The Switch has a lot of platform games and a lot of puzzle games, and that extends to puzzle platformers as well. If you’re raising your eyebrows and saying, “What’s the point, you can’t just combine them like they’re ice cream flavors,” then stick with us. It’s a thing, we promise.
Instead of games focused only on precise running and jumping, or only using your head to find clever solutions, these games combine the two to quite charming effect. You’ll often pause at points to plan your way forward, combining skill with intellect. Puzzle platformers also often have a strong approach to storytelling, making them a relatively immersive experience when they’re at their best.
Below you’ll find our picks for puzzle platformers currently available on Switch. This selection is presented in no particular order and will continue to grow and evolve over time. We will also continue to check suggestions from readers in the comments and from our team, as quality games in this genre appear regularly.
Bigger and more fully equipped than ever, BOX BOY! + BOXGIRL! marks the pinnacle in this unusual series of platforming puzzles. It’s not perfect—the stripped-down aesthetic and lethargic physics won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—but co-op puzzle fans should investigate pronto. The ‘Tale for Two’ campaign lets a second player take control of Qucy, and you must work together to create rows of boxes and navigate through each 2D level to the exit. It remains a distinctive and deceptively layered puzzle that’s very much in line with the 3DS trilogy, but the fact that you can now bring a partner into the fun makes this the best BOXBOY yet.
A beautiful little game, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a winner whether you like puzzles or platform jumping without buttons. With beautiful visuals and an upbeat soundtrack, it’s a real gem; a beautiful and beautiful 3D platform puzzle game suitable for all ages, which you should definitely experience if you want to. The two-player co-op added by Nintendo makes this offering even more palatable with Toadette joining the Captain, and there’s even a nice little nugget of DLC once you’ve polished off the main game.
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Another puzzle platform game without the actual jumping, but you solve environmental puzzles to progress. Toki Tori 2+ is a game that’s been tweaked a bit after its original Wii U version (hence the ‘+’) to help players make sense of its surprisingly large world, it’s a charming take on the IP’s puzzle style. Of course the original Toki Tori it’s also on the Switch eShop, if you prefer more conventional single-screen challenges.
From the inside is a spiritual successor Oblivion and it builds on its predecessor in every way imaginable. A darkly beautiful puzzle-platformer that, while short, is packed with stunning highlights, its dark tone won’t be for everyone, but it’s executed brilliantly, with gently taxing physics-based puzzles woven into a haunting wordless story. It’s a game very similar to its predecessor in many ways, with side-scrolling elements, a beautiful, whimsical art style, and a vulnerable protagonist at its heart. Everything is simply bigger, better and has more impact.
We are very careful when we use this word, but Gris is masterpiece. Its stunning visual style and heartbreaking score combine for one of the most emotional pieces of interactive art you’ll ever play. It may be too short for some, its puzzles may be simple, and its lack of real challenge may not be to everyone’s taste, but this is a game about fragility more than ability, and as long as you’re willing to go along for the ride, that’s what you’ll be left with. in memory for a very long time indeed.
Another game where you technically don’t jump, but flipping gravity does essentially the same thing. VVVVVV it still feels as fresh on Switch as it did on 3DS in 2010; if you haven’t tried it again, you should definitely get it now. If so, now might be a good time to revisit. Multiplayer makes the Switch version even more interesting, and this is a game that still offers an intense and enjoyable challenge.
Evergate is a beautifully designed puzzle/platformer that starts off strong and gets stronger throughout its campaign. Each new world you encounter here adds a new twist to the proceedings, gradually becoming more complex as it layers mechanics on top of each other, allowing you to experiment and come up with your own unique ways of connecting across its intricate levels. The rush here, to us, feels like it was forced on for no real reason, but, apart from this small misstep, this really is an essential purchase for puzzle/platforming fans and an outstanding example of its genre on the Switch.
Horace is something very special — combining intensely challenging stages with emotional storytelling. If you’re interested in superb level design, a dizzying and tricky mix of tight platforming and puzzle solving, excellent storytelling, great art, evocative music, great characters, hilarious situations and emotional gut punches, Horace is a no-brainer. It’s touching without being manipulative, clever without being self-indulgent, and nostalgic without being lazy. It’s also pretty damn hard, if you want a challenge.
The entire series is available on Switch, so this entry ultimately represents them all. With the exception of the third edition, they are all basically 2D puzzle platformers, with combat included, as you embark on fantastic adventures with our three heroes. Some rooms (especially in the first two games) can take a while to put together, and mastering each character’s abilities is an integral part of progress.
And if you like this, Trine 5 is also a good compliment.
This is a game that has had an extremely long life, even counting just this updated and eventual HD version. A boy and his stain once somewhat genre-defining, that status is long gone, but it’s still a very enjoyable puzzle/platformer experience, where you have to make the most of the Blob’s various abilities to progress. It’s quite nice in its Switch iteration as well.
FEZ is a fun, challenging puzzle platformer bursting with original ideas and unique gameplay twists. Its puzzles warp reality and even occasionally invade our own world, but apart from a few select mega-challenges it remains fair. From an earlier era of ‘Indie’ games and one that left its mark on the industry, it’s worth checking out on Switch.
Uncover two was already a wonderful little game, filled with heartfelt moments of poignant storytelling and challenging platforming puzzles, then it found a fitting new home on the Nintendo Switch. Even with a few visual improvements, Unravel Two is far from an inferior experience when played on Nintendo’s hybrid system. Full of charm and character, it’s one of the best co-op platformers you’ll play anywhere, and another robust Switch port that was worth the wait.
