Do Brain Games Actually Work? An Honest Look at the Evidence

Brain-training apps promise to make you sharper, faster, and smarter, usually for a monthly fee. So do they work? The honest answer is more useful than the marketing: sort of, but not the way they imply. Here’s what the research actually shows, minus the hype.

What the science says

The defining study came in 2010, when neuroscientist Adrian Owen and colleagues tested more than 11,000 people on brain-training games and published the results in Nature. The finding was clear and a little deflating: people got measurably better at the specific games they practiced, but that improvement did not transfer to general reasoning, memory, or intelligence. You get better at the game. You don’t get better at life.

This “lack of transfer” is the central, repeatedly-confirmed limitation of brain training. In 2016, regulators even fined a major brain-training company for advertising claims the science didn’t support. So if a company promises that fifteen minutes of their app will make you generally smarter or prevent dementia, be skeptical, the evidence isn’t there.

So is it all pointless?

No, and this is where nuance matters. Two things are true at once:

• Narrow transfer is real, broad transfer isn’t. Practicing a game makes you good at that game and things very similar to it. It won’t raise your IQ.
• Engagement over time still matters. Separately from the “training” claim, staying mentally engaged across your life is genuinely associated with healthier cognitive aging. The activity is less important than the consistent engagement.

Why real puzzles look better than app “games”

Interestingly, studies on traditional puzzles are more encouraging than studies on app-style brain games. A 2022 clinical trial in NEJM Evidence found web-based crosswords outperformed brain-training video games for people with mild cognitive impairment. Large studies from the UK PROTECT project link frequent word and number puzzling to better reasoning and memory in older adults. The likely reason: real puzzles are varied, engaging, and sustainable, you do them because you enjoy them, for years, rather than grinding a score for a few weeks. (We cover this evidence in depth in our guide to the benefits of doing puzzles.)

What actually supports brain health

If your real goal is a healthier brain, the strongest evidence points not to any app but to a boring, powerful list:

• Physical exercise (the single most supported factor)
• Good sleep
• Social connection
• Managing blood pressure, hearing, and other health factors
• Lifelong learning and staying mentally engaged

Puzzles belong in that last category, one enjoyable, low-cost, screen-optional way to stay mentally engaged. Bonus points if you make them social, which layers connection on top of engagement. That’s exactly why we built our Word Search Versus books for two players instead of one.

The honest bottom line

Don’t buy a brain-training subscription expecting to get generally smarter, the science doesn’t support it. But don’t dismiss mental engagement either. Pick activities you genuinely enjoy and will do consistently, mix in real puzzles, move your body, sleep well, and stay connected to people. That combination has far more evidence behind it than any app, and it’s a lot more pleasant, too.

Frequently asked questions

Do brain games actually work?

Partly. Research shows brain-training games reliably make you better at the specific games you practice, but that improvement usually does not transfer to general intelligence or everyday thinking. A landmark 2010 study of over 11,000 people found no broad transfer. However, mentally engaging activities done consistently over years are associated with healthier cognitive aging, so the habit matters more than any single app.

Are brain training apps worth the money?

For most people, paid brain-training subscriptions aren’t worth it if the goal is getting generally smarter, the evidence for broad transfer is weak, and regulators have fined some companies for overclaiming. Free puzzles, reading, learning skills, exercise, and social activity offer similar or better engagement at no cost.

What actually improves brain health?

The strongest evidence points to physical exercise, good sleep, social connection, managing blood pressure and hearing, lifelong learning, and staying mentally engaged. Puzzles fit into that last category as one enjoyable, sustainable form of mental engagement, not a magic bullet.

If brain games don’t transfer, why do puzzles?

Targeted studies on real puzzles (not app-style games) are more encouraging, a 2022 trial found crosswords slowed memory decline in mild cognitive impairment, and large studies link frequent puzzling to better reasoning in older adults. The key is consistent, enjoyable engagement over time rather than chasing a score.

What’s the best ‘brain game’ to actually do?

The best one is a mentally engaging activity you’ll do regularly and enjoy, whether that’s crosswords, word searches, learning an instrument or language, or a strategy game. Consistency and enjoyment beat any specific ‘optimized’ app you’ll quit in a week.