Advantages of Brain-training Games
People of all ages enjoy brain-training games to boost cognitive performance and, in some cases, cognitive delay aging. These theories are backed by research demonstrating that brain-training games may increase cognition in terms of attention, memory, response time, reasoning abilities, and other areas if played over an extended period.
Try these games to exercise your brain while having fun. They may help you become more focused and mentally healthy. Here are 18 games that you can get started with.
1. Sudoku
Several placement games utilize short-term memory. A typical Sudoku problem requires you to think ahead and follow chains of logic. If you put a six in one box, the next must be an eight, and the next a four. Planning in this way enhances focus and short-term memory.
You can play sudoku via a website, a smartphone app, or a paper. Find a regular Sudoku puzzle in your magazine, buy a book with several problems, or get a free Sudoku app for your smartphone or tablet.
Sudoku problems come in different levels of complexity. Start by playing simple levels until you understand the rules. Use a pencil if you’re gaming on paper!
2. Lumosity
This game is a well-known mental fitness and brain training program. You may create a free Lumosity account and access three games daily, or you can pay up for the subscription service to access additional games. Whatever the case, you may monitor your progress and outcomes.
There is scientific support behind Lumosity’s entertaining cognitive therapy, mental fitness puzzles, exams, and activities. The free iOS and Android apps are available for download, and you can also play online. Also, Lumosity offers an app for mindfulness and meditation programs called Lumosity Mind.
3. Elevate
Elevate allows you to play over 35 brain training games with a somewhat instructional vibe; you only have to download their app. Thousands of users have given this app five stars in both the iOS and Android versions, which are free (with in-app purchases).
Elevate’s programs center on writing, reading, speaking, and arithmetic, and you may tailor your training to concentrate on any of these topics that interest you. You may monitor your progress to observe how your abilities develop, just as with most other brain games.
4. Peak
Peak is an app-only alternative that offers brain-training activities to help you improve your attention, mental agility, problem-solving, memory, and other cognitive abilities. If you’re a competitive player, comparing your performance to other players could be a source of inspiration. Although the free app, you may need to pay a small monthly fee to access extra features.
5. Happy Neuron
The five key brain regions into which Happy Neuron splits its games and activities are memory, language, attention, executive processes, and visual/spatial. It records your progress, personalizes the training to match you, and has games based on scientific research, just like Lumosity.
The site requires a monthly subscription charge, and an Android-only streamlined app is the only way to access it. Happy Neuron does, however, provide a free trial offer, so you may determine whether you prefer the strategy.
6. Braingle
The free website Braingle offers more than 17,000 games, puzzles, and other brainteasers, along with an online group of fans claiming to have the most fantastic collection of brainteasers in the world. You can even do your puzzles to give your intellect strenuous exercise. There are many different things on Braingle, such as trivia questions, codes, and ciphers.
7. Queendom
Numerous surveys and personality tests are available on Queendom. It also features a wide selection of “brain tools” for you to use to exercise and test your brain, including verbal, logic, spatial, and math puzzles; trivia tests; and aptitude exams. You’ll need to create a free account to keep your results and scores. Some tests require a fee for complete reports and provide free snapshot findings.
8. Brain Age Concentration Training
The Nintendo 3DS system offers a brain training and mental health program called Brain Age Concentration Training. It has many games to improve your focus, math, memory, and other mental abilities. The most recent gaming console from Nintendo, the Switch, does not include Brain Age; however, it is still accessible on the Wii U.
9. Wordle
Wordle, The New York Times online puzzle game, went viral at the beginning of early 2022, and it currently has millions of active users. Users get six chances to identify a five-letter word correctly. The combination of Wordle’s problem-solving exercises and user-friendly interface provides a gratifying cerebral workout.
10. Chess
Chess is arguably one of the first games that spring to mind when considering cognitively demanding and sophisticated games. Some of the outstanding chess players of all time, like Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and even Deep Blue, demonstrate that the game requires strategy and focus.
As you plot and strategize while playing chess, your working memory is strengthened, and your executive function is enhanced. It also sharpens your attention while enhancing quick decision-making.
11. Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles have been deemed the best exercise for preventing cognitive loss. These puzzles help with fluency improvement, memory growth, and attention abilities.
If the problems begin to feel too simple, like with all the puzzles and games, we’ll discuss them today, and it’s time to move on to something more mentally stimulating. For instance, to test your genuine ability to solve riddles and puzzles, consider switching from American to British crosswords (more precisely, their “cryptic crosswords”).
Regardless of their degree of difficulty, crosswords are infamous for encouraging cheating, but if you cheat, you’re not receiving the mental workout you believe you are!
12. Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles could activate your working memory. Your brain must distinguish between colors and forms because the more pieces are in the puzzle, the more difficult it’s for your brain to do so. Dopamine is released when you place a jigsaw puzzle in the proper slot.
Flip the pieces over and attempt to assemble the problem without using any design cues for a different sort of difficulty.
13. Scrabble
Scrabble, a fantastic game for expanding vocabulary, is suitable for honing your concentration and developing strategic thinking. Some top players master the skill of spotting anagrams in a sea of letters.
Studies have found that Scrabble pros frequently engage the brain regions related to working memory and visual perception. As a result, if you become proficient at the game, you can use various parts of your brain while playing.
14. Super Mario 64
A 2017 study found that three-dimensional console games like Mario Kart 64 enhance recognition and spatial memory. The game challenges players to explore its 15 worlds, where they come across riddles, hidden objects, and obstacle courses in addition to Mario’s foes.
Due to improvements in the amount of grey matter in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, 3D games may help prevent moderate cognitive impairment.
15. Nintendo Wii
Even though Nintendo stopped making this game console in 2013, many compelling reasons exist to find a used Wii on eBay or any online store. You should also purchase Wii Sports while you’re at it.
The best brain-boosting activity is playing video games while engaging in social and physical interaction.
16. Tetris
Tetris has been a mental teaser for fans of video games since early 1984. The game “challenges players to construct order out of chaos utilizing a precise organizing scheme, much like the actual world around us.”
The Tetris® Effect, as described by its creators, is when individuals pack their cars, fill their dishwashers, or arrange their shelves in such a way as to fit each item into the available area strategically.
According to earlier research, playing games thickens the brain’s cortex and boosts cognitive function. Even the favorable effects of Tetris play on specific spatial abilities like mental rotation, spatial awareness, and spatial visualization have been theorized.
17. World of Warcraft
You might be shocked to find the most well-known role-playing game in the world on this list. Still, North Carolina State University researchers discovered that study participants’ cognitive abilities improved.
You may either subscribe for access to higher levels or try out World of Warcraft for free up to level 20 with their Starter Edition.