Summary
Puzzle gamesare often thought of as a solo activity, but the online community behind those games is so large that it was only a matter of time before the competitive scene made its way into the genre. In fact, while it is often considered a lonely experience,Tetriswas turned into a competitive multiplayer game only a few years after its inception.
Many other staples of the genre, likePuzzle BobbleandPuyo Puyo, are direct descendants of arcade machines, which are typically focused on multiplayer. Now that multiplayer has moved to the online world and beyond the local play of living room consoles, most puzzle games aredesigned for just one player. But sheer numbers, together with the resilience of some classic series, verify there is no shortage ofPvP multiplayer puzzle gamesfor all tastes.
10ChuChu Rocket!
Metacritic Score: 84
ChuChu Rocket!is a competitive puzzle party game with a strong arcade feel and a unique premise. Dozens of mice per second spawn from their little hideouts and scatter throughout the map in weird but predictable patterns. Players move their color-coded cursor on the map and place arrows to direct the mice to their base and score points.
The original game from 1999 received the remake treatment in September 2019 as an Apple Arcade exclusive, only to be removed from the platform three years later, in September 2022. It’s unclear ifChuChu Rocket! Universe, the remastered game, will ever receive a full release, or if it will ever be playable again.
9EXAPUNKS
Metacritic Score: N/A
EXAPUNKSis often considered the most approachable game by Zachtronics. Most puzzle games from this developer involve automating some kind of machine, and the satisfaction found in perfecting those systems is often likened to programming, all the while never becoming too abstract, as puzzle games often do.
EXAPUNKSis a game about hacking. Players write code in a simplified programming language to move a drone to the designated spot and back.The game has a campaign, a story, and real evolving stakes. Most importantly, it has a strong PvP multiplayer mode. That said, since the game is from 2018, playing multiplayer today might require bringing a friend over.
85D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel
5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travelkind of stretches the definition of a puzzle game. One thing is for sure: it’s nothing like Chess. Besides the basic piece movement, knowing how to play this classic board game will not help new players succeed. Instead,5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travelrequiresthinking laterally.
In normal Chess, pieces can move on the vertical and horizontal axes. In5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel, every piece gains the ability to move on two additional axes: forward and backward in time and up and down the various alternate timelines. Arguably, this makes5D Chessonly 4D, but those are just semantics.
Tetris 99has often been called “Battle RoyaleTetris.” This name might sound wrong, but it actually fits quite well. Players are dropped into a normal match ofTetris: they can rotate their pieces before they fall, and they know in advance what pieces will be available. However, all around the central playing board is every other player, competing to be the only survivor.
Tetris 99doesn’t have a good tutorial, but that’s fine. Pretty much the only thing new players need to know is that making large combos boosts both attack and defense. Defense, in this case, means shielding from incoming gray blocks that take up the space that could go to theTetrisblocks.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2is exactly what it sounds like: a mix ofTetrisandPuyo Puyo. The latter series,Puyo Puyo, is significantly less well known (so are most series when they’re compared toTetris), but it’s been around since the early 1990s.Puyo Puyo Tetris 2is just like the first, but it includes various PvP modes, including somemore gimmicky levelsto even out the playing field, even though the main attraction is stillTetrisvsPuyo Puyo.
IfPuyo Puyo Tetris 2has one issue, it’s that the two games it contains aren’t always compatible. If both players are very familiar with the two games, theTetrisplayer often seems to have an advantage. In casual play, the second mode can be more forgiving and significantly help thePuyo Puyoplayer.
Railroad Ink Challengeis a luxurious port of the roll-and-write board game of the same name. The Challenge version of theRailroad Inkseries adds a few more rules to the game, making it especially fun to play solo and try to get a new record, which gives the game a ton of replayability.
Of course,Railroad Ink Challengehas various multiplayer modes, including asynchronous play. It also divides its leaderboard between daily, monthly, and all-time, making it easier to see one’s name appear near the top. While perhaps a bit silly, it’s hard to overstate how much this can encourage players to constantly improve.
4Danghost
Danghostis a beautifully animated puzzle game in the vein ofTetrisorPuyo Puyo. Pieces fall from the top and can be scored when they are bundled together and removed. While there are significant differences, it could be (perhaps simplistically) defined ashexagonalTetris.Danghostalso has a story though, as well as varied characters, and unlockable playable protagonists.
PvP multiplayer is whereDanghostreally shines. As the game’s own Steam Store page puts it, Danghost is inspired by arcade puzzlers and fighting games, and the developers seem to be especially proud of the local multiplayer mode.
3Tricky Towers
Metacritic Score: 72
Tricky Towersis quite literallyTetriswith wonky physics, except the blocks don’t explode. But don’t worry, those imperfections are there on purpose. As a result, the game is a lot more approachable than regularTetris. Not everyone will like those changes, as advanced tactics aren’t really possible, but as far as block-stacking party games go,Tricky Towersis one of the best.
The game is extremely simple: blocks fall from the top, and players must move and rotate them to place them in the best spot possible. So far, it’s justTetris. But the objective is not to chain-explode those blocks for a big point stack. Instead, they must be balanced: if the tower falls, it can mean a sure loss.
2Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!
Metacritic Score: 79
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!is the newest version of the classic game seriesPuzzle Bobble, also known asBust-a-Move. Just like every game in the series, playerslaunch colored spherestoward the ceiling as weight slowly reveals more and more bubbles. Match three bubbles of the same color together to make them explode, releasing everything attached to them.
WhilePuzzle Bobble Everybubble!might look approachable, the new cartoony graphics hide the same ruthless arcade puzzle game as before. A game ofPuzzle Bobblecan be as one-sided as a pro vs beginnerTetrismatch.
On the one hand,Tetris Effect: Connectedis just a pretty version ofTetris. On the other hand, it looks really, really good. It also comes with an optional VR mode, an award-winning soundtrack, and multiplatform multiplayer. Challenging a friend inTetris Effect: ConnectedorTetr.iocouldn’t be more different, even if it’s functionally the same game.
Tetris Effect: Connectedhas a few different multiplayer modes, including different PvP multiplayer modes, both local and online. Unlike a lot of puzzle games similar to it,Tetris Effect: Connectedhas a solidcommunity that will probably stick aroundfor years to come. As a result, joining an online match with strangers is easy enough.
