Puzzle games that make a commute vanish

A commute is the natural home for a good puzzle game. You get short, interrupted windows of time, no reliable connection, and a wish to think about something other than the crowd around you.

Lantern Path is my pick for exactly this. Each puzzle is self-contained, you can pause instantly when your stop comes up, and there's an undo button so you never lose progress by experimenting. It also works with zero signal underground.

Look for puzzle games with no lives or energy system. Those timers are built to interrupt you, which is the opposite of what you want on the move. Games with a steady stream of levels and quick restarts respect the stop-start nature of travel.

One habit that helps: play with sound off and captions on if the game offers them. Trains are loud, and good puzzle games don't rely on audio to tell you what to do.

If a puzzle stumps you mid-journey, leave it. The best ones often solve themselves in your head once you stop staring.