Puzzle games are one of the oldest genres in all of gaming, with classics like Tetris, Bubble Bobble, Puyo Puyo, and Dr. Mario all being staples of retro gaming. Over the years, this genre slowly fell by the wayside only to be completely reinvigorated in more recent years thanks to a trend in the focus on an excellent atmosphere.
Here are the lists of NAVGTR’s winners in its various puzzle categories:
Winners in Franchise Puzzle Game category:
- 2002 – Tetris World
- 2003 – Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Winners in Original Puzzle Game category:
- 2002 – Puyo Pop
- 2003 – Mojo!
Winners in Puzzle category:
- 2015 – Her Story
- 2016 – The Witness
- 2017 – Puyo Puyo Tetris
- 2018 – Tetris Effect
- 2019 – Untitled Goose Game
- 2020 – Luna: The Shadow Dust
- 2021 – Little Nightmares II
- 2022 – Never Alone: Arctic Edition
- 2023 – Humanity
Early winners
The first thing you may notice about NAVGTR’s award winners is that there is a large gap between 2004 and 2014. There were few nominees in said categories, and puzzle games were far less popular for a long period.
Through the early 2000’s, puzzle games were mostly of the traditional variety – the winners in this era were Tetris World, the Marble Madness-inspired 3D puzzler Mojo!, and two block-matching games, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Puyo Pop. All four of these games are great puzzlers, but they very much represent the era of old-school puzzle games, where gameplay was the primary focus.
New era of puzzle games
In 2015 and beyond, puzzle games began evolving into a new era. Puzzle games were not only Tetris-likes but any genre of game that incorporated puzzle-solving. 2015’s winner Her Story is the perfect example of this. Her Story is a crime fiction game featuring non-linear storytelling, where the player must pour through live-action footage in a police database to crack the case. The game cleverly utilizes full motion videos (FMVs) like no other game, allowing the player to fully immerse themselves and feel like they are investigating a real crime case.
2016’s winner The Witness is a puzzle-exploration game, in a similar vein as Portal, Antichamber, and Q.U.B.E., where the player must solve a series of environmental puzzles throughout a large open world. The game smartly combines the gameplay of classic adventure games with puzzlers to craft unique environmental puzzle gameplay, which feels like an evolved version of Myst. While certainly not the first of its kind, The Witness feels like a perfection of the formula – a 3D puzzle game with additional focus placed on atmosphere and engrossing players in its world.
Both 2017 and 2018’s winners were much more traditional with both being sequels to Tetris and Puyo Puyo. Despite this, however, both of these games set themselves apart from previous entries by trying unique things. Puyo Puyo Tetris smartly combined the gameplay of both Tetris and Puyo Puyo and introduced an entire story mode. It was so successful that it spawned a sequel and became a franchise of its own. Meanwhile, Tetris Effect took the classic Tetris gameplay and turned it into an immersive, atmospheric, sensory experience.
2019’s winner, Untitled Goose Game, made a big splash upon release due to its charming art style and hilarious gameplay. Players take control of a mischievous goose who is tasked with stealing various objects, annoying everyone in town, and just generally causing as much havoc as possible. The game blends clever puzzle-solving with goofy humor and makes for one of the most engaging and hilarious puzzle games ever.
2020’s winner Luna: The Shadow Dust is a point-and-click style adventure game that features classic puzzle-solving gameplay with stunning 2D hand-drawn visuals and a captivating soundtrack. This game represents the power of simplicity, showing that classic point-and-click puzzle games still have a place in modern gaming.
Both 2021’s Little Nightmares II and 2022’s Never Alone blend 2D platforming with puzzle-solving, resulting in truly excellent experiences. These titles are also great examples of infusing a lot of atmosphere into environmental puzzles through a blend of nuanced animation and quiet gameplay.
2023’s winner Humanity feels like a modern spin on the classic puzzler Lemmings, where the player steps into the role of a Shiba Inu hunting dog who must command and guide a massive crowd of people to jump, turn, push, and climb various obstacles. As expected, the game offers challenges, variety, atmosphere, and a unique story.
What makes a puzzle game award-worthy?
When examining all of these titles as a collective, it becomes evident that the emphasis on atmosphere is the defining trait that unites them. Whether it’s the ethereal and meditative experience of Tetris Effect, the gripping crime-solving immersion of Her Story, or the quiet, haunting tension of Little Nightmares II, each of these games uses atmosphere not as an accessory but as a cornerstone of their design.
This focus elevates the game play, allowing players to connect emotionally with the puzzles they are solving. The best modern puzzle games go beyond mechanics, crafting entire worlds that invite players to lose themselves in the experience. By weaving compelling visuals, soundscapes, and narratives into their game play, these titles showcase how atmosphere has become the driving force behind the genre’s resurgence. As a result, the evolution of puzzle games is not just about game play innovation but also about creating spaces where players can think, feel, and wonder—a trend that has truly reinvigorated a genre that was once teetering on the edge of irrelevance.
Any type of game that features puzzle mechanics is eligible for this category in the NAVGTR Awards. Therefore, if you’ve crafted a game that leans heavily into puzzles, you should consider submitting it.