Puzzles for different ages and different moods.
Winters Puzzles is one app with 32 puzzles in it, and they are not all pitched at the same person. Simple visual games with no reading at all sit alongside Sudoku, logic puzzles and card games — so the same app works for a quick go on the sofa and for a proper evening challenge.
Games that need no reading
Several puzzles can be played without reading a word of English, which makes them the easiest place for a younger or less confident player to start. Memory Match is the gentlest of the lot — turn over two cards, remember where they were, and there is nothing at all to lose. Sliding Puzzle, Flow and Lights Out are the same idea: rules you can show somebody in one go, without explaining anything.
What each puzzle asks of you
| Puzzle | Style | Reading needed? | Typical round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory Match | Visual matching | No | Quick |
| Sliding Puzzle | Spatial | No | Quick |
| Lights Out | Logic | No | Quick |
| Flow | Spatial | No | Quick |
| Word Search | Words | Yes | Quick |
| Hangman | Words | Yes | Quick |
| Trivia | Knowledge | Yes | Quick |
| Sudoku | Number logic | No | Varied |
| Minesweeper | Deduction | No | Varied |
| Logic Grid | Deduction | Yes | Longer |
| Solitaire | Cards | No | Longer |
This describes what a puzzle asks of a player rather than who should play it. We have not had the app assessed against age bands, so we would rather tell you what is actually in it and let you judge.
Playing together
Some of these are better with two people than one. Trivia works well passed between people, and Emoji Riddle tends to get solved out loud by whoever is nearest.
There is also a create and share tab, which is the most family-shaped thing in the app: write a Trivia round about your own household, or hide everyone’s names in a Word Search, and send it to them as a link. It needs no account at either end.
Worth knowing
- Free to download, with no subscription.
- No account to create, and it plays offline.
- The app is supported by ads. Watching one is also how you can top up hints, if you want to.
- One device can hold everyone’s play, or progress can sync privately over iCloud — see the privacy policy.
One app, plenty of moods.
Free on iPhone and iPad.
