Jigsaws have the dual capacity to relax you while also taxing your gray matter. So we have compiled a list of the best websites to play free Jigsaw puzzles online.

Jigsaws are a centuries-old pastime which is still popular to this day. And there are traditional wooden Jigsaw Puzzles you buy in boxes and apps you play on your phone.

And then there are the popular jigsaw websites that predate the apps. So, why not test your brain when you’re bored by completing these jigsaw puzzles you can play online.

1. JigsawBreak

This website won’t impress you with its looks, as it’s pretty dated. But a glance at the leaderboard will tell you that players from around the world are still competing to finish the puzzles with the least possible moves.

The challenge is to solve a jigsaw puzzle in a limited number of moves. If a jigsaw has 5×5 tiles, you have to complete it in 25 moves or less.

You can create your own jigsaws by uploading photos from photo-sharing sites. Or you can attempt a random jigsaw. You cannot upload your own photos yet, but the variety on the site should be enough to keep you engaged.

2. JigZone

JigZone does one thing which JigSawBreak doesn’t. You can upload your own photos, create a puzzle, and send it to your friends. Otherwise, you can choose from any of the jigsaw puzzles on display. Choose the level of difficulty from the 6-piece classic to the monumentally arduous 247-piece triangle.

There’s a daily puzzle, a huge puzzle gallery with categorized jigsaws to pick from, and also the ability to send puzzle postcards to friends with your own photo or any other puzzle from the site.

3. Jigsaw Planet

Jigsaw Planet greets you with a more modern interface. You can play all of the online jigsaw puzzles you want to without the clutter. You can also create your own jigsaw puzzles by uploading a photo, setting the number of tiles, and their shape. Set the rotation to make it more difficult.

If placing the jigsaw pieces gets too difficult, use the ghost image as a guide. You can also use an image outline, but it is more challenging. Use the Settings to optimize the play area before you start on a puzzle.

4. National Geographic

What’s the connection between National Geographic and jigsaws? It’s the famous NatGeo images, which the Jigsaw Puzzle Generator turns into cool jigsaw puzzles. All images are sourced from the Photo of the Day and get updated every day.

Choose one, then time yourself as you try to beat the clock. You can tweak a few settings in the Options to make the puzzles either more difficult or easier to complete.

5. Just Jigsaw Puzzles

This jigsaw puzzle website is simple in its looks, but it boasts a large number of jigsaw puzzles across a variety of categories. The HTML5 jigsaw puzzles are made from licensed royalty-free images. You can make your own puzzles too by uploading an image or selecting one from Pixabay.

While you are searching for a puzzle, you can go through the popular topics and some suggested puzzles. For instance, the Fine Art category can teach you something about famous paintings as you try to piece the puzzle together.

The jigsaw puzzles can be customized by changing the size, the number of pieces, and their shape.

6. JSPuzzles

JSPuzzles offers everything from 9-piece puzzles to puzzles with 100 pieces. The tiles come as straight rectangle pieces without the interlocking shapes. The site has a lot of categories and some created by the users too.

Every day you can play a puzzle with a different theme, just to keep things interesting. There’s also a leaderboard that lets you compare the time it takes you to complete a puzzle with the best time so far, as well as the average times.

7. Jigidi

Sign in and create a profile to play jigsaw puzzles in an interactive interface. You can play a variety of puzzles by moving the tessellated pieces on the full span of the browser. The larger jigsaw puzzles go up to 400+ pieces. There are different categories to choose from.

You can play without signing in. But signing in allows you to save your progress and chat with the community behind the site. You can also create your own puzzle. The Jigidi Membership program gives you an ad-free experience.

8. Crazy4Jigsaws

This popular jigsaw puzzle site offers the regular variety of jigsaw puzzles. The jigsaw puzzle gallery has different categories you can choose from. You can pick a jigsaw puzzle or use your own uploaded photo and send it as an e-card to someone.

Start with the Free Membership. Then, if you like the site, you can graduate to the Premium Membership plan which offers more puzzles, a full screen mode, more puzzle cuts, and other exclusive features.

Crazy4Jigsaws still uses Flash. But on the other hand, the developers also offer polished apps for Android and iOS.

Download: Jigsaw Puzzle Bug for Android | iOS (Free, with in-app purchases)

9. The Washington Post Online Jigsaw Puzzle

It’s impossible to complete a jigsaw in the print edition of a newspaper. However, it’s not a problem for the digital edition, and so The Washington Post offers its readers one jigsaw puzzle a day as brain food.

The puzzles are sourced from Arkadium Games and have three levels of difficulty (easy, normal, and expert). Select the date and click to play. You can preview the finished picture before you start arranging your pieces.

10. Daily Jigsaw Puzzles

This site is like the others on this list in all respects except one. It has a nice collection of mindbending abstract jigsaw puzzles. Take your pick from colorful circular motifs, patchwork patterns, and even abstract paintings. These psychedelics are the toughest to put together.

All puzzles have six difficulty levels and you would do well to start with the easiest. You can also use a jigsaw puzzle maker to design brainteasing games to play with your friends.

Play Free Jigsaw Puzzles Online to Relax

John Spilsbury, a London engraver and mapmaker, is said to be the first person who created a jigsaw puzzle by cutting a hardwood map with a marquetry saw. That was far back in 1766. Since then, this simple game has done its bit to keep us absorbed (and frustrated too).

A well-designed jigsaw puzzle can stimulate lateral thinking in all of us. But the most valuable lesson it teaches is patience. Like all puzzles, jigsaws are brain exercises. And if you want to take a break from the notches and edges, try these puzzle games you can play for free in your browser.

Read the full article: The 10 Best Websites to Play Free Jigsaw Puzzles Online