We often find ourselves in a situation where we are completely hooked to a game and have spent hours playing it. Undoubtedly, playing games can be addictive, but those hours spent staring at our screen are productive when it comes to Brain games. How?
Brain games can help us enhance our reflexes, memory, and logical reasoning. Games like Sudoku allow us to think ahead and test our logic and deductive reasoning skills, which helps us develop focus. Similarly, board games like Ludo train the brain to think logically to strategize when to attack our opponent’s token or defend our token.
This article talks about the best brain games we can play to sharpen our minds, with an added entertainment element.
Brain games to train your mind
There are many reasons people wish to improve brain power, whether to focus at work, do better in school, or keep themselves active and sharp. Brain games can improve mental focus, memory, and horn skills like complex problem-solving and strategic planning. There are a plethora of brain games to explore. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 brain games you can play in 2023.
Here is the list of the best brain games:
- Ludo
- Snakes and Ladders
- Sudoku
- Speed Chess
- Jigsaw Puzzle
- Crossword Puzzle
- Riddles
- Maze puzzles
- Solitaire
- Scrabble
Apart from above mentioned Brain games, we can also look at strategic games that we can play to stimulate our brain.
Ludo
Ludo was one of the most popular board games played in our childhood, and we all liked it. It is a strategic board game requiring players to take their 4 tokens around the board and into the Home space.
Playing Ludo improves our capacity to think logically. How? In Ludo, we must defend and attack our opponents by attempting to send their tokens home and protect ourselves from them to win the game! The game tests our critical thinking, logical reasoning, and spatial reasoning. It encourages us to concentrate for a more extended period and boosts our self-confidence when we win! Everybody, from kids to adults, can play this exciting game.
Our favorite childhood game can now also be played online. We can play Ludo online with people worldwide and can even stand a chance to win money. With Zupee App, you can now play 3 different versions of the classic Ludo board game and can win real cash.
Take a look at how online Ludo game rules are different from the classic game.
Snakes and Ladders
Snakes and Ladders is a 100-square board game based on chance. Players must work to the top while coping with the outcome of each dice roll. Historically, the game was utilized to instill fundamental moral ideals in children. The ladders represent virtues, while the snakes represent evil. Today, it may be viewed as a metaphor for life’s journey, with its ups and downs.
Playing Snakes and Ladders helps us improve our counting ability and basic addition skills, stimulating our brains. Snakes and Ladders teach us the fundamentals of board games, such as taking turns, dice, counting, patience, and rewarding ourselves.
This much-loved classic board game can be played with friends and family, and any age group can play it. We need to ensure that our token reaches the top and hopefully won’t contact a snake.
Learn how to play the classic Snakes and Ladders board game.
Want to play a more strategic version of Snakes and Ladders? The Snakes and Ladders Plus game has tweaked the gameplay and rules to make the game more strategic. Now instead of 1 token, we get to play with 3 tokens. Besides, unlike the classic game, Snakes and Ladders Plus allows us to cut our opponent’s token and safeguard our token by landing two tokens in the same box. Interesting right?
Take a look at how the classic game rules are different from Snakes and Ladders Plus.
Sudoku
Sudoku is a logic-based number-placement game. It is a game where we apply our logic to fill a 9×9 grid with numbers to ensure that every row, column, and nine 3×3 sub-grids has numbers from 1 to 9. Learn how to play Sudoku and solve a sudoku puzzles.
The game tests our short-term memory, logic, and deductive reasoning skills. To finish a Sudoku puzzle, we must think ahead and follow chains of consequences. This planning strategy helps us to develop our focus and memory. Sudoku exercises our brains by getting us to think logically about how to place numbers in boxes within the grid.
Sudoku can be played online, on an app, or on paper. We can look for a Sudoku puzzle in our newspaper, get a puzzle book, or get an app for our phones or tablet. Moreover, Sudoku puzzles are available at various a range of levels of difficulty. First, stick to the simple games until you have figured out the rules.
The players need to have a basic understanding of math to play this game, so it is recommended for ages above 8.
Speed Chess
Chess is a two-player board game that simulates a battle between two kingdoms, where players compete to take control of each other’s king. Each player starts with 16 pieces on their side, and every game piece can perform only a fixed move across the board.
Learn how to play chess, its rules, best chess strategies, best chess openings, and checkmate patterns to win the game.
It qualifies as one of the best brain games for improving strategic thinking as the player needs to think about all possible moves that the opponent can make and helps develop their working memory. The game tests our intelligence, patience, and careful planning. It aims to push our minds to their limits. Kids above 10 years old can play speed chess.
Jigsaw Puzzle
Jigsaw puzzles involve putting together a set of tiles or puzzle pieces by interlocking them to create a picture. This game has been played for centuries and is one of the most relaxing brain games.
Jigsaw Puzzles have multiple benefits. It works on both sides (the left and right side) of our brain, improves short-term memory, and is a great stress reliever. It can be an excellent solitary activity to take some time off. We can also get together with our family and friends to play this game. Jigsaw puzzle tests our visual-spatial reasoning skills, creativity, and logical reasoning. We can purchase the game from a retail store or e-commerce website. Besides, there are many jigsaw puzzle games available online too.
Anybody can play Jigsaw puzzles, from kids to adults. We get to learn and have fun at the same time while playing Jigsaw puzzles.
Crossword puzzle
A crossword puzzle is a word board game in which we have to find out the answers to hints given and write the words in numbered squares that go down and across the board. These puzzles are a tried-and-true brain exercise, requiring both good memory and vocabulary. While playing this game, our comprehension and vocabulary skills are tested.
Like any other puzzle game, crossword puzzles can also improve our ability to focus attention on the desired task and enhance working memory.
We can find these puzzles in our daily newspaper or buy a crossword puzzle book personalized to our skill level and preferences. Your entire family can come together to solve crossword puzzles as it is for everyone.
Riddles
Riddles are misleading/puzzling questions posed as a problem to be solved or guessed. They enhance our logic and reasoning skills. Riddles can be in the form of questions, statements, or phrases.
Some riddle games confront us with a variety of intriguing and perplexing difficulties. We must think outside the box and apply logic and reasoning to overcome these obstacles. Solving challenging riddles is a good brain exercise because it tests our ability to solve complex problems within a short period of time. Everyone can play the game, from children to your grandfather.
Maze Puzzles
Maze puzzle games require us to reach our destination. We get to navigate through twists and turns to reach our final destination. It is a classic brain game that relies on your directional sense to navigate the maze.
These games test your logical reasoning skills and presence of mind. There are multiple maze puzzles available online, and kids of any age can play them. The mazes are customized according to age. Pre-schoolers have easy puzzles, and the difficulty increases as they grow. Moreover, Mazes improve cognitive skills in children. It makes them reason, think, and remember, which helps sharpen their memory, builds their focus, and increases the concentration level of their minds to a great extent.
Solitaire
Solitaire, as the name suggests, is a single-player brain game. Unlike many brain games that need us to be on our toes, solitaire relaxes and soothes our minds. We can play it anytime by ourselves, and it is usually played with cards.
These games require concentration, patience, and critical thinking and have multiple benefits. Solitaire tests our concentration and memory, a great way to exercise our brains. Many kinds of solitaire games are available, and people of all ages can play them.
Take a look at the other types of card games to play with friends and family.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game where we form words by combining tiles. Two or four people can play it. Scrabble improves our vocabulary and spelling and relies on math and strategy. It develops our intellectual abilities and tests our spatial skills, creativity, and concentration.
Research shows that scrabble changes the way we utilize our brains. It can make us do our tasks much faster and better. It even improves our brain flexibility. Playing scrabble is also a great bonding activity. We can sit with our friends and family and have fun.
Anybody above the age of 7 can play this game, and many scrabble games are available online.
We probably remember playing these brain-boosting games as a kid. However, just because they were around for ages does not mean they cannot teach our tech-savvy youngsters a thing or two! They are also the ideal reason to spend quality time with family while strengthening our brains. The above list of fun games will help us increase brainpower with added fun. So, what are you waiting for? Get your brain working, and all the best for your next game.
Brain Games – Frequently asked questions
Brain games can help to increase your concentration, critical thinking skills, logical reasoning skills, strategic thinking, and overall mental health.
With the advancement of technology, all brain games can be played online with anyone in the world. The games can be downloaded on Android and iOS devices.
There are many brain games that you can play to challenge your brain like Ludo, Chess, Puzzles, Riddles, etc.
One way to stimulate your mind is by playing games like Chess, Scrabble, or Sudoku.