Life
7 Unique Puzzles That Are SO Impressive — Including An Epic 18,000-Piece Jigsaw
Whether you’re stuck inside or simply bored at home, a good jigsaw puzzle can keep you entertained. The best unique puzzles for adults feature sophisticated designs with at least 500 pieces and offer exciting new challenges, such as 3-D elements, unusual shapes or materials, double-sided pieces, or monochromatic colors. These designs make the puzzles quirky, complex, and downright cool.
An adult puzzle should take you at least a few hours to complete and should be difficult enough to feel truly, well, puzzling. Larger puzzles with 1,000-plus pieces can give your problem-solving skills a workout, but puzzles with as few as 500 pieces can be sufficiently challenging if they are 3-D, have rounded edges, or simply have monochromatic color schemes. Pick the type of challenge that appeals to you the most — and the puzzle you think looks the most visually interesting — when you’re making a purchase.
From wooden jigsaws to elaborate 3-D puzzles, here are seven unique and challenging picks that you can enjoy for hours. They’re sure to keep you coming back until you’ve experienced the satisfying “pop!” of clicking the last piece into place.
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1A Two-For-One Floral Puzzle
Number of pieces: 500
Finished size: 24 by 18 inches (length by width)
You get two puzzles in one with this Floral Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults thanks to its double-sided design. Don't worry about it being too challenging, though — it's only 500 pieces, and each one is distinguished by one matte side and one slightly glossy side to help you sort through them. Both sides of the puzzle are printed with no-glare ink and feature colorful yet soothing floral images.
The puzzle is also available in five other sophisticated double-sided designs.
Positive Amazon review: “Double sided ...love the flowers and the color palette! Thick pieces and fit is easy! It was a good challenge worth the end result!! Love this artist and this puzzle!”
2A Colorful Round Puzzle To Brighten The Room
Number of pieces: 1,000
Finished size: 26.6 by 26.6 inches (length by width)
With its bright, bold colors, the Moruska Gradient Round Jigsaw Puzzle seems like the perfect antidote to being cooped up inside on a dreary day. The round shape makes this puzzle distinctive from more traditional rectangular options — and it means you won't be able to start with the corners. It's a great fit for anyone looking for a challenge.
Positive Amazon review: “First and foremost, I am a total puzzle nerd. This puzzle checks all of the boxes and is made with quality in mind, as the material [is] super sturdy. There's no guessing as to whether or not you found the proper spot for each piece, which is HUGE for me; I get annoyed with puzzles that could potentially fit in 40 different places. Lastly, the fact that it is round makes it unique!”
3A Romantic Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
Number of pieces: 1,000
Finished size: 30 by 20 inches (length by width)
This 1,000-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle is pretty eye-catching, but what really sets it apart from the rest is the fact that it's made from 100% recycled wood, rather than flimsier cardboard or paper. Printed with nontoxic soy-based ink, the illustration displays a romantic, warm-hued scene of a couple walking in the rain. The puzzle is also available in a version featuring a dramatic waterfall, or one depicting animals.
Positive Amazon review: “Sturdy pieces, a poster to put under the puzzle to aid you in putting it together. All in all, a great purchase.”
4A Globe Puzzle For Fans Of “Game Of Thrones”
Number of pieces: 540
Finished size: 9 by 9 by 9 inches(length by width by height)
Fans of Game of Thrones will enjoy bringing Westeros and Essos to life with this 4D Cityscape Game of Thrones Globe Puzzle. It's sort of like a cross between a 3-D model and a jigsaw puzzle — once it's completed, you'll have a 3-D map of the "Game of Thrones" world. All the pieces are made of plastic and curved to create the spherical shape. It's available in 3-, 6-, and 9-inch models, and the display stand is included.
Positive Amazon review: “Gets 5 stars for unique design! [...] definitely not a puzzle for small kids due to difficulty & small parts.”
5A Gradient Puzzle That's More Challenging Than It Looks
Number of pieces: 500
Finished size: 24 by 18 inches (length by width)
The Areaware Gradient Puzzle is one the smallest puzzles on this list, but that certainly doesn't mean it's easy. The gradient design celebrates color and also adds much-appreciated difficulty to the puzzle. Once you're done, don't be surprised if you're tempted to display it as art. It's made of glossy art paper atop 2-millimeter thick chipboard and comes in eight different colors, as well as 100-piece and 1,000-piece versions.
Positive Amazon review: “I got this on a whim. It is a wonderfully brutal puzzle. Highly recommend.”
6A Legendary 3-D Puzzle
Number of pieces: 865
Finished size: 16.5 by 12.75 by 13.75 inches (length by width by height)
The Wrebbit 3D King Arthur's Camelot 3D Puzzle is sure to keep you entertained for hours. The muted colors and three-dimensional design make this one a real challenge, according to reviewers, but you'll feel pretty stoked when it's finished and you can step back and look at the castle you've built (measuring over 1 foot tall!). The puzzle is made of a sturdy plastic foam to help it hold its form. Wrebbit also makes other 3-D puzzles based on the worlds featured in Game of Thrones and Harry Potter.
Positive Amazon review: “Let’s face it - if we wanted an easy puzzle we would have run away from 3D and 800+ pieces, right? Lol! We love it!! It’s our second 3D Puzzle, and while challenging, it’s so worth it! More please.”
7An Epic Puzzle With 18,000 Pieces
Number of pieces: 18,000
Finished size: 109 by 75.5 inches (length by width)
If you're searching for a truly unique challenge, look no further than this huge Ravensburger puzzle. It has — I kid you not — 18,000 pieces. When it's done, it measures over 9 feet by 6 feet in size. Due to its sheer scale, the puzzle comes packaged in four different bags (each bag contains one quadrant of the puzzle) so that you can tackle one section at a time, rather than having to sort through all 18,000 pieces at once. The pieces are made of thick cardboard with anti-glare paper, and they have Ravensburger’s proprietary Softclick technology that helps you tell when two pieces fit together.
And if 18,000 pieces simply isn't enough puzzle for you, you should give this 40,320-piece puzzle instead. But it is truly more than 40,000 pieces, so don't say you weren't warned!
Positive Amazon review: “I've [purchased] my fair share of Ravensburger puzzles and was quite excited to add this one to my collection. The box is huge and the picture is very detailed. The pieces are of great quality. It's worth the price :)”
