Many phone game ads claim that their product will protect a player’s brain from aging. However, gimmicky ads on the phone aren’t very trustworthy. A study has found that a free online brain game can lower the risk of dementia by 25 percent.
For decades, doctors have recommended puzzle games like sudoku and crosswords for helping people stay mentally sharp as they age. However, the flashy phone games that claim to boost mental sharpness haven’t been examined until now.
The study used almost 3,000 people aged 65 and older. They were sorted into four groups. A control group did nothing. A memory training group learned strategies for memorizing lists and details. A reason training group worked on their ability to solve patterns. And finally, there was a speed-training video game group that had players find objects on the screen rapidly.
The fourth group played the game in 60- to 75-minute sessions. They had 10 sessions of the game over five weeks. Half of that group had booster sessions for up to 23 hours of game time over a three-year period. The booster sessions reinforced what people learned the first time they played the game. They did not learn new skills. You can play the game yourself here.
The researchers then tracked everyone in the study for over 20 years to follow their brain health. The people who had done the speed-training game and the booster sessions had a 25 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia compared to the control group. People who got the two other types of training and the people who played the game but didn’t get booster sessions saw no benefits.
Researchers think the results might be because the game increases processing speed. But it is important to note that only one-eighth of the study participants got to play the game and have follow-up sessions. A larger study is needed to see if the results can be replicated. Researchers who believe that the speed-training game works believe it is because the game is adaptive. It gets harder in response to how well a person is doing. It gets faster and harder the better a person is at it, forcing the player to work harder.
Neurologist Clifford Segil said, “There is no neurologist in the world in 2026 who is going to agree that playing games like this will definitely protect you from getting dementia as you age. The idea that cognitive games can be neuroprotective has been around since the advent of a crossword puzzle.”
