Best games
Best Puzzle games of 2002
The 12 best Puzzle games released in 2002, ranked from 2,172 critic and player ratings.
The best Puzzle game of 2002 is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords, with a critic score of 100/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 2002.
- 12 games are listed on this page, carrying 2,172 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 12
01
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords features two games, a port of the SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and a new multiplayer adventure called Four Swords.
100
/100
02
A
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is the first Zelda game for the Nintendo GameCube and also the first in the series to employ cel-shading, a lighting and texturing technique that results in the game having a cartoon-like appearance. Like its predecessors, The Wind Waker is an action game with puzzle-solving and light role-playing elements. Basic gameplay mechanics are similar to those found in Ocarina of Time, but it differentiates itself with its massive Great Sea which must be explored using a boat named King of Red Lions.
90
/100
03
Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil is the 2002 remake of the original 1996 video game of the same name featuring various improvements and gameplay overhaul. The game features all-new graphics and sound, and also incorporates gameplay elements from the earlier installments. While the overall plot remained mostly unchanged, several new areas and rooms were added to the game. This remake also features many additional modes, secrets and various endings over the original.
88
/100
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords features two games, a port of the SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and a new multiplayer adventure called Four Swords.
100
/100
02
A
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is the first Zelda game for the Nintendo GameCube and also the first in the series to employ cel-shading, a lighting and texturing technique that results in the game having a cartoon-like appearance. Like its predecessors, The Wind Waker is an action game with puzzle-solving and light role-playing elements. Basic gameplay mechanics are similar to those found in Ocarina of Time, but it differentiates itself with its massive Great Sea which must be explored using a boat named King of Red Lions.
90
/100
03
Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil is the 2002 remake of the original 1996 video game of the same name featuring various improvements and gameplay overhaul. The game features all-new graphics and sound, and also incorporates gameplay elements from the earlier installments. While the overall plot remained mostly unchanged, several new areas and rooms were added to the game. This remake also features many additional modes, secrets and various endings over the original.
88
/100
04
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a psychological horror action adventure, released in 2002 by Nintendo for the Gamecube. It tells the stories of twelve characters that span across the world and two millennia who have to deal with ancient forces of evil which have been trying to manifest themselves in our world. Chapters take place in Ancient Rome, Persia, the Middle East, and modern-day Rhode Island. Throughout the game, the protagonists will have access to several weapons appropriate for their era, from bastard sword & gladius to flintlock pistol and shotgun. The game features an involved Magic system, which allows different spells to be created through the combination of runes. These spells can attack enemies, dispel illusions, and heal both the body and items. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem also has a unique feature called Sanity. If an enemy sees a character, their Sanity meter drops. When Sanity gets low, hallucinations begin to plague the character. Walls bleed, voices whisper from nowhere, the camera gets disoriented. Sanity can be restored by dealing a finishing move on a dying enemy, or with spells or some items.
92
/100
05
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil Zero is a third-person survival horror video game and a prequel to the first Resident Evil. The gameplay remains largely the same as previous entries in the series but also introduces what it calls a partner zapping system, which allows you to switch between the two characters Rebecca and Billy at any time. This feature must be used at times, as the game requires both characters to work together to solve some puzzles. New to the game are a bunch of terrifying enemies, like the mutant centipede, new areas to explore, and the ability to drop items on the ground instead of having to find an item box.
83
/100
06
The Thing
While investigating the enigmatic deaths of American scientists in the Antarctic, a military rescue team encounters a strange shape-shifting alien life-form that assumes the appearance of the people it kills. As the team leader, you must forget everything you ever learned about obliterating aliens simply with a barrage of violent ammunition--this monster is difficult to see, hard to kill, and seemingly impossible to evade. In the midst of this lurking terror, you must convince your squad to cooperate and complete tasks essential to both the success of the mission and your own survival.
78
/100
07
Arx Fatalis
This critically acclaimed first-person RPG takes the player on an incredible adventure in the fantastic world of Arx. The game mixes an intelligent story with immersive and real medieval environments. Arx Fatalis allows the player to feel that all his actions have a direct consequence to all those around him.
78
/100
08
Syberia
Join Kate Walker as she travels to remote locations and time periods in this timeless voyage to discover her true destiny.
77
/100
09
Worms Blast
Fall in line for fast, furious fire fights with Worms Blast. Your mission: launch your worm marine into hostile waters and blast your way to survival through intense puzzle action! Take the big chunk of puzzle-styled gameplay and slice into 60 fun-sized missions.
73
/100
10
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords is a multiplayer game in the Zelda series originally released together with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance. The game has many features not seen in the series and it requires at least two people to play and uses randomly generated dungeons. During the game, players must collect as many Ruppees as possible while solving puzzles and defeating enemies. When enough Ruppees are collected, the Great Fairy will give the players a key to open the unlockable level. At the end of each level, the one who collects the most Ruppees will be the winner.
70
/100
11
Sonic Mega Collection
70
/100
12
Star Fox Adventures
60
/100
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a psychological horror action adventure, released in 2002 by Nintendo for the Gamecube. It tells the stories of twelve characters that span across the world and two millennia who have to deal with ancient forces of evil which have been trying to manifest themselves in our world. Chapters take place in Ancient Rome, Persia, the Middle East, and modern-day Rhode Island. Throughout the game, the protagonists will have access to several weapons appropriate for their era, from bastard sword & gladius to flintlock pistol and shotgun. The game features an involved Magic system, which allows different spells to be created through the combination of runes. These spells can attack enemies, dispel illusions, and heal both the body and items. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem also has a unique feature called Sanity. If an enemy sees a character, their Sanity meter drops. When Sanity gets low, hallucinations begin to plague the character. Walls bleed, voices whisper from nowhere, the camera gets disoriented. Sanity can be restored by dealing a finishing move on a dying enemy, or with spells or some items.
92
/100
05
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil Zero is a third-person survival horror video game and a prequel to the first Resident Evil. The gameplay remains largely the same as previous entries in the series but also introduces what it calls a partner zapping system, which allows you to switch between the two characters Rebecca and Billy at any time. This feature must be used at times, as the game requires both characters to work together to solve some puzzles. New to the game are a bunch of terrifying enemies, like the mutant centipede, new areas to explore, and the ability to drop items on the ground instead of having to find an item box.
83
/100
06
The Thing
While investigating the enigmatic deaths of American scientists in the Antarctic, a military rescue team encounters a strange shape-shifting alien life-form that assumes the appearance of the people it kills. As the team leader, you must forget everything you ever learned about obliterating aliens simply with a barrage of violent ammunition--this monster is difficult to see, hard to kill, and seemingly impossible to evade. In the midst of this lurking terror, you must convince your squad to cooperate and complete tasks essential to both the success of the mission and your own survival.
78
/100
07
Arx Fatalis
This critically acclaimed first-person RPG takes the player on an incredible adventure in the fantastic world of Arx. The game mixes an intelligent story with immersive and real medieval environments. Arx Fatalis allows the player to feel that all his actions have a direct consequence to all those around him.
78
/100
08
Syberia
Join Kate Walker as she travels to remote locations and time periods in this timeless voyage to discover her true destiny.
77
/100
09
Worms Blast
Fall in line for fast, furious fire fights with Worms Blast. Your mission: launch your worm marine into hostile waters and blast your way to survival through intense puzzle action! Take the big chunk of puzzle-styled gameplay and slice into 60 fun-sized missions.
73
/100
10
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords is a multiplayer game in the Zelda series originally released together with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance. The game has many features not seen in the series and it requires at least two people to play and uses randomly generated dungeons. During the game, players must collect as many Ruppees as possible while solving puzzles and defeating enemies. When enough Ruppees are collected, the Great Fairy will give the players a key to open the unlockable level. At the end of each level, the one who collects the most Ruppees will be the winner.
70
/100
11
Sonic Mega Collection
70
/100
12
Star Fox Adventures
60
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Puzzle game of 2002?
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 33 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.