20 Best Free Brain Exercise Games Keep You Mentally Sharp

Beginning in their 20s or 30s, human cognitive ability starts to decline in perceptual speed (American Psychological Association). It is recommended to train your brain with some mind training games, which keep cognitive ability fresh, growing, and changing. Let's take a look at the excellent free brain exercise games and top free brain training apps in 2024.

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What is Brain Exercise?

Brain training or brain exercise is also called cognitive training. A simple definition of brain exercise is an active engagement of the brain in everyday tasks. In other words, your brain is forced to exercise that aims to improve memory, cognition, or creativity. Participating in brain exercise games for a few hours a week can offer long-term benefits. Studies indicate that by improving control over attention and mental processing abilities, individuals can apply the skills learned from brain games to their daily activities.

What are The Benefits of Brain Exercise Games?

Brain exercise games are designed to keep your brain healthy and functional as you get old. Research suggests playing free brain exercise games frequently is beneficial in the long term.

Here are some of the benefits of free brain exercise games:

Enhance memory
Delay cognitive decline
Enhance reaction
Improve attention and focus
Prevent dementia
Improve social engagement
Enhance cognitive skills
Sharpen the mind
Improve problem-solving skills

15 Popular Free Brain Exercise Games

The brain works in different ways and each individual has some certain place that needs to be strengthened at different period of time and situations. Similarly, different types of brain exercise help people become better at things like learning, solving problems, reasoning, remembering more, or improving the ability to focus and pay attention. Here explain free brain exercise games for different brain functions.

Cognitive Exercise Games

Cognitive exercise games are designed to stimulate and enhance various cognitive functions. These free brain exercise games challenge the brain, promoting skills such as problem-solving, memory, attention, and reasoning. The goal is to promote mental agility, improve cognitive performance, and maintain or enhance brain health. Some popular cognitive exercise games include:

Trivia Games: There is no better way to improve cognition than playing trivia games. This is one of the most interesting free brain exercise games that cost zero and is easy to set up or participate in through both online and in-person versions.
Memory games like Face memory games, Cards, Memory Master, Missing items, and more are good for recalling information and enhancing memory and concentration.
Scrabble is a word game where players use letter tiles to create words on a game board. It challenges vocabulary, spelling, and strategic thinking as players aim to maximize points based on letter values and board placement.

Brain Gym Activities

Brain gym activities are physical exercises that aim to improve brain function by incorporating movement. These exercises are believed to enhance coordination, focus, and cognitive abilities. There are many free brain exercise games like that to work out every day:

Cross-crawling is one of the easiest free brain exercise games to practice every day. It involves moving opposite limbs at the same time. For example, you might touch your right hand to your left knee, then your left hand to your right knee. These exercises are designed to improve communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
The Thinking Cap is a type of free brain workout that involves focusing on your breath and clearing your mind. It is often used to improve concentration and an intentional approach to thinking while reducing stress and enhancing mood. To play, use your fingers, gently unroll the curved parts of your ears, and massage the outer ridge of your ear. Repeat two to three times.
Double Doodle Brain Gym is a much harder brain gym activity but extremely fun and playful. This free brain workout involves drawing with both hands at the same time. It promotes eye relaxation, improves neural connections for crossing the midline, and enhances spatial awareness and visual discrimination.

Neuroplasticity Exercises

The brain is an amazing organ, capable of remarkable feats of learning, adaptation, and growth throughout our lives. A part of the brain, Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, and even rewire our brains in response to experiences and challenges. Free brain exercise games like neuroplasticity training are exciting ways to get your brain cells firing and boost your cognitive performance:

Studying Something New: Step outside your comfort zone and challenge your brain with something entirely new. his could be anything from playing a musical instrument to learning a new language, coding, or even juggling!
Doing a Challenging Brain Activity: Embracing mental hurdles is key to keeping your brain young, adaptable, and firing on all cylinders. If you think of an activity that is hard to complete, try it immediately and keep your consistency. You'll find yourself tackling these challenges with increasing ease and witnessing the remarkable power of neuroplasticity firsthand.
Practice Mindfulness: Starting with just a few minutes of meditation daily can strengthen connections in brain regions associated with emotional regulation and self-awareness.

*Neuroplasticity Exercises - Image: Shutterstock*

Cerebrum Exercises

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. Your cerebrum is responsible for everything you do in day-to-day life, including thoughts and actions. Exercises to strengthen the cerebrum include:

Card games: Card games, such as poker or bridge, engage the cerebrum by requiring strategic thinking, memory, and decision-making skills. These games force your brain to work hard to get a winning by learning all the complex rules and strategies, which contributes to cognitive enhancement.
Visualizing more: Visualization exercises involve creating mental images or scenarios, which can enhance creativity and problem-solving skills. This activity engages the cerebrum by encouraging the brain to process and manipulate mental imagery.
Chess is a classic board game for all ages that is renowned for its ability to stimulate the cerebrum. It requires strategic thinking, planning, and the ability to anticipate and respond to the opponent's moves. There are many types of chess to try as long as it makes you feel interesting and engaging.

Free Brain Games for Seniors

Seniors can benefit from brain exercise games due to their association with a lower risk of developing dementia and preventing the chance of getting Alzheimer's. Here are some great options for free mind games for the elderly:

Sudoku requires players to fill a grid with numbers in a way that each row, column, and smaller subgrid contains all the numbers from 1 to 9 without repetition. There are many places to get a free Sudoku game as it can be downloaded for free and printed out from free sources on the internet and from newspapers.
Word Puzzles are the best free online brain games for seniors which include many forms such as Crossword puzzles, Word Search, Anagrams, Hangman, and Jumble (Scramble) Puzzles. These games are perfect for entertaining while all beneficial for warding off dementia in the elders.
Board Games offer a unique blend of various elements such as cards, dice, and other components, providing a fun and competitive experience for elders. Additionally, playing board games can help older adults maintain cognitive function. Trivial Pursuit, LIFE, Chess, Checkers, or Monopoly - are some good free brain training games for seniors to follow.

Top 5 Free Brain Training Apps

Here are some best free brain exercise apps for training your mental agility and cognitive function.

Arkadium

Arkadium provides thousands of casual games for adults, especially free mind exercise games, including the world's most-played games like puzzles, Jigsaw, and card games. They are also available in a variety of languages, making them accessible to a wide audience. The graphic design is so exceptional and appealing that keeps you remembering.

Lumosity

One of the best free training apps to try is Lumosity. This online gaming site is composed of various games designed to train your brain in different cognitive areas. As you play these games, the program adapts to your performance and adjusts the difficulty to keep you challenged. It also tracks your progress, providing insights into your cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

Elevate

Elevate is a personalized brain training website featuring over 40 brain teasers and games designed to target various cognitive skills like vocabulary, reading comprehension, memory, processing speed, and math. Unlike some brain training programs with only generic exercises, Elevate uses these games to create tailored workouts based on your individual needs and performance.

CogniFit

CogniFit is also a free mind training app to consider. It offers 100+ free brain training games available in its user-friendly app and desktop programs. Start your journey with CogniFit by joining the free test that figures out your cognitive strengths and weaknesses and tailors a program that fits your needs. You also can enjoy the new games updated every month.

AARP

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons the nation's largest nonprofit, is known for empowering American seniors and the elderly to choose how they live as they age. It offers many online free brain exercise games for seniors. including chess, puzzles, brain teasers, word games, and card games. Additionally, they have multiplayer games where you can compete against other people who are playing online.

Bottom Lines

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there free Brain Games?

Yes, there are several good free brain games to play online such as free brain training apps like Lumosity, Peak, Arkdium, FitBrain, and CogniFit, or printable brain exercises like Soduku, Puzzle, Wordle, Word search that can be found in newspapers and magazines.

How can I train my brain for free?

There are many ways to train your brain for free, and brain gym exercises like cross crawl, lazy eights, brain buttons, and hook-up are great examples.

Is there a free brain training app?

Yes, hundreds of free brain training apps are available to play for adults and the elderly such as Lumosity, Peak, Curiosity, King of Math, AARP, Arkdium, FitBrain, and more, which are trusted by over 100 million users worldwide.

Ref: verywellmind | Frontiers

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