Free online puzzle games

For a logic workout

Sudoku, Minesweeper and Nonogram are the ones to pick when you want to think. Every Sudoku has exactly one solution and never needs a guess, with easy, medium and hard practice and a level ladder. Every Minesweeper board can be cleared by logic alone, with no 50/50 guesses, and the score rewards clearing it in few clicks. The nonograms are 10 by 10 grids that bloom into a small colour picture once solved.

The 15 Puzzle is logic of another kind: slide the numbered tiles back into order, and the score compares your moves with the shortest possible solution. Practice has easy, medium and hard boards, and a level ladder goes further.

For a quick break

Block Puzzle, 2048 and Candy Match fit into a few minutes. Block Puzzle has you fit candy pieces on an 8 by 8 board and clear rows and columns until nothing fits. 2048 is the sliding merge game, here with sweets that grow all the way to a crown. Candy Match is a classic match 3 with exactly 25 swaps a run, so a game never drags on.

For winding down

Candy Sort and Tile Match are the calm ones. In Candy Sort you pour candy between jars until each holds one colour, five levels a run, each checked by a solver so it can be finished. In Tile Match you tap uncovered tiles into a seven-slot tray, where three of a kind vanish, until the pile is gone. Dessert Merge, in the watermelon game style, drops sweets into a jar where twins merge into something bigger.

Where to start

New to the hall? Start with 2048 or Block Puzzle: the rules take seconds and a run is short. If you like numbers, the daily Sudoku is a good next step, then Nonogram. For something to end the day with, try Candy Sort.