10. The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition (PS4)
The Talos Principle may seem derivative at first glance, but this first-person puzzler manages to stand out. You'll mostly be completing short environmental puzzles using tech jammers and lasers, and these are cleverly designed in themselves. However, intelligent writing and a slowly unraveling mystery will stay with you much longer.
9. The Witness (PS4)
Announced alongside the PS4 itself, Jonathan Blow's latest head-scratching puzzler is a modern classic. The Witness plops you down on a mysterious island dotted with hundreds of panels, each with a grid-based conundrum for you to solve. The non-linear design means you're free to tackle them in any order, but the real genius of the game is the way it subliminally teaches you its unique language. Masterfully designed, gorgeous, and totally original, this isn't just one of PS4's best indies, it's one of its best games full stop.
8. Little Nightmares (PS4)
Tarsier Studios, using its experience making LittleBigPlanet Vita, returns with something much more sinister. Little Nightmares might share some of that physics-driven platforming DNA with Sackboy, but tonally it's the other side of the spectrum. This is a creepy, atmospheric, horror-tinged puzzle platformer about a child trapped in a strange facility. Escaping will mean solving some intense puzzles and outrunning some horrible nasties.
7. Catherine: Full Body (PS4)
Half interactive story, half cube-based puzzler, Catherine: Full Body is the expanded remaster of Atlus' brilliantly weird take on love. You play as Vincent, a 32-year-old bachelor who can't quite decide if he wants to commit to his long-term girlfriend. His potential infidelity gives way to suspiciously vivid nightmares where he's forced to scramble up towers made of blocks, lest he wake up dead. It's as mental as it sounds, but the tactile puzzles are addictive, and the storytelling is gripping at its best.
6. Limbo (PS4)
Before Inside, developer Playdead made Limbo. This game arrived just as the indie boom was really starting to take off, and with its unique presentation and minimalist storytelling, it was a big success. You play as a young boy in this 2D puzzle platformer, tasking you with moving from screen to screen by overcoming environmental obstacles. It's all very eerie, with its black-and-white visuals and haunting music. Inside is generally considered the better game overall, but it wouldn't exist without Limbo.
5. Return of the Obra Dinn (PS4)
Return of the Obra Dinn is a truly excellent puzzle adventure game. Stepping aboard the mysterious ship, you're charged with working out how every person aboard perished. At your disposal is a time-rewinding pocket watch that can give you clues to what was happening moments before each death, and a book in which to record who everyone is and what their fates were. The way the game slowly gives you snippets of information, the static death scenes, the story that unfolds as you figure out what occurred — it's all so wonderfully delivered.
4. Outer Wilds (PS4)
Outer Wilds is a fascinating indie puzzle game. The universe is trapped in a time loop right before disaster strikes, and it's up to you to figure out what's going on and how to put a stop to it. The mind-boggling bit is that the miniature star system is simulated with physics, meaning the planets are following their orbits, and all have varying gravity depending on their mass. You're tasked with traveling (seamlessly) to each place, finding their secrets, and putting all the pieces together to uncover one big mystery. It's great.
3. Tetris Effect (PS4)
Tetris is a timeless title that’s appeared on virtually every console to date. For such a ubiquitous game to appear on the list of best PS4 games is perhaps indication of just how special Tetris Effect is. Evocative environments are paired with an ever-changing soundtrack, which stirs emotions ranging from sadness to suspense to sheer euphoria. Played with PSVR this is a revelatory experience, and its underlying gameplay is as addictive as it’s ever been.
2. Inside (PS4)
Inside is 2D platforming perfection, but it’s the ending that we all remember it for. After two or so hours of impressive puzzle-solving and hints that something isn’t quite right, the game goes off the rails with a 20-minute sequence that is perhaps one of the most memorable of the PS4 generation. An incredible game that has cemented Playdead’s position among the gaming greats.
1. It Takes Two (PS4)
From the makers of A Way Out comes a more family-friendly adventure in It Takes Two, and it's a real winner. Only playable in co-op, you play the bickering parents of a young girl as they're turned into dolls. Exploring a strange fantasy spin on the real world, you must work together to return to normal. It's the sheer variety of gameplay — and how consistently good it all is — that impresses, with the game constantly reinventing itself with new ideas. The story and characters are a little hit and miss, but they shouldn't put you off an overall fantastic experience.
What do you think are the best PS4 puzzle games? Is your favourite missing? Do you agree with this list? Remember to rate your favourite games yourself, and then level up in the comments below.
Comments (23)
No puyo tetris or puyo champions but the last guardian? Give your head a shake, that's NOT a puzzle game!
The Sexy Brutale does look rather good, I might have to check it out one of these days. The Witness wasn't that great in my view, I got bored of it very quickly.
If TLG counts, why no Outer Wilds?
Kine is top 3 for me. Adored it... 100%ed it (only cheated twice).
Statik too. Witness was sssoooo boring. If Inside and Last Guardian qualify, so do God of War and Shadow of Colossus etc.
I feel at least one ARTIFEX MUNDI game should be on this list.
Where is Puyo Puyo Tetris?! Seriously!
@Dan_ozzzy189 Came to type exactly that! Also where is Crystal Crisis?
I really enjoyed the bit of The Witness I played but it gave me terrible motion sickness, so sadly I didn’t get very far
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Tetris Effect so expensive.......................i dont want banging tunes the original was good enough.....if i want tunes i'll turn to my 1 terrabite jukebox.
How is The Last Guardian so much higher than the likes of Fez or Statik? Also I Expect You to Die is better then most of the games on this list. Tetris Effect is amazing though
@Quintumply @carlos82
I Expect You To Die should definitely be on the list. A great room escape experience for the PSVR!
I was about to suggest Outer Wilds, but then I saw I already did lol.
1. The Witness
2. Fez
3. Statik
No idea why Gorogoa gets such high praise, yes it's different but it's guess work on your first go and a load of messing around.
Good puzzle games don't need guesswork, there's that enlightenment when you can see the answer. I think it's been so successful due to its early praise. Yes give it a go its not bad by any means. But better than Statik or Fez? No way.
Came here to check if The Witness, Obra Dinn and Tetris were the top 3, was not disappointed!
@themcnoisy The praise for Gorogoa is in my opinion definitely justified, but not as a puzzle game. You don't puzzle, but rather follow your curiosity. It shouldn't be on this list.
It's a very different game, and doesn't really fit into the genre boxes. Nobody would call Journey a platformer either.
@crimsontadpoles Sexy Brutale at the end of the day just isn't that memorable as many other games in this list. I would recommend trying something from the Top 7 (or Fez!) if you want to try something new.
Finished the Talos Principle recently. Great game. I fell off of the Witness. May need to reinstall that one.
@Kidfried
Hmm. I want to try Sexy Brutale but not spend much on it. Would make a nice Plus game for me.
Fez, Creaks, Gorgoa and Witness
Fun list of games that don't get enough attention, IMO. Especially enjoyed Qube 2 and Gorogoa. Two puzzle games with loads of atmosphere and ingenious design.
ETHER ONE is a good one (no pun).
More great puzzle games missing from the list:
The Talos Principle was my favourite until i played Supraland. What a fabulous game that is, all built by one man! It's an astonishing achievement.
Without doubt the best puzzler I've ever played.
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