Best games
Best Puzzle games of 2003
The 8 best Puzzle games released in 2003, ranked from 2,393 critic and player ratings.
The best Puzzle game of 2003 is Beyond Good & Evil, with a critic score of 91/100 — 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 80 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: 2003.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 2,393 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 8
01
Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure game with elements of puzzle-solving and stealth-based games. The player controls the protagonist, Jade, from a third-person perspective. Jade can run, move stealthily, jump over obstacles and pits, climb ladders, push or bash doors and objects, and flatten herself against walls. As Jade, the player investigates a number of installations in search of the truth about a war with an alien threat.
91
/100
02
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 is the third installment in the Silent Hill series. Like the previous entries, Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror combining action-based combat and puzzle-solving, but is somewhat more combat-oriented than the preceding installments. The main character is able to side-step and block some attacks, but in general shares with the other protagonists of the series their relative ineptitude in combat.
88
/100
03
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Deceived by the treacherous Vizier, I was led to unleash the Sands of Time curse upon the Sultan's kingdom. With little but an ancient dagger and a devious princess to aid me, I must undo my fatal mistake. Mine is a fight for survival… not glory. • Reverse, accelerate, and slow time itself with the almighty Sands of Time. • Master the Prince's speed, agility, and ferocious fighting skills. • Explore and survive the vast kingdoms of medieval Persia.
84
/100
Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure game with elements of puzzle-solving and stealth-based games. The player controls the protagonist, Jade, from a third-person perspective. Jade can run, move stealthily, jump over obstacles and pits, climb ladders, push or bash doors and objects, and flatten herself against walls. As Jade, the player investigates a number of installations in search of the truth about a war with an alien threat.
91
/100
02
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 is the third installment in the Silent Hill series. Like the previous entries, Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror combining action-based combat and puzzle-solving, but is somewhat more combat-oriented than the preceding installments. The main character is able to side-step and block some attacks, but in general shares with the other protagonists of the series their relative ineptitude in combat.
88
/100
03
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Deceived by the treacherous Vizier, I was led to unleash the Sands of Time curse upon the Sultan's kingdom. With little but an ancient dagger and a devious princess to aid me, I must undo my fatal mistake. Mine is a fight for survival… not glory. • Reverse, accelerate, and slow time itself with the almighty Sands of Time. • Master the Prince's speed, agility, and ferocious fighting skills. • Explore and survive the vast kingdoms of medieval Persia.
84
/100
04
Zuma
Survive the ancient temples of Zuma, the critically acclaimed action-puzzler from PopCap! Deep in the jungle lie hidden temples bursting with traps and trickery, and it's up to you to uncover their treasures. Fire magical balls from your stone frog idol to make matches of three or more and clear the deadly chain before it reaches the golden skull.
78
/100
05
Samorost
Samorost is a short point-and-click adventure game. The goal is to help the little space gnome save his home asteroid from a collision with another asteroid by solving diverse puzzles.
74
/100
06
XIII
XIII is a cel-shaded first-person shooter based on the popular Belgian cult comic created by Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by William Vance. The game is loosely based on the first five comics. The player unravels clues, trying to solve a conspiracy set in an environment that breathes a comic book ambiance. Footsteps and shots are visualized in text and actions: for example, headshots are shown in a series of still images. Aside from that, the game has all the typical FPS elements: both stealth and action, more than fifteen weapons (shotguns, crossbows, rifles, ...), interaction with environmental objects and plenty of enemies in levels spread all over the world. During the game, the player can learn a number of skills such as silent walking, lockpicking and dual weapons handling.
72
/100
07
Neighbours from Hell: Revenge Is a Sweet Game
69
/100
08
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon moves away from the 2D point-and-click concept from the earlier games and features a full 3D world, with a camera that does not rotate, but uses fixed cinematic perspectives, combined with full 5.1 sound. For the Windows version the game is no longer controlled through the mouse, but now through the keyboard, for the movement of the characters as well as all the actions. The player alternately controls George or Nico. Next to typical adventure gameplay such as exploration, conversations, and searching and combining items, there are also a few action sequences. The characters can duck, sneak, hang from ledges and move crates to reach higher areas.
60
/100
Zuma
Survive the ancient temples of Zuma, the critically acclaimed action-puzzler from PopCap! Deep in the jungle lie hidden temples bursting with traps and trickery, and it's up to you to uncover their treasures. Fire magical balls from your stone frog idol to make matches of three or more and clear the deadly chain before it reaches the golden skull.
78
/100
05
Samorost
Samorost is a short point-and-click adventure game. The goal is to help the little space gnome save his home asteroid from a collision with another asteroid by solving diverse puzzles.
74
/100
06
XIII
XIII is a cel-shaded first-person shooter based on the popular Belgian cult comic created by Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by William Vance. The game is loosely based on the first five comics. The player unravels clues, trying to solve a conspiracy set in an environment that breathes a comic book ambiance. Footsteps and shots are visualized in text and actions: for example, headshots are shown in a series of still images. Aside from that, the game has all the typical FPS elements: both stealth and action, more than fifteen weapons (shotguns, crossbows, rifles, ...), interaction with environmental objects and plenty of enemies in levels spread all over the world. During the game, the player can learn a number of skills such as silent walking, lockpicking and dual weapons handling.
72
/100
07
Neighbours from Hell: Revenge Is a Sweet Game
69
/100
08
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon moves away from the 2D point-and-click concept from the earlier games and features a full 3D world, with a camera that does not rotate, but uses fixed cinematic perspectives, combined with full 5.1 sound. For the Windows version the game is no longer controlled through the mouse, but now through the keyboard, for the movement of the characters as well as all the actions. The player alternately controls George or Nico. Next to typical adventure gameplay such as exploration, conversations, and searching and combining items, there are also a few action sequences. The characters can duck, sneak, hang from ledges and move crates to reach higher areas.
60
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Puzzle game of 2003?
Beyond Good & Evil currently tops the ranking with a score of 91/100 across 387 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.