Best SmartGames 2025

Having invented and designed more than 130 solo games for SmartGames, I’m often asked which one is my favorite. My standard answer is “the next one”, because once you start thinking your best work is behind you, you might as well stop developing new ideas.

Still, if I look at the puzzle games that already exist, the ones below are the ones I consider the best. I made a distinction between preschool games and all other games, because the criteria I use to evaluate them are slightly different.

Best SmartGames for Preschool Kids

I especially enjoy working on preschool games, because the concepts can be very simple and still amaze young children—whose world is full of wonders. I also try to offer different playing modes beyond the puzzles themselves. Many of these games can also be used for imaginative or role-playing activities.

The most important criteria for me are: simplicity, tactility, variation, and visual appeal. And of course, the puzzle challenges must gradually become more difficult, providing many learning opportunities and plenty of “aha!” moments. If I’m giving a present myself, I often choose one of these games as a gift:

1) Camelot Jr: A charming wooden game with stairways, two figurines, and solutions that often surprise you. And of course a knight and princess theme.

2) Bunny Boo: Large, sturdy wooden pieces; only three blocks and a cute rabbit figurine are enough to create a wide variety of challenges to play together with your toddler.

3) Three Little Piggies Deluxe : Only three puzzle pieces, but often harder than it looks. Hiding the figurines inside the houses never gets old.

4) Hansel & Gretel: A simple sliding puzzle with a twist: the lollipops block after one step. A great game for ages 5+, requiring real thought from both kids and parents. Also looks delicious. My new favorite preschool game for 2025-2026!

5) Little Red Riding Hood Deluxe: The theme and the artwork perfectly explain the goal: help the girl find her way to Grandma’s house through the forest.

6) Safari Park Junior: Multiple games in one. The game rules are embedded in the board and pieces; each animal moves differently and has its own limitations.

7) Trucky 3: After solving the challenges, children can still use the three trucks for pretend play and load the transparent containers with anything they like. The challenges feel like a simplified tangram puzzle, but played vertically with 3D pieces.

8) Castle Logix: Just a few blocks with holes and sticks of different lengths, yet the variety between challenge levels is more than most brainteasers offer.

9) Smart Farmer: Divide the meadow into separate areas for each animal. The soft-touch animals are also great for world-building and pretend play afterward. Feels like a junior version of Walls and Warriors (see list for older kids and adults below).

10) Five Little Birds: A pure logic game that isn’t only for young kids. The hardest levels will even stump their parents!

Best SmartGames for Kids 6+, Teens, and Adults

All SmartGames not specifically designed for age 5 and under are suitable for older kids, teens, and adults. Although some themes may appeal more to younger players, the challenges themselves are interesting for all ages because of their progressive structure. Every game includes starter levels suitable for novices and younger kids, but also master levels that are challenging enough for puzzle experts. Some even include a wizard level.

Based on my testing, the average solving time for adults (after setup) is roughly:

• STARTER: under 30–45 seconds

• JUNIOR: under 1.5 minutes

• EXPERT: under 5 minutes

• MASTER: under 10 minutes

• WIZARD: more than 10 minutes—most people give up before finding the solution. Don’t feel bad if you can’t solve these quickly. You’re perfectly normal (whatever that means), because most people can’t. BTW, your solving time is not relevant and doesn’t determine your intelligence or lack thereof. Many people who play my games can solve them faster than I can. The most important thing is that you enjoy playing. Speed and insight are 2 different things.

All SmartGames can be categorized according to their core game mechanics:

• Matching games – Build what is shown in the challenge.

• Packing problems – Fit every piece onto the game board; the most straightforward type of puzzle.

• Connection games – Connect a start and end point, sometimes visiting intermediate points in a specific order.

• Pure logic puzzles – Place everything on a grid according to rules or instructions. Similar to packing problems, but the constraints are in the rules (“software”), not the physical pieces (“hardware”).

• Sequential movement puzzles – Move one or more pieces in the correct order to reach a goal.

Most people prefer matching games or packing problems because their rules are simple, and trial and error can often lead to a solution. But I personally prefer sequential movement puzzles. They feel less like puzzles and more like mini-adventures, where you often need to think carefully before taking action. Of course, this is very personal, so it’s best to try several games with different mechanics to discover what you enjoy most. Here are my favorites:

1) Jump’ In: Help the rabbits reach their homes. A combination of sliding and jumping creates deep and interesting gameplay.

2) Snow Problem: Build snowmen by moving snowballs from obstacle to obstacle. My new favorite game!

3) Cats & Boxes: Very simple rules and only four pieces, but surprisingly challenging. I had to remake the challenge set three times before it became manageable for normal human beings. Cute, but tougher than it looks.

4) Squirrels Go Nuts: Another sequential movement puzzle with an animal theme, but simpler than Jump’ In and Cats & Boxes. Extra rewarding when all the nuts drop into the holes.

5) IQ-Fit: Although IQ-Circle Deluxe rivals it in appearance and IQ-Gears in originality, IQ-Fit combines both and remains my favorite among the 15+ IQ games I’ve designed so far.

6) Temple Trap: A sliding puzzle with eight pieces and one adventurer. Their interaction creates complex movement and a maze that constantly changes.

7) Penguins on Ice: Pentomino pieces that can change shape! Not a simple packing problem, even though there are only five pieces—plus adorable penguins. The first game I designed that became succesfull will always hold a special place in my heart.

8) Walls & Warriors: For the knight I was as a child. Unlike typical packing problems, here you need to create an outline (a wall to keep the enemy out).

9) Criss Cross Cube: A true 3D puzzle with plenty of deduction. This deserved a much larger audience, especially those who enjoy solving Sudoku puzzles would have recognized the deduction steps required to find a solution.

10) Smart Dog: Aside from sequential movement puzzles, I also love connection games—maybe because they also tell little stories or give you clear start and end points. Although I’m more of a cat person, this corgi game is undeniably adorable and fun.