September 5th 2025
By Ari Parker
Discover the most effective brain games for seniors to improve memory, focus, and cognitive health. Science-backed games and activities for older adults.
The rate of cognitive decline in older Americans is rising. According to one study published in 2025, the number of Americans living with dementia will double to one million by the year 2060.
But are there certain hobbies or games that can protect our brains from cognitive decline?
Though the research isn’t definitive, there is some evidence to suggest that playing certain games, like crossword puzzles and board games, may help protect against cognitive decline and delay dementia.
But additional strategies, like engaging in regular exercise, treating existing medical conditions, and prioritizing community and social connection, may be even more effective at reducing dementia risk.
In this article, we’ll cover the different types of brain games that may help to support brain health and other strategies and behaviors you can adopt to help reduce your risk of developing dementia.
Certain games, like crossword puzzles or board games, may help to improve cognition and memory and protect against or delay dementia.
Experts recommend choosing a brain game that challenges you and that you enjoy playing regularly.
Incorporating other strategies, like regular exercise, treating high blood pressure and cholesterol, and prioritizing community and connection, will help to support brain health in older age.
Playing any kind of game, whether it be a crossword puzzle, chess, or even a video game, has the potential to work the muscles in your brain and boost what some experts call your “cognitive reserve.” This theory posits that the greater your cognitive reserve, the more protected you may be against cognitive decline.
Expanding on this theory, some researchers have found that working your brain by playing a game or puzzle strengthens the connections between the neurons in your brain, which may also prevent cognitive decline or even delay the onset of symptoms of dementia.
What’s more, there are no risks or downsides to playing mentally stimulating games. And research generally shows that greater cognitive engagement, including through game play, is associated with better memory and a reduced risk of dementia.
Though there isn’t enough research to determine which type of game is best for supporting cognitive function, many experts recommend playing a game that challenges you and that you enjoy.
Below, we dive into three different types of brain games and engagement and what the research has to say about their potential effects on brain health.
Note: Most of the research discussed below that explores game-playing and improved cognition is correlational. That means that while researchers have found associations between playing certain games and cognitive benefits, there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that the activities themselves are directly causing those benefits.
Crossword puzzles and other word-based activities are some of the most frequently utilized games for cognitive improvement.
Though the research isn’t conclusive, there is some evidence to show that regularly completing crossword puzzles may sharpen memory and slow brain shrinkage in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, which is associated with a higher risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Additional research suggests that crossword puzzles may help to delay the onset of memory decline by more than two years in people who eventually develop dementia.
And some experts also believe that regularly engaging in crossword puzzles—especially challenging ones—may help to strengthen your “cognitive reserve.”
Unlike crossword puzzles, sudoku, and other solo games, most board games are played in community. The social aspect of these types of games may offer an added benefit for older adults looking to reduce their risk of cognitive impairment.
One systematic review and meta-analysis from 2023 found that traditional board games may slow global cognitive decline and improve the quality of life in older adults.
Another population-based cohort study from 2017 following 3,675 older adults found that playing board games reduced the risk of dementia by 15% as well as lower rates of depression.
One study from 2017 examined the benefits of three different games designed to improve cognitive performance: memory game, reasoning game, and speed of processing game.
After following up with participants ten years after the conclusion of the study, researchers found that the speed processing games reduced healthy older adults’ risk of dementia by 29%. The other games had no significant impact on dementia risk.
Because the research doesn’t support playing one type of game over the other for the benefit of brain health, many experts recommend engaging in an activity that you enjoy—and that challenges you.
For example, if you struggle with word recall, playing a crossword or word search game may help to strengthen that part of your brain. Or, if you have trouble with your visual and spatial skills, you may want to practice solving jigsaw puzzles or other shape-related games.
Tailoring your game-play with an activity that you enjoy ensures that you will stick with the hobby, and choosing a game that challenges your weaker skills can help to keep those muscles in your mind active.
Game play may help to keep your mind sharp over time, but research shows that there are other behaviors that may benefit your brain health even more.
According to the Lancet Commission on Dementia, there are several strategies you can employ to reduce your risk of dementia:
Lifelong cognitive engagement
Use hearing aids if hearing loss is present and decrease harmful noise exposure
Treat depression
Regular physical exercise
Reduce cigarette smoking
Prevent, reduce, and treat high blood pressure
Treat high cholesterol
Maintain a healthy weight
Reduce alcohol consumption
Reduce social isolation by engaging in community and social activity
Treat vision loss
Reduce exposure to air pollution
Whether you’re solving crossword puzzles, playing a board game with friends, or working on a daily word search, research shows that engaging in regular cognitive activities can support your brain health and may even help to prevent or delay cognitive impairment and dementia.
There isn’t one game that’s best for boosting memory or preventing dementia in every individual. Instead, try choosing an activity that you enjoy and that challenges your brain to help you reap the biggest benefits.
While playing games can help to keep your mind active, adopting additional behaviors, like regular exercise, engaging in social connection, and treating existing health conditions, can go a long way toward supporting your brain health as you age.
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