Highlights

• VR puzzle games offer a unique level of interactivity and immersion, making puzzle-solving more intense and rewarding.
• Superhot VR and Tetris Effect VR are unconventional puzzle games that provide a fresh and captivating experience in VR.
• Keep Talking and No One Explodes is a challenging and enjoyable cooperative puzzle game that brings people together.

VR games are becoming increasingly popular as the revolutionary technology improves. From massive open worlds to terrifying horror experiences, the possibilities of VR are seemingly endless. However, if there is one genre that shines the brightest in VR, it is puzzle games.

Puzzle games in VR allow interactivity that isn't available elsewhere. Holding the final piece of a challenging puzzle in your hand before placing it where it needs to go is an exhilarating experience. It elevates the intensity and reward of trying to solve puzzles. From helping those in need with giant ghost hands to losing your hand in a deadly puzzle, these are by far the best VR puzzle games available.

Updated on January 7, 2024 by Kyle Chamaillard: As the VR landscape continues to grow, so does the number of excellent puzzle games available across numerous headsets. We've decided to revisit this list to add even more essential titles to our list of the best VR puzzle games.

18 Superhot VR

Superhot may not be the most conventional of puzzle games, but its dance of ducking, shooting, and throwing makes a fantastic brain stumper. Utilizing the game's time-distortion mechanic and keenly observing your surroundings will solve each level as if it were an intricately designed puzzle.

This fluid puzzle-solving experience is made even more enjoyable in VR, which sees you grab the guns of fallen enemies in the air with your own two hands. It makes each action feel even more satisfying and makes figuring out the best and quickest solution to each room all the more immersive. While not a conventional VR puzzle game, Superhot VR offers one of the most unique puzzle experiences you'll ever play.

17 Tetris Effect VR

It is easy to see why one may assume that Tetris Effect VR is just Tetris in, well, VR. However, it is so much more than that. Tetris Effect VR is a meditative and transcendental experience. Its use of color and music creates a mesmerising loop that becomes all the more captivating in VR.

Of course, for fans of Tetris, it is a logical purchase. However, for those not quite sold on the premise, Tetris Effect VR is the most unique and inspired version you could try. The VR element truly transcends this experience into a whole other playing field, making it a one-of-a-kind puzzle title and perhaps the best way to play Tetris.

16 Hitman 3

As an assassin, figuring out how to take down your target without anyone noticing can be the hardest part of the job. Hitman 3 VR allows you to step in the shoes of Agent 47 and see through his eyes as he tackles missions set on the maps featured in Hitman 3.

Each stage in the game is immersive and full of detail, so it's easy to get lost while ascending the tower in Dubai or walking around the streets of Chongqing. You'll feel like an actual spy as you eavesdrop on conversations, gather clues, and ultimately find the silliest way to eliminate your target before running toward the exit with a hoard of security behind you.

15 Obduction

Obduction comes from the creators of Myst and is a worthy successor to that legendary title. It offers a fantastical world, brilliant puzzles, and a compelling mystery to solve. All of this is, of course, heightened and improved by playing in VR, thus making an already incredibly immersive experience much more impressive.

Obduction is a truly stunning game. Its varied and distinct locations are an awe-inspiring sight to behold and help make the game's engrossing world more immersive. Of course, playing it in VR significantly improves that experience in a truly profound way. Obduction is worth playing in VR if only to experience an unparalleled sense of immersion.

14 Keep Talking And No One Explodes

Keep Talking And No One Explodes is the ultimate VR thrill! One person must wear the VR headset and manipulate the puzzles before them while the others flick through a handbook, all while screaming slightly helpful advice. The objective of the game is to defuse a bomb, but frankly, that can be pretty rare.

Keep Talking and No One Explodes may be a challenging VR puzzle game, but it is by far one of the most captivatingly enjoyable. The combination of cooperative gameplay and incredibly stressful puzzle-solving makes it both a bonding experience and a great way to lose all of your friends. Either way, it's worth it.

13 Please, Don't Touch Anything 3D

Imagine having the fate of the planet at your fingertips. This is the concept of Please, Don't Touch Anything 3D, a VR puzzler that leaves you responsible for a mysterious war room/office while your co-worker goes on a bathroom break. But, of course, while they insist you do not touch anything, you'll end up touching everything.

Please, Don't Touch Anything is a fascinating game that sits in a bizarre cross-section between an escape room and a choose-your-own-adventure title. You can trigger dozens of endings ranging from space invasions, time travel, or even armageddon. Inspecting the puzzles in every nook and cranny of this 10" by 10" room will keep you entertained for hours!

12 Humanity

Humanity is easily one of the most fascinating puzzle games of the generation. Everything from the soundtrack to the gameplay works in harmony to create a meditative experience unlike anything else on the market. Saving humankind has never been more chill.

Throughout Humanity, you play as a ghostly Shibi Inu tasked with leading a line of humans toward their goal by barking directions at them. Each level will make you think outside the box to reach the solution, and the satisfaction from clearing a stage is unmatched. You can also create your own levels using the in-game level editor and share them online.

11 Ghost Giant

For those looking for a little more of a wholesome narrative in their VR puzzle experience, then Ghost Giant is for you. Ghost Giant gives you the singular goal of helping those in need, whether it's the game's protagonist Louis, or the people of Sancourt.

To progress, you'll have to solve puzzles and interact with the warm and colourful world in this cosy narrative adventure. The world, voice acting, and music all help create a beautiful and welcoming story about friendship and being there for one another. Suffice to say, Ghost Giant is as heartfelt as it gets.

10 The Talos Principle VR

The Talos Principle VR is a port of the critically acclaimed PC version of the same name. Fortunately, this incredible adventure across stunning landscapes holds up even better in VR. Interacting with the game's often surreal world all while solving its challenging but rewarding puzzles has never been better.

The Talos Principle VR is an excellent and intriguing title that deserves your time, featuring an enormous amount of content and an introspective narrative that delves into all-encompassing themes such as humanity and technology.

9 I Expect You To Die 2

I Expect You To Die 2 is a VR puzzle game full of fun puzzles that is perfect for fans of the original. It is a game of trial and error that wants you to interact with each item at your disposal and figure out how they connect to escape certain death.

However, while the premise may sound a little morbid, I Expect You To Die 2 is a fun and, at times, brilliantly hilarious game that pokes fun at and celebrates the wonderful tropes of old spy movies. By immersing yourself in this over-the-top world of spies and clever contraptions, you will surely be in for a fun time.

8 Cubism

Cubism is a simple puzzle game that might not look as complex as other VR puzzle titles, but its concept carries it until the end. Each stage requires you to build a specific shape using colorful blocks, which is much harder than it sounds.

If you need something to relax with after a long day or right before bed, Cubism will help bring you into the right headspace after only a couple of stages. Its simple premise shouldn't be underestimated, as some of the later puzzles will make you feel like you're solving a complex math problem or a million-dollar challenge on Survivor.

7 GNOG

GNOG is an incredible visual spectacle that must be seen to be believed. This critically acclaimed surreal 3D puzzle game is all about poking, spinning, and playing with everything you see. Its beautifully colourful visuals are even more engrossing in VR, with each world becoming more eye-poppingly striking head-on.

You simply never know what will happen when you interact with something, and the reactive soundtrack by Marskye makes experimenting with each world that much more enticing. This is the equivalent of a toybox in VR and well worth it for fans of fantastic music and fun experimental puzzle games.

6 Abode & Abode 2

Abode and Abode 2 are two escape room simulator games with a cyberpunk noir twist. While Abode 2 is a bigger and better sequel in every way, Abode's smaller setting and lower price point make it an excellent introduction to this incredible series. Each game is conceptually clever, with fun and engaging puzzles to solve and worlds to be immersed in.

For fans of escape rooms, Abode and Abode 2 are perfect ways of simulating the intense and captivating fun within VR. The puzzles here aren't too challenging but provide enough difficulty to warrant the price and offer a satisfying and rewarding experience.

5 Red Matter

Red Matter is an immersive narrative experience with a sci-fi setting. The world and story built within Red Matter are genuinely fascinating and full of fantastic twists and turns. There are plenty of surreal visions, bizarre goings-on, and complex histories awaiting you in this mysterious VR experience.

Fortunately, the puzzles in Red Matter are just as enthralling and engaging as the overall story, making it a far more interactive and immersive experience. They're challenging enough that you won't get through them too quickly, but not so complex that they'll impede your enjoyment of the narrative. The engrossing puzzles and narrative make Red Matter a VR puzzle game that's absolutely worth checking out.

4 Myst

Myst needs no introduction. This legendary puzzle experience has continued to captivate audiences since it first launched; fortunately, this VR version is no different. Like many other games that would be great in VR, it feels as if Myst was made for the platform. Its immersive world and captivating mysteries feel right at home in virtual reality.

Playing Myst in VR is an unparalleled experience and an excellent way for both fans of the classic game and newcomers to this masterpiece to play it. Whether or not you're even familiar with Myst, you should pick it up on VR if only to finally see what everyone else is talking about.

3 Time Stall

Time Stall is a hilarious physics-based VR puzzle game about experimentation and having a good time. It's your job to save the Captain and crew of the Fantastic Leap spacecraft whenever anything goes awry. Fortunately, time will stall, allowing you to manipulate potentially deadly objects away from others.

However, Time Stall becomes increasingly enjoyable by experimenting with the various scenarios and simply seeing what happens when everything goes back to normal. Watching craftily place boxes above the Captain's head tumble down onto them never gets old. If you're looking for an enjoyable and, at times, hilarious puzzle VR game, then Time Stall is absolutely for you.

2 Nevrosa: Escape

Nevrosa: Escape is a horror-themed VR puzzle experience and, therefore, not for the faint-hearted. However, this thrilling and terrifying experience is still a gratifying, albeit twisted, horror experience. It's up to you to escape the lavatory in whatever way you can. However, being a horror experience, it's fair to say things aren't likely to go your way.

Where Nevrosa: Escape excels is its clever and challenging puzzle design and stunning visuals. This is one of the most immersive horror VR experiences and is undoubtedly worth playing if you're a fan of both genres. Additionally, there is a free prelude for those who wish to try before they buy.

1 The Room VR: A Dark Matter

The Room VR: A Dark Matter takes escape room puzzling to new heights through a fascinating detective journey with a supernatural twist. You'll play a police detective investigating the disappearance of The British Institute of Archaeology's premier Egyptologist in 1908 London. What you'll uncover is something much grander than you could imagine.

The Room series has built a reputation for offering enveloping atmospheric games. A Dark Matter is no different. You'll examine dimly lit office rooms, fluorescent museums, and otherwordly realms. Furthermore, with a cavalcade of artifacts, nifty gadgets, and complex conundrums to resolve, this game will keep you investigating until completion!