Brain teasers, mind benders & head scratchers

Nothing quite compares to vanquishing a buildup of bemusement with that priceless ‘eureka!’ moment.

From classic puzzle action to cryptic crosswords to the more abstract dimensions of perspective and physics, enjoy these premier puzzling picks from Play.

Guided only by the letters you’re allowed to use, Knotwords is as much of a minimal and elegant logic puzzle as it is a crossword. As you arrange letters to create words, each one guides you to the next as you find your flow and inch closer to completing its daily puzzles.

Drag and drop groups of letters to create words that match your given hint, in this unique take on the crossword puzzle formula. If you can fit each piece of the puzzle together to spell out the desired word, you’ll be victorious – but be warned, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

Banish the falling letters or face death in this dicey game of wordsmithing. Spell quickly and correctly to clear as many tiles as possible before BAIKOH takes you out. Don’t worry, there are powerups you can use to help you take on the challenge.

Find your zen in this relaxing word hunt game that’s all about finding as many words as you can from a set of letters to fill out the blank crossword in front of you. High-score hunters will want to look out for unlisted words to grab bonus points across the thousands of unique word puzzles you’ll play.

Putting a spin on the traditional word search, Honeycomb has over 500 handmade levels for you to solve. Puzzles become increasingly sophisticated as you progress, with honeycomb letter grids evolving into sprawling spirals of words to discover.

In this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Monument Valley, you’ll guide Ro and her daughter through a world of mesmerizing optical illusions. Twist and turn the architecture to create clever paths and unravel the mysteries of the valley.

Transporting the Bendies from A to B isn’t too challenging — the hard part is keeping them in one piece. Across 60 test chambers, you’ll have to use wits, portals, and propulsion gel to bend physics to your will. Just be aware of the sentry turrets. And acid pools. And laser fields. You’ll be fine.