IQ-Go

‍In 2025, we developed a new subcollection called IQ-Go. These games weren’t designed for regular toy shops but for different channels to reach people who might never set foot in a toy store. The way I see it, there are only two types of people: those who already like SmartGames and those who don’t yet realize they like SmartGames. But if you don’t have kids of the right age, you might never come across our puzzle games. That’s why IQ-Go exists: to give newcomers an easier entry point into the world of SmartGames. And hopefully, they find their way to a toy shop later to buy one of our standard games.

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‍These games are not completely new concepts. I drew inspiration from existing IQ puzzles I’d designed earlier but simplified them. IQ-Go games have fewer pieces, smaller boards, and only 84 challenges spread over 4 levels. There’s no Wizard level — if you want the toughest puzzles, you’ll still need one of our regular IQ games. The look and feel also set them apart: bright, colorful packaging with more emphasis on fun and accessibility than on the cognitive angle. And because the boards are thinner and lighter, they’re perfect for playing on the go — hence the name. To start Smart will launch four titles in this series:

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‍•IQ-GO XOXO – A mix of 5 pieces from the original game and 4 new, smaller ones, while leaving 5 pieces out completely.

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‍• IQ-GO Sparkles – Based on IQ-Stars, but with the pink piece removed. That simple change reduced the set to 6 pieces and made it much easier. Therefore, for the Expert and Master levels, you only get hints about individual stars rather than entire pieces.

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‍•IQ-GO Diamonds – Inspired by IQ-Love, but pared down to 7 reused pieces and 2 new ones. With this much smaller rectangular game board, only 83 unique packings were possible and half of them forced two specific pieces into the corners. So I had to be creative with the selection of challenges and their order to avoid making this too predictable. But by the time you start to see this pattern, you will have reached the harder levels where these types of solutions appear less often.

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‍•IQ-GO Marbles – This game is a compact reimagining of IQ-Puzzler Pro. It also includes 12 puzzle pieces, but the purple one has been replaced by a Z-shaped pentomino instead of the original W shape. The 2D challenges are all rotated 45°, similar to the backside of IQ-Puzzler Pro, but the grid itself has a more rectangular configuration. This was the only way to make all 12 pieces fit within the smaller IQ-Go format. You can still build a pyramid with the same set of pieces, but the 3D challenges are presented differently in the booklet because they too are rotated 45°. This actually makes it easier to see how the pieces are positioned across multiple levels of the pyramid, since the balls belonging to the same piece now align vertically or horizontally. There are 60 2D challenges and 24 3D challenges in total. However, unlike IQ-Puzzler Pro, this version does not include a third game board on the backside — that distinction still rightfully belongs to the Pro edition.

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‍These games were, from the very beginning, more of a marketing project than a conceptional challenge. The real difficulty wasn’t in developing the gameplay, but in getting the product and graphic design just right. I was genuinely impressed by the beautiful artwork my colleagues Kato and Thomas created for the packaging and challenge booklets. It’s always satisfying to see how collaboration can elevate a project — how working together with talented people can lead to a result that’s better than anything you could have achieved alone.

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‍Don’t expect to find these games online or in regular toy shops. Where and when they appear will depend on the country.