Do brain games work

Do brain games work? Yes, for the games themselves: practice makes you better at the tasks you play. The research is much weaker on broad benefits. Big reviews find little proof that brain games improve everyday thinking, raise IQ or prevent memory decline. Play them because you enjoy them, not as medicine.

Here is what "work" really means, what the biggest reviews found, and what experts suggest instead.

Do brain games work? It depends what you mean by "work"

Researchers split the question into three levels:

The trained task. You get better at the game you practice. This part is well supported.
Near transfer. You also get better at similar tasks you never practiced, like a different memory test. The evidence here is thinner.
Far transfer. The gains spread to different skills and to daily life, such as remembering names, focusing at work or doing better at school. This is the benefit most people hope for, and it is where the evidence is weakest.

So when a brain game says you are improving, the honest reading is usually this: you are getting better at that game's puzzles. That is real, and it can feel great. It is just not the same as a sharper brain in everyday life.

What the biggest reviews found

In 2016, seven psychologists led by Daniel Simons reviewed the studies behind brain training, including those cited by brain training companies. Their report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest found that training improves performance on the trained tasks. There was less evidence for closely related tasks, and very little that brain training improves everyday thinking. Many of the studies also had design problems.

A 2019 meta-analysis by Giovanni Sala and colleagues pooled earlier meta-analyses of cognitive training. Working memory training did produce near transfer. Far transfer effects were small or zero, and after the authors corrected for placebo effects and publication bias, the overall far transfer effect was zero. That held across the different groups of people and training programs they looked at.

Not every review is that negative. A 2014 PLOS Medicine meta-analysis of 52 studies with 4,885 healthy older adults found a small benefit of computer-based training on tests of memory, processing speed and visuospatial skills, but no significant effect on attention or executive function. Unsupervised training at home and training more than three times a week were not effective, and the results did not address how long effects last.

Put together, the picture is mixed at best. Practice helps the thing you practice. Small gains on similar lab tests show up in some studies. Broad, real-world gains have not held up well.

What about the ACTIVE study?

The ACTIVE trial is a large clinical trial of cognitive training in older adults. According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), it found that cognitive training improved the abilities of healthy adults over 65 in the area they trained: memory, reasoning or speed of processing. Gains in reasoning and processing speed lasted up to 10 years. Whether those gains help people live independently for longer is still unknown.

The NIA says there is evidence suggesting cognitive training may help delay or slow age-related decline, but a 2017 review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called the evidence "encouraging but inconclusive". The NIA also gives a plain warning: "Be wary of claims that playing certain computer and online games can improve your memory and other types of thinking." It adds that there is not enough evidence that commercial brain training apps have the same effects seen in clinical trials.

What actually supports brain health

If your real goal is protecting your memory as you age, the NIA points to steps that experts already recommend for other health reasons too:

Manage high blood pressure. Controlling it may help prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease, and it lowers your risk of other serious health problems.
Move more. Exercise is linked to better brain health and may slow age-related decline. Trials have not proven that it prevents dementia, but experts encourage it for its many other benefits.
Stay connected. Time with friends and family supports mental well-being and healthy aging.

The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia went further. It estimated that nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by tackling 14 risk factors. These include hearing loss, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, social isolation, depression, diabetes, too much alcohol, high LDL cholesterol in midlife and untreated vision loss later in life. Its practical advice includes hearing aids for people with hearing loss, eye screening and treatment, and detecting and treating high LDL cholesterol from around age 40. The Commission is also clear that prevention does not guarantee any one person will avoid dementia.

And if you want to remember specific things better, such as study material, the Simons report points to a companion commentary with low-cost memory strategies. Test yourself instead of just rereading. Space your study over several sessions instead of cramming. Link new information to images, personal experience or memory tricks.

How to enjoy brain games with honest expectations

Play for fun. If a daily puzzle is a pleasant break, that is a good enough reason to play.
Read scores as game scores. A rising rating shows you are getting better at that game. It is not a measure of IQ or brain health.
Be skeptical of big promises. Claims about preventing dementia or boosting IQ should make you more careful, not less.
Talk to a doctor about real worries. If you notice memory changes that concern you, a health professional is the right next step, not an app.

Brain games FAQ

Can brain games prevent dementia?

There is no good evidence that they do. The NIA says there is not enough evidence that commercial brain training apps have effects like those seen in clinical trials. For lowering risk, the NIA and the Lancet Commission point to steps like managing blood pressure, staying active, treating hearing loss and staying social.

Do brain games make you smarter or raise your IQ?

Probably not. The 2019 meta-analysis by Sala and colleagues found that far transfer, the kind of gain that would show up on broad tests of reasoning and intelligence, was small or zero. You will likely get faster and more accurate at the games themselves, which is a real but narrow gain.

Are brain games a waste of time?

Not if you enjoy them. They are a hobby, like crosswords or chess. The problem only starts when they are sold as medicine, or when they take the place of exercise, sleep and time with people you care about.

How often should you play brain games?

There is no proven dose for broad benefits. In the 2014 PLOS Medicine review of healthy older adults, training more than three times a week was not effective. If you play, play as often as it stays fun.

Where Cognilo and SkillArena fit

Here is the honest pitch for our two puzzle games: they are games, not treatments. We do not claim they raise your IQ, protect your memory or improve your health. They offer a short daily puzzle habit, and like any game, practice tends to make you better at the puzzles themselves.

Cognilo: Brain Training Games gives you a daily session of five short puzzles that takes about six minutes. Its eight puzzle types cover memory, logic, numbers, spatial reasoning, focus and language. Difficulty adjusts to your level, you can play untimed, timed or unrated, and you get a strategy tip after each round. There is no account, no ads and no tracking, it works offline, and its ratings are game scores, not a measure of intelligence or health. It is free to download, with optional Pro subscriptions.

Get Cognilo free on the App Store

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