Related Articles
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
If you’re looking for an easy way to clear your mind, or want a contained project to share with your family, it’s hard to beat a puzzle. The best puzzles these days are available in many shapes, sizes, and difficulty levels, and there’s always something satisfying about hearing two cardboard pieces fit perfectly between one another.
Puzzles aren’t just for kids anymore either. These days, brands are also coming up with more intricate puzzles, from fully 3D models, to optical illusions that make you do a double take as you try to slot the pieces together. We’ve also included some blank puzzles that can either be assembled as is, or customized with your own fonts, drawings and designs.
To help you plan your next game night, time indoors, or rainy day activity, we’ve collected 10 of our favorite puzzles to get right now. Whether you’re a music fan, super creative, or want to tackle a new challenge, we’ve got you covered.
1. A Small Blank Puzzle
Inovart’s puzzle may not have that many pieces, but key is that each piece has a blank face. It’s up to you to create the puzzle’s design. You can draw on the pieces with oil and water-based paints, inks, watercolors, markers, pencils, or crayons. This is the perfect weeknight project for budding artists or a family with kids.
Each puzzle has 28, medium-sized pieces. This package contains 24 blank puzzles for you to fill in and assemble.
Buy INOVART Puzzle-It 28-Piece Blank… $7.38
2. A 3D Puzzle of Notre Dame
CubicFun’s 293-piece 3D puzzle lets you create a replica of the famed French church in your own home. Many of the Notre-Dame’s etchings and details have been replicated in this 3D model, and the pieces are made out of foam board and puzzle sheets for durability. When it’s done, the puzzle measures 23 x 8.7 x 17.3 inches.
Buy CubicFun 3D Puzzle for Adults Moveable… $59.99
3. A Carnival Puzzle
This 1000-piece puzzle depicts a classic circus scene, and measures 20 x 27 inches when it’s complete. We love the vivid, full-color details which offer something that catches you attention in every corner of the frame.
Buy Ravensburger Abandoned Series: Gloomy… $19.99
4. A Village Scene Puzzle
The design of this 309-piece puzzle is based on a piece of artwork from the fantasy illustrator Edward Binkley whose work has been featured in books from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Wizards of the Coast. Richly-illustrated with wonderful textures and details, this is a puzzle worth framing after you’re done.
5. A Space Puzzle
If you’re looking for a challenge, Printwork’s 500-piece “Night” puzzle will keep you busy for a long time. Its design shows a galaxy amidst a starry sky, but the consistent, dark hues will make it difficult to see where the pieces go.
Each piece measures approximately one-inch, with just subtle differences in color and shading. This is definitely on the higher end of the difficulty scale. The puzzle measures approximately 15 x 20.5 inches when finished.
Buy Printworks Night Sky Puzzle $17.66
6. A Large Wooden DIY Puzzle
If you’re a serious artist who wants to make a unique present for a friend or family member, this 300-piece blank puzzle set is a great choice. These pieces are made from wood, so you can customize them with traditional art mediums like colored pencils and markers, or go in an arts and crafts direction with glue and glitter.
Buy UPlama 300PCS Blank Puzzles, Freeform… $11.99
7. A Sunset Over the Golden Gate Bridge
This 1000-piece puzzle features an illustration of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. The design was created by Andrew Farley, a well-respected artist in the U.K.
Buy Vermont Christmas Company Golden Gate…
8. A David Bowie Earthling Jigsaw Puzzle
This set includes two 256-piece LP-sized puzzles that show the front and back of David Bowie’s 1997 album Earthling. Both come in a large tin case, and can be displayed in a vinyl record frame.
Buy David Bowie Earthling Puzzle $19.99
9. A Beatles Magic Mystery Songs Puzzle
This 3000-piece puzzle is the ultimate gift for Beatles fans, featuring nods to 100 of their most-popular songs. Think you can spot them all? Available on Amazon, this is an officially-licensed collab with the band.
Buy Aquarius The Beatles Magical Mystery… $34.99
10. A Mesa Puzzle
One of the most popular adult puzzle brands online is Mesa, whose claim to fame is their collection of puzzles featuring doggy best friends in New York (think the TV show Friends, but for dogs). Per Mesa’s description, each puzzle “features a photograph of a group of dog best friends slash amateur models livin’ laughin’ and lovin’ all over New York City.”
These are great conversation starters and fun party activities too. Even better: a percentage of sales are donated to the ASPCA.
Buy Mesa Puzzles $40
