8 best hard jigsaw puzzles for adults that are (almost) impossible

If you want to know what low-key struggle looks like it’s this – an entirely one-tone gold puzzle (69cm x 51cm) with 631 pieces to fit together. No piece offers anything different to the other, except its shape. Unlike traditional puzzles, this is designed with a central spiral, which adds to the test. Even with the image to guide us, we felt like we’d never see this completed. And we have to admit that we haven’t finished it yet, so, unfortunately, it is still impossible for us. One for those with lots of patience.

Comprised of 2,000 pieces, this is a supersized version of one of cloudberries enduringly popular puzzles – “gradient”. Who knew a group of acid bright colours fading in and out of one another could cause so much shock and awe? You just see a spectrum of colourful nothingness and know it’s going to be a real challenge.

First of all – you’ll need a lot of space for this one – it measures 98cm x 68.6cm when complete. Our strategy was edges followed by colour grouping, then a whole lot of patience. There is a full-size poster included which does make things loads easier. Masochists need not refer to it.

We love Cloudberries because the brand’s pieces fit smoothly and are beautifully made from paper that never peels.

This 1,000-piece puzzle (67cm x 47.9cm) is beautiful and stylish as well as tricky. Depicting an art student’s paint palette – a real study of colour – this is such a pleasure to work on, even if it requires plenty of patience and determination.

With a poster for reference, we began by colour sorting. This was a strong start, except there are lots of pinks. And black swatches. And a cream background. Suffice to say this is much more than a pretty face.

This 1,000-piece jigsaw (26.5cm x 26.5 cm) is much more than just a demanding puzzle. It’s a game too. So, after you’ve toiled to complete this brilliant but frankly hectic scene of an open-air cinema, you have another task – to solve 101 riddles relating to movies that are found in the image.

We absolutely loved doing this puzzle: it is by no means the most taxing in this round-up, but it is sufficiently arduous (it took us the best part of a day). But gathering clues and listing the riddles along the way and after completion adds another dimension to the fun.

If you have a compulsion to smooth over or organise hectic scenarios, look no further than this bird’s-eye view of a busy city split into 2,000 pieces. Metropolis is intricately detailed and complex, even when looking at the full-size poster that comes in the box to guide you.

It was hard to know where to start – so we went with the edges. After which things became lawless and complicated and we did what we could... bit by hair-tearing bit.

All those dark pieces overlaid by intricate tiny patterns that make up the map of our universe – this 1,500-piece puzzle has all the markings of a tough test and it didn’t disappoint. It is really, really gruelling but the satisfaction of each level of progress – such as completing the bottom left corner of galaxies – is huge.

As is typical with Ravensburger puzzles, the pieces are thick, sturdy and well made – no peeling or fraying at all. But what we loved is that we got a little lesson in astronomy along the way, focusing on the galaxies and solar systems which we all know are there but we rarely stop to consider.

Best: Quality

Rating: 9/10

The almond blossom puzzle comes in three sizes, and obviously the 1,000 piece one is the most difficult, but even the 250-piece version is no walk in the park. The amount of blue in Van Gogh’s famous painting promises a decent challenge on the face of it, but once you get down to business it’s the pesky petals that will send you over the edge.

The thing that makes this brand’s puzzles so difficult is that they include irregularly shaped pieces including flowers, bottles and butterflies – which kept us on our toes, to say the least.

Like all puzzles from Wentworth, this is made with wood from sustainable forests and the pieces have been cut with lasers which make for a supremely tactile puzzling experience. When we felt frustrated, we just ran our hands over what we had managed to do and felt soothed by the wood before trying again.

This would be great as a gift – it has its own special cloth bag within the box to protect the pieces, which gives it the edge in terms of quality.

This 1,000-piece puzzle has a beautiful whimsical design of a cluttered interior dominated by houseplants – but don’t let it fool you. It’s really hard. All that green. All those leaves.

It’s not the most difficult of the bunch, but it’s absolutely a head scratcher that will provide plenty for even the most seasoned puzzlers to be getting on with.