10 Best Puzzle Games on Xbox Game Pass (July 2024)

Xbox Game Pass has a big collection of puzzle games. It's like a huge toy box, but instead of toys, it's full of games that test your thinking. That's why we made a list of the best puzzle games on Xbox Game Pass. They're not just about solving puzzles, though. Each game has its own story and style, which makes it special. In this list, we'll be cooking, escaping, unpacking, messing with perspective, and more. No matter if you're a puzzle pro or just starting out, there's something here for you. So, let's get started and explore these exciting games.

10. Botany Manor

Botany Manor places you in the role of Arabella Greene, a retired botanist living in 19th century England. You explore a historical Victorian manor and its gardens, aiming to complete Arabella’s botanical research book, ‘Forgotten Flora.' Your task involves growing rare plant specimens by discovering and creating their ideal habitats. The manor is rich with clues like books, posters, letters, and Victorian contraptions that guide your research. The plants are inspired by real natural phenomena, requiring creative solutions for successful growth. As you progress, you uncover more about Arabella’s life, including the challenges she faced in her scientific career during that era.

9. Broken Age

Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure game that tells the intertwined stories of Vella Tartine and Shay Volta. Vella tries to escape a ritual sacrifice in a fantasy world, while Shay rebels against his monotonous life on a spaceship. Players switch between them, solving puzzles and discovering how their stories connect. The game features creative puzzles that involve escaping traps and navigating tricky environments. Players also interact with quirky characters, which often provide hints and enrich the story. In short, Broken Age offers a compelling adventure that combines engaging gameplay mechanics with a richly woven narrative.

8. Those Who Remain

Those Who Remain plunges players into the shoes of Edward Turner, navigating the eerie, darkness-filled town of Dormont. To survive, players must stay within the light and manipulate light sources to fend off lurking shadows. This psychological horror game intertwines elements of horror and thriller, challenging players with puzzles and moral choices. The game explores two interconnected dimensions, where players shift between the real world and a twisted alternate reality to uncover Dormont’s secrets. Its narrative delves into themes of family, loss, and the consequences of actions, testing Edward’s sanity and morality. Also, players' choices influence different outcomes.

7. Hauntii

Hauntii is an action-adventure game where you play as a ghost named Hauntii on a journey through the afterlife. You can possess enemies and objects in the environment to help you explore and solve puzzles. With an angelic partner by your side, you'll collect starry fragments that reveal pieces of Hauntii's past life. Additionally, you can use your haunting powers to control creatures and surroundings, creating different solutions for puzzles and combat. Furthermore, you will explore a vast world, find hidden pieces, solve challenges, and trade with other ghosts to build constellations and uncover the story.

6. Tin Hearts

Tin Hearts is a puzzle adventure game where you guide a group of tin soldiers through a world full of toys. The game tells the story of Albert J. Butterworth, a genius inventor. You solve over 50 puzzles that reveal his life story, crafted by some of the team behind Fable. The puzzles are spread across four acts and take place in a grand Victorian home. You’ll use inventive tools like toy cannons and trampoline drums to help the soldiers reach their goals.

5. Superliminal

Superliminal is a mind-bending puzzle game that plays with perspective and perception. Players find themselves in a dream-like world where the rules of physics constantly change. The core mechanic involves manipulating objects' sizes and positions based on point of view. For example, picking up a small object and moving it closer can make it appear larger. This unique gameplay mechanic is challenging and satisfying. Throughout the game, players encounter surreal environments where they must shift perspectives to solve puzzles. The narrative, woven through environmental storytelling and voiceovers, explores themes of perception, reality, and self-discovery.

4. The Rewinder

The Rewinder is a puzzle-adventure game where players control Yun, who can enter and change people's memories. This ability is key to solving the game’s puzzles, which require careful observation and logical thinking. Players explore different environments, talk to various characters, and gather important information. Yun can rewind time and alter past events to help progress through the story. Players must piece together clues to uncover the larger narrative, and this game draws from Chinese folklore and mythology.

3. The Case of the Golden Idol

In The Case of the Golden Idol, you play as an 18th-century detective solving the mystery of twelve strange deaths connected over 50 years. The game lets you think and investigate freely, exploring crime scenes to find clues. You'll gather evidence to reconstruct the events, identify suspects, figure out motives, and determine the murder weapons. As you delve deeper, you'll uncover the dark truth behind the Golden Idol and the cursed aristocratic family involved in the crimes. The open-ended approach makes it exciting for those who enjoy solving puzzles and uncovering complex stories.

2. Cocoon

Cocoon is a unique puzzle adventure game from Jeppe Carlsen, the designer behind LIMBO and INSIDE. It takes you on a journey through worlds within worlds, with each world inside an orb you carry on your back. You solve puzzles by leaping between these worlds and using their unique abilities. Along the way, you interact with alien environments and devices from an ancient civilization. You explore diverse places, like industrial areas and huge organic caverns. Each orb you collect gives you a special ability, which helps you find hidden paths and activate switches. The game also features fierce battles with powerful guardians, and hence you need to master new skills to win.

1. Humanity

Humanity is a mix of puzzle-solving and action-platforming where you control a Shiba Inu to lead large crowds to the goal in Story Mode. You guide people to jump, turn, push, float, shoot, and climb through 90 stages, using strategy and quick thinking. Moreover, there’s a huge library of user-generated content, letting you play countless stages made by others. Additionally, the Stage Creator lets you design your own puzzles, action stages, or even art. You can create, share, and explore new challenges.

So, what do you think about our top picks? Have you tried any of these games? Or is there another puzzle game on Xbox Game Pass that you believe deserves a spot on this list? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.