10 Best Action Puzzle Games

During an era where it seems like most of the major developers keep putting their focus on the action-adventure, Soulslike, survival-horror, and live-service genres, trying to find the right action puzzle title can be a daunting task. Not everyone wants to go on intense journeys and fight terrifyingly difficult bosses all the time, and sometimes, casual fun like becoming a guide dog for humanity just feels more appealing.

Thankfully, there are plenty of studios who have been responsible for some of the best action puzzle games in recent times, bringing variety to the industry by keeping the puzzle elements as the core of their titles with enough action sprinkled in to make them exciting experiences.

10 Tentacular

While virtual reality in gaming may not have reached its full potential just yet, developers like Firepunchd Games have been utilizing the technology by implementing out-of-the-box ideas into their titles, and Tentacular is the perfect example. As a colossal sea creature surrounding an island, you can either help the residents out and prove their prejudice about you wrong or simply cause havoc and not worry too much about the consequences.

With humor that’s actually amusing, fun building aspects, and a wholesome vibe that stays consistent throughout, Tentacular is one of the most memorable action puzzle games in the VR space.

9 Disc Room

Disc Room is what you get when a developer takes a relatively simple gameplay loop but keeps building on top of it to ensure that each level feels fresher than the one before, thanks to fast-paced progression and thrilling traps that get more intense every time. Taking a similar approach to how Mr. Oops did it on mobile devices all those years back, publisher Devolver Digital’s action puzzle game turns things up several notches.

Trying to survive in a room full of deadly discs flying around can get pretty stressful, but with interesting power-ups, a premise that seems basic on the surface but goes deeper as the game progresses, and challenges that get more bizarre with each stage, Disc Room confidently puts its own spin on an old-school formula.

8 Inside

While it may have seemed like Playdead struck gold only once with 2010’s surprise hit Limbo, the studio returned six years later to assure its fanbase that it had a lot more in store and wasn’t just a one-hit wonder. Enter Inside, which not only continued to showcase Playdead’s ability to craft highly immersive 2.5D platformers but also built upon every aspect that was introduced in Limbo.

Calling the game atmospheric would be an understatement, as it engulfs you in its rich world the moment it begins and doesn’t let go until the credits roll, telling a story that will stick with you long after you put the controller down.

7 I Expect You To Die

If you’ve been looking for a game that helps you live out your spy fantasies in VR, I Expect You To Die delivers on that front, using virtual reality as effectively as possible in a year when it was still in its early stages. Although Schell Games has released two sequels after its 2016 title, the first installment in the series remains an unforgettable gaming experience, moving the escape room genre forward in the process.

Reminiscent of the Mission: Impossible and James Bond films, I Expect You To Die puts you in the shoes of an agent who must survive the wildest scenarios by solving puzzles and using nearby objects, making it one of the finest action puzzle games that should be checked out.

6 Qube: Director’s Cut

At first glance, Qube seems like more of a tech demo than a full-fledged game, but thanks to the launch of the Director’s Cut a few years after the title originally made its debut, Toxic Games transformed it into something much deeper than initially expected.

Your character has a pair of high-tech gloves at their disposal, which are the main tools used to solve the numerous puzzles that Qube presents you with, and the story revelations that follow only make the experience more worthwhile. Although its minimalist level design and puzzles were uniquely enjoyable anyway, the addition of a proper narrative, voice acting, and more challenges in the Director’s Cut provided the game with layers that, unfortunately, couldn’t be included in the original launch.

5 Planet Of Lana

Planet of Lana is what you get when you combine the gameplay elements from Playdead’s Limbo and Inside with a premise similar to Horizon Zero Dawn and an art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s work, and the end result is gorgeous. Accompanied by a cat called Mui on her quest to save her sister, the titular protagonist Lana has to survive and navigate the world against hostile machines, which may seem like a plot that’s been overused in sci-fi media, but it still manages to be a heartfelt story thanks to its cinematic characteristics.

Every shot feels like a work of art; Mui actually makes significant contributions to ensure that Lana stays alive during her expedition; and the level design comes with enough variation to keep the pace going, ranging from Lana having to use stealth to taming a machine and riding on top of it to escape deadly situations.

4 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

If you’re a fan of Ace Attorney, you’ll be glad to know that its creator is responsible for another puzzle gem called Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, a title that may not have been the most successful commercially but gained a cult following years after its Nintendo DS-exclusive debut in 2010.

But fortunately, that exclusivity ended last year and brought Sissel’s story to modern gaming consoles, and with interdimensional gameplay that allows for different kinds of puzzles working in tandem, it’s an intriguing take on the detective puzzle genre. The intensity of the puzzles increases during the segments in which Sissel has to travel back in time and try to save people within four minutes before their deaths, contrasting with the more light-hearted Ghost Tricks mechanic during the information-collecting missions.

3 Outer Wilds

Space exploration can be tricky to implement in games, as it can very quickly get monotonous if not presented in a compelling manner. However, Outer Wilds combines that concept with an All You Need Is Kill-esque element, putting you into the shoes of an explorer trying to figure out why he’s stuck in a 22-minute time loop as the world literally deteriorates all around him.

You will learn something new about what exactly is causing these world-ending events during each time loop; the locations keep changing in characteristics, which makes every run feel important and rewarding in terms of progress; and there are multiple aspects to take care of, such as ensuring that the spacesuit doesn’t get damaged, making Outer Wilds a notable addition to the action puzzle genre.

2 Children Of The Sun

The combination of the shooter and puzzle genres isn’t something that usually happens, but Children of the Sun proves that it’s an effective mixture that can work quite well if the presentation is top-notch, bringing an intense revenge story to life with style.

Embracing its tactical shooter nature, Children of the Sun tasks you with finding the perfect spot for a sniper shot, only giving control over a single bullet at a time as it hopefully hits its target on the head, because things can go south very fast if it misses. If you are a John Wick enthusiast and love just one protagonist with exceptional firearms skills in settings with neon backdrops, Children of the Sun can be a very satisfying experience.

1 Humanity

You know Humanity has done something right when playing as a Shiba Inu isn’t even the most memorable aspect about it, as it shows what the action puzzle genre is capable of. The compelling premise aside, the level design is what stands out as a highlight, as it starts off with some simple platforming and gradually becomes bigger and more complex, so you actually have to take some time to figure out the right approach to tackle many of the game’s later puzzles.

Humanity also doesn’t limit itself to its 90-level story mode in which the dog has to guide humanity to its salvation, as it allows you to create your own stages and let your imagination run wild too, so there is no shortage of content, making it one of the most replayable action puzzle games.