we can consider this one as a fave.

The story is made up of old photographs and often bittersweet tales. It definitely has a "mood" attached to it. The nostalgic pixel art will put a smile on the faces of everyone who grew up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The quality of the puzzles themselves, however, is quite uneven. Some are awesome, others straight up confusing or even dull. It is a beautiful game that, unfortunately, suffers from pretty uneven play.

Beautiful hand-drawn illustrations are the main selling point of this game. Engaging and meticulously detailed, they are coupled with original puzzle mechanics. However, the learning curve is rather steep, especially since, unlike other games, this one comes with little to no instructions. Such a manual or a walkthrough would be useful as the originality of the system makes it a bit of a challenge. Only after a good deal of practice will you be able to figure out what exactly is going on. If you're looking to just sit down and play - this is perhaps not the game for you.