Puzzle games are usually tests of patience, logic, and problem-solving abilities. But every so often, a few break the mold and make players laugh just as much as they make them think. The comedy may come from sharp writing, absurd scenarios, or mechanics that are funny by design.
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RPGs aren't just about skill trees and gear loadouts. They also almost always feature tricky puzzles with enticing rewards for players to solve.
Whether it’s being bamboozled by a snarky narrator, fumbling through an office causing chaos, or discovering how ridiculous some simple rules can become, these six puzzle games manage to exercise not just your brain but also have you cracking a smile at the same time.
The Stanley Parable
The Narrator Knows More Than You
The Stanley Parable
- Released
- October 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
An office adventure that takes a simple premise and spirals it into a chaotic, subversive romp through pure comedic timing. The Stanley Parable features a man whose coworkers vanish, guided by a characteristically sarcastic British narrator who seems to know everything you are about to do. The punchline is that the player’s choices constantly contradict his instructions, and he has to awkwardly change his script.
The humor thrives on this friction, making something as mundane as walking into a closet a hysterical experience. Each of the dozens of endings is its own kind of punchline; sometimes you’ll stumble into existential horror, and sometimes pure absurdity. What holds it all together is the narrator’s dry humor, which can turn any small decision into a comedy sketch. Few puzzle-driven experiences are this funny without ever relying on slapstick gimmicks.
Portal 2
Science Has Never Been This Sarcastic
Portal 2
- Released
- April 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
There’s a reason Portal 2 is still fondly remembered as having some of the sharpest comedic writing in all of gaming. The core mechanic seems simple enough: shoot portals on walls to solve test chambers. But the true star of the show is the dialogue, perfectly balanced out with GLaDOS’ dry contempt and Wheatley’s bumbling idiocy. The constant banter makes even the act of pushing buttons a hilarious one.
What makes the humor work so well is the timing. Jokes are seamlessly tied into the puzzles, and gags land just as the player succeeds or fails. The story itself goes from dark revelations to crazy set pieces, but the tone never loses its comedic edge. Portal 2 stands the test of time by proving that puzzle-solving and laughter can coexist without diluting either one.
Baba Is You
Rules Were Made To Be Broken
Baba Is You
- Released
- March 13, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
On the surface, Baba Is You looks like a minimalist logic puzzle where words on the screen define the rules of the game’s world, and by pushing those words around, the player can rewrite reality itself. It sounds abstract, but the humor comes from how absurd these transformations can get.
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Discovering that you can make “Flag is Win” and instantly complete a level feels like cheating, yet it’s entirely intentional. The puzzles push the player into all sorts of ridiculous logic traps that are both infuriating and hilarious, giving rise to a rare kind of comedy born not from dialogue, but from the joy of breaking the rules.
Accounting+
An Accountant’s Worst Day Ever
Accounting+
- Released
- October 18, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature - Blood, Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Crows Crows Crows, Squanch Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
When virtual reality collides with pure absurdist humor, the result is Accounting+. Featuring Justin Roiland’s iconic brand of offbeat comedy, it starts off with a dull accounting tutorial before throwing players into ever-more bizarre VR worlds. One moment you might be holding a frog court session, the next you are inside a screaming tree. The randomness is the joke, with the puzzles just an excuse to keep the madness going.
What sells the humor is how interactive everything is. NPCs shout with Rick & Morty-esque over-the-top performances, objects react in insane ways, and even failure often leads to some kind of gag. Accounting+ never takes itself seriously, instead leaning into the nonsense, making it less about solving riddles and more about surviving the onslaught of absurdity with a straight face.
Good Job!
Corporate Chaos Simulator
Good Job!
- Released
- March 26, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Paladin Studios B.V.
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Simulation
A physics-based office puzzler based on climbing the corporate ladder by completing menial tasks in the most unorthodox ways possible. In Good Job!, something as simple as moving a projector across an office can be done in all sorts of ways, ranging from carefully pushing it through a doorway to launching it through a wall with a forklift.
The puzzles give players freedom to solve problems either efficiently or hilariously, both options being rewarded equally. The humor comes from the sheer destruction caused in pursuit of the simplest of goals. Chairs go flying, coworkers get concussed, and glass shatters into dust. All the while, the game continues to celebrate your progress as if you are a model employee. Good Job! Turns the mundane corporate environment into a playground of slapstick comedy.
Floor Plan 2
Elevators Are Funnier Than They Look
Floor Plan 2 presents itself as a game about solving puzzles in an office tower, but sneaks up on you with its humor. Each floor has a bizarre theme, from oddball coworkers to strange spaces that ignore logic. Solving puzzles means interacting with these crazy characters and environments that respond in ways that are equally helpful and ridiculous.
The charm is in how mundane problems get turned upside down. Even the simplest of things, from fetching items to fixing simple issues, unravel into strange comedic scenarios. Since the game was designed for VR, there’s also a physical comedy aspect of tossing, fumbling, and waving around items, which adds another layer of laughter. Lighthearted and clever, Floor Plan 2 makes the act of puzzle-solving as goofy as it is satisfying.
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