According to the report, Power of Play, 59 percent of respondents reported that puzzle games was the genre they\u2019d \u201cplayed most regularly in the last year,\u201d compared to 39 percent who said the same for action games and 30 percent for games of skill and chance. (Respondents were presented with a list of game categories and asked to select all genres they play regularly, which is why the total adds up to more than 100 percent.)<\/p>\n
Puzzle games comprise a large range of sub-genres, including matching games (Candy Crush, Tetris), brainteasers and word games (Sudoku, Wordle), physics-based games (Angry Birds), educational games (ABCmouse), and trivia games (Jeopardy!).<\/p>\n
A Needed Break<\/p>\n
The trend doesn\u2019t surprise Lukas Steinman, co-creator of the puzzle game A Little to the Left and co-founder of the Nova Scotia game studio Max Inferno Games. Steinman says this type of game serves as a counterpoint to players\u2019 frenetic media landscapes and busy schedules.<\/p>\n
\u201cPuzzles allow us to slow down, focus on a single task at hand, and feel that pang of pride and success when a solution is found,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Mark Rogers, co-creator of the online word game Canuckle, which offers a free, daily, typically Canadian word for players to guess (similar to The New York Times\u2019 Wordle), agrees. \u201cPlayers crave something they can finish quickly \u2014 a single, intentional task instead of an endless scroll,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
More than 230 million games of Canuckle have been played since it launched in February 2022, with approximately 50,000 players \u2014 mostly Canadian \u2014 playing it every day. For Rogers, daily word games like Canuckle have largely become \u201cpart of modern, digital self-care.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Canuckle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Canuckle-b-395x640.png\")
Screenshot of the game Canuckle<\/p>\n
Mobile Devices Behind Puzzle Games\u2019 Popularity<\/p>\n
Puzzle games also owe their popularity to mobile devices, according to Jason Kapalka, founder of the B.C.-based studio Blue Wizard Digital.<\/p>\n
\u201cMobile devices are more suited to puzzle games than they are to, for example, first-person shooter games,\u201d he says. Kapalka also co-founded the PopCap Games studio back in 2000 and has experienced this transition firsthand over the years as PopCap released games like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies across various platforms.<\/p>\n
The market also follows demographic changes, and gamers are getting older.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we see players who are entering retirement, who are looking for games to play. People who enter retirement at this stage don’t want Twitch-based games, shooting games, competitive games. They want stimulating games, social games, games they can play with their family,\u201d says Carina Kom, co-founder of the independent studio Simply Sweet Games, whose first release, the word-puzzle game Criss Cross Castle, launched recently.<\/p>\n
![\"Criss](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Criss-Cross-Castle.jpg\")
Screenshot of the game Criss Cross Castle<\/p>\n
The genre\u2019s popularity with women is also significant. \u201cMore than half of all gamers are women, and 75 percent of the players playing puzzle games are women,\u201d says Tina Merry, CEO of Simply Sweet Games.<\/p>\n
The Appeal for Small Studios<\/p>\n
Puzzle games often represent an attractive option for independent studios. \u201cThey’re relatively easy to make\u2026and often don’t have the same sort of art\/audio requirements. They also have very low technical requirements most of the time, which means that they are able to be played by even low-spec devices, and would reach a wider audience than traditional video games can,\u201d said Steinman.<\/p>\n
Steinman\u2019s game, A Little to the Left, has sold 2.5 million copies, and its downloadable content has been purchased 1.5 million times. According to Steinman, the game has made \u201ca good return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPuzzle games punch way above their weight,\u201d says Rogers. \u201cA small creative idea, executed well, can connect people around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, puzzle games have room for innovation. New games are emerging like Slayaway Camp 2, which blends puzzles with horror, and markets itself on Steam as the \u201cmost violentest\u201d puzzle game of all time.<\/p>\n
Even if they are easier to design, developing a game is still a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went into this genre because we thought it would be easy, and we were wrong,\u201d says Merry. \u201cWe were so wrong. Anytime you make a new game or any new IP with a new team and new technology, that is going to be hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean puzzle games aren\u2019t a good opportunity; the market is evaluated at $30 billion (U.S.) worldwide, according to data compiled by Simply Sweet Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll you need is to find a small portion of the market that is looking for what you have to offer,\u201d says Merry.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/maxime-johnson-1-150x150.jpg\")
\nMaxime Johnson<\/p>\n
Maxime Johnson is a freelance journalist specializing in technology, and has contributed to numerous publications, including L’actualit\u00e9, Les Affaires, Infobref, P\u00e8se sur start and Prot\u00e9gez-Vous.<\/p>\n