There is nothing like a tough puzzle or a riddle. You'll start off working on it intensely. Then you return to real life, while the unsolved puzzle sits there, taunting you. Even as you go about your everyday chores, it's nagging you at the back of your mind. And then finally, something clicks, the lightbulb goes off, and you emerge triumphant. It's the best feeling in the world.

If you seek a challenge for your brain, then you're in for a treat. From free printable puzzles to one of the most fiendish video games ever made, we've got it all in store for you today.

1. The Griddle (Web): Free Printable Puzzles

David Millar strives to bring you a new puzzle every Wednesday, ranging from Sudokus and word searches to complex riddles. Each puzzle comes in the form of a PDF that you print out, and then spend the rest of your day solving it.

puzzles griddle

None of Millar's puzzles are easy, so you will take some time with each of these. For example, the Merch Table Madness puzzle gives you a grid to fill out, based on information given in the clues. My favorites are the slitherlink-style Area 51 puzzles.

The Griddle has been around for a decade and Millar is active in puzzle-solving communities across the world. You are almost guaranteed to find something new to print here.

2. Printable Puzzles (Web): Puzzle Baron's Daily Free Printables

You can ditch your newspaper subscription and get your news online today. But that also means ditching the daily riddles. For daily crosswords, sudokus, and other brain-teasers that you get in newspapers, head to Printable Puzzles.

printable puzzles

Puzzle Baron's Logic Puzzles is one of the internet's longest-lasting puzzle makers. While the site is wonderful for its monthly competitions and such, the real goldmine lies in its sister site, Printable Puzzles.

The site adds over 20 new puzzles every day. The main categories are crosswords (of different difficulties), word searches, acrostics, cryptograms, logic puzzles, sudokus, number puzzles, and drop quotes. Each puzzle can be printed out on a regular A4 sheet from a home or office printer, ready for you to solve.

3. Mind Your Decisions (YouTube): Math and Logic Puzzles in Videos

If you're new to math puzzle games, start with Mind Your Decisions. The YouTube channel hosted by Presh Talwalkar has some of the classic logical puzzles, especially matchstick problems and logic riddles.

Since it's presented as a video, Mind Your Decisions feels more like a friend posing a puzzle to you. Talwalkar is also patient and clear in his explanations, and always seems encouraging, not condescending. It's different from most of what you find on the web, and more entertaining.

The channel does a lot more than puzzles, so if that's all you want, check the two math puzzle and logic puzzle playlists. Between those two alone, there are over 180 puzzles for you. And if you browse the whole channel, you'll get much more math goodness.

4. /r/PuzzleNetwork (Web): Reddit's Many Puzzler Communities

Puzzlers around the world, these are the places to find like-minded individuals. The Puzzle Network is a consortium of subreddits focussed on puzzles. Some are generic, while others focus on certain types of puzzles.

puzzles reddit

/r/Puzzles, for example, is the main subreddit for anyone who likes puzzles. You will find head-scratching new problems every day, and an active community of Redditors ready to answer them. Then there's /r/MathRiddles for those who prefer their puzzles to be about numbers.

Other subreddits include /r/mechanicalpuzzles, /r/crosswords, /r/riddles and /r/RiddlesForRedditors, /r/rebus, and /r/mazes. There's something for everyone here. It's where you should go to solve the internet's toughest riddles.

5. Myst [No Longer Available]: Play the Classic DOS Puzzle Game

It is arguably the greatest puzzle game ever made. Myst was a simple DOS game, originally released back in 1991. It has since sparked sequels, remakes and remastered editors, and iPad and Android ports. But nothing matches up to the charm (and puzzles) of the original.

puzzles myst

Now that you can play classic DOS games in your browser for free, treat yourself to an edition of Myst. If you thought the island in Lost was a mystery, you haven't seen anything. Explore your mysterious island to solve the incredible puzzles (and even do some time-travelling along the way) to figure out the island's big secret. Everything is controlled by the keyboard, the only other thing you'll need is your wits.

You will also be able to play the game through an emulator. Search for it on one of the best sites to download old PC games for free.

What's Your Favorite Daily Puzzle?

I believe everyone has some sort of puzzle that they go back to, time after time. Personally, while I'm obsessed with Sudokus right now, I know it's only a matter of time before I go back to word search puzzles.

For something a little more hands-on, you might be interested in these puzzle subscription boxes that need to be solved before you can open them.

What about you? Are you a crossword nut? Do you get a mental high from cryptograms?