Top 6 Single-Player Games To Help Pass The Time While Feeling Productive!

Do you ever find yourself with some free time and nothing to do? Maybe it’s the evenings after a long day at work, yet you almost feel too lazy sitting on the couch watching TV. Or, you’re on a bus/train and have 30 minutes to kill. You need to do something that passes the time while making you feel a bit productive. 

Doom scrolling through social media is immediately out of the question – but what about some fun online games? Plenty exist for you to try, and a lot of the best ones are single-player games anyway. The trick to finding a suitable game is that it must engage your brain and help you feel like you’re accomplishing something. So, sorry, but Candy Crush is also out of the question! 

You want games that make you think, meaning you develop some vital skills while avoiding boredom – here are some top options you’ll be very interested in trying: 

Sudoku

The ancient game of sudoku is an excellent starting point for fun single-player games that make you feel productive. It’s a game packed full of strategy and forward-thinking as you try to fill a 9×9 grid with the numbers 1-9 in different places. 

To be fair, it’s much more challenging than it sounds! 

Sudoku makes you place these numbers in each row, column, and box. You can’t have the same number more than once in either of these areas. It’s harder to explain than it is to play, but you’ll find loads of free sudoku puzzles online for you to play on your phone or at your computer when you have some moments to spare. 

It’s a great way to train your brain to think critically – and it helps you get to grips with numbers. A great morning exercise for anyone who works with numbers while also being a great game for kids to play before or after school. 

Mahjong

If you’re looking to unwind after a long day or want to pass the time during a long journey, then online mahjong could be the perfect single-player game for you. This tile-based game originated in China and became wildly popular at casinos or Chinese bars. It normally requires a lot of setting up, though the online version takes care of this for you. 

Some people play this around a table with friends, but the single-player version is just as exciting. The goal is to find matching tiles and eliminate them from the playing area. However, you can only eliminate matching pairs on the edge of their section. This is confusing now, but you’ll get what it means when you see how the tiles are laid out. 

There are also rules about matching any flower tile with another flower tile or matching any season tiles together. Again, it’s packed full of strategy and really gets your brain whirring. It’s not one of those games you mindlessly play and click buttons – you have to be present and think about what you’re doing. 

Wordscapes

Wordscapes is a brand name, but you’ll find many games like it online or via different mobile app stores. The aim of the game is to fill a grid with words. It sounds simple, but there’s a catch. With Wordscapes, you’re given a selection of letters under the grid that you can use to make words. You must also fit words into the grid, so they’re the right length and every word makes sense. 

It’s a combination of many popular word games – like Boggle, Scrabble, and a classic crossword puzzle. You play it alone, and it lets you move through different levels that get progressively harder. It challenges your brain as you have to think of new words all the time by only using a few letters under a grid. 

The further you get into it, and the harder the levels become, the more challenging it is. You have to think carefully about the words you make so they all fit in the grid together. It’s one of those games that’s very easy to get into and play whenever you want. Perhaps you have five minutes of free time between meetings and want to keep your brain ticking over – a couple of rounds of Wordscapes will easily fill this time while helping you feel more productive. 

Also, it’s a game that teaches you lots of new words and helps you problem-solve. Both of these things will aid you in your daily life! 

Crossword Puzzles

Instead of Wordscapes, you could opt for a classic crossword puzzle. You’ll find hundreds of these online – and many of them are free to play. Everyone knows how a crossword works: you’re given an empty grid with different clues to help you find specific words. They vary in difficulty and can be solved within a minute or an hour. 

The complexity and variety of crosswords make them a joy to do – and many companies or newspapers will provide you with one crossword to do per day. It’s the ultimate thing to do on your way to work to pass the time and be more productive. 

A morning crossword will kick your brain into action – it’s like giving it a warmup before the day’s activities. Genuinely, try this from now on and see how different you feel for the rest of the day, especially in the morning. Your normal brain fog goes away and you feel more focused, allowing you to have more productive mornings! 

Chess

Some of you may question this game’s appearance on the list because chess is traditionally a two-player game. It’s one of the best games for the entire family, and you can happily host little chess game nights with everyone. 

Nevertheless, online chess turns this into a single-player game. You’ll play against a computer, meaning you don’t need someone else to take part. It gives you an opportunity to hone your chess skills and learn more about how the game works. 

What more is there to say about chess that hasn’t been said many times before? Everyone knows how beneficial this game is – it’s shown to improve cognitive skills and reduce the symptoms of some brain conditions, like Alzheimer’s. The game makes you think in ways you’ve never thought before, which will only benefit you in other parts of your life. 

Is this a game you can play in five or ten minutes? No. It’s more of an option for the evenings when you want something productive to do instead of watching TV or mindlessly scrolling on your phone. Play chess to unwind and relax – it’ll make you sleep a lot better, too! 

Solitaire

Can you find a more classic single-player game than solitaire? The name literally means “alone” and refers to any card game you can play without a partner. Classic Solitaire is available on lots of platforms and will occupy many hours of your time. It’s an easy game to understand, yet it can be progressively challenging to complete. 

If you get bored with it, then you have a host of other types of solitaire to explore – including spider, free cell, and more. Either way, these games encourage lateral thinking and boost relaxation. They help you de-stress and can be played anywhere for as long as you want. 

As a society, we need to get out of the habit of scrolling endlessly on our phones for hours a day. It achieves nothing and will make your brain rot! Instead, try playing some fun and beneficial single-player games. Yes, you’re still staring at a screen, but at least it’s productive.