Do Brain Games Work?

Brain-training apps and puzzles make big promises; here is what the research really shows, including the 20-year ACTIVE trial results, why skills don't always transfer to daily life, and how to choose mental activities that are worth your time.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, word-search books and brain-training apps are hugely popular, especially among people worried about their memory. Many apps promise to make you "sharper" or even to protect against dementia. Do they deliver?

The honest answer: you will almost certainly get better at the games you practice. Whether that helps your everyday memory, or lowers your dementia risk, is much less certain—though one long-running study offers some intriguing hints.

The big question: does it transfer?

Scientists call it transfer. Getting faster at a particular puzzle is "near transfer." Becoming better at remembering appointments, managing money or driving safely is "far transfer"—and that is what most people actually want.

In 2014, about 70 scientists signed a statement organized by the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Max Planck Institute. They concluded that claims that brain games can reduce or reverse cognitive decline were not supported by sound evidence, and that gains from practicing a task tend to be narrow. They also warned that time spent on games is time not spent on activities with stronger evidence, like exercise.

In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission fined the makers of Lumosity $2 million to settle charges that the company made unfounded claims that its games could improve performance at work and school and delay age-related cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The FTC required the company to have competent scientific evidence before making such claims in the future.

The ACTIVE trial: the strongest evidence so far

The most important study of brain training in older adults is ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly). Starting in the late 1990s, it randomly assigned 2,832 independent older adults (average age about 74) in six U.S. cities to one of four groups:

Memory training – strategies for remembering word lists and stories
Reasoning training – finding patterns and solving problems
Speed-of-processing training – a computer task that asks you to spot and locate objects on a screen quickly, getting harder as you improve
No training (control group)

Training was just 10 sessions over five to six weeks, with "booster" sessions for some people about one and three years later.

What happened

At 10 years, reasoning and speed training still showed benefits on the skills that were trained. All three training groups reported somewhat less difficulty with everyday tasks like managing medicines and finances than the control group.
At 20 years, researchers linked the study to Medicare records. People in the speed-training group who completed at least one booster session had about a 25% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Speed training without boosters, memory training and reasoning training did not show a clear effect.

Why experts are cautious

This is encouraging, but not the final word:

The benefit appeared in a subgroup (speed training plus boosters), and people who chose to attend boosters may differ from those who didn't.
Dementia was identified from billing records, not careful exams.
A 2026 reanalysis pointed out that once you correct for testing many comparisons, none of the individual results is clearly statistically significant—though the same author argued the overall pattern suggests a modest benefit across training types, especially in younger participants.
The specific speed-training exercise used in ACTIVE is not the same as most apps sold today.

What about crosswords and puzzles?

People who do puzzles regularly tend to have better thinking skills in later life. But it's hard to know which comes first: puzzles may help the brain, or people with sharper minds may simply enjoy puzzles more. Crosswords are a fine pastime—just don't count on them alone to protect your memory.

A smarter approach to mental exercise

If you enjoy brain games, keep playing. They are low-risk and can be fun. But for brain health, the evidence points to a broader mix:

Choose challenge and novelty. Learning something genuinely new and difficult—an instrument, a language, a complex craft—works the brain harder than repeating familiar puzzles. See Learning New Skills at Any Age and Neuroplasticity.
Add people. Activities that combine thinking with social contact, like bridge clubs, book groups, classes or volunteering, offer extra benefits. See Cognitive Reserve.
Move your body. Physical exercise has some of the strongest evidence for brain health. See Exercise and the Brain.
Manage your health. Blood pressure, hearing, sleep and blood sugar matter for memory. See Reducing Dementia Risk: The 14 Risk Factors.

Before you pay for an app

Ask a few questions:

Has this specific program been tested in published, randomized trials?
Did the studies measure real-life outcomes, or only scores on similar games?
Does the company claim to prevent or treat dementia? That claim should make you skeptical.
Can you cancel easily if you stop using it?

The bottom line

Brain games are not a cure or a guaranteed shield against dementia. The best-studied form—speed-of-processing training with boosters—has shown some promising long-term signals, but scientists are still debating how strong they are. Enjoy games if you like them, and pair them with the habits that have stronger evidence: movement, learning, connection and good health care.

Sources

Not medical advice. This article is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual. Talk with a doctor about your situation.

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