Brain games
Free Brain Games: Memory, Speed and Focus
These brain games are short, free and quick to start. Each one checks one skill: reasoning, speed, memory, attention or mental math. Pick a game and play it in your browser.
Reasoning
Pattern sprint
Solve quick pattern and series puzzles against the clock.
Not played yet on this device
Speed and attention
Reaction time
Tap the moment the panel changes.
Not played yet on this device
Focus arrows
Say which way the middle arrow points while its neighbors try to mislead you.
Not played yet on this device
Go and hold
Respond fast to Go, and hold back on the rare Hold.
Not played yet on this device
Stroop test
Name the ink color, not the word you read.
Not played yet on this device
Visual search
Is the odd ring there or not? Decide quickly and correctly.
Not played yet on this device
Memory
Number memory
Read a number, then type it back from memory.
Not played yet on this device
Reverse digits
Watch digits appear one by one, then enter them backward.
Not played yet on this device
Sequence memory
Watch tiles light up, then repeat the order.
Not played yet on this device
Visual memory
Remember which tiles were lit and find them all.
Not played yet on this device
N-back
Spot when a letter matches the one two steps back.
Not played yet on this device
Numbers and symbols
Mental math
Solve as many sums as you can against the clock.
Not played yet on this device
Symbol match
Use the key to turn symbols into digits, fast.
Not played yet on this device
Your bests and recent results are saved only in this browser. A finished game's score is also counted anonymously (one number, no name and no device details), so the site can show how plays compare once there are enough of them. There are no leaderboards.
What are these brain games?
These brain games are small tasks borrowed from psychology labs, redrawn as our own games. Each one gives you a score and keeps your best on this device. A round takes a minute or two.
Reasoning
- Pattern sprint: quick pattern grid and number series puzzles against the clock, made by the same engine as the test.
Speed and attention
- Reaction time test: how fast you respond to a change on screen.
- Flanker test: the direction of the middle arrow while its neighbors mislead you.
- Go/no-go test: tapping fast on Go and holding back on the rare Hold.
- Stroop test: naming an ink color while a word gets in the way.
- Visual search test: deciding fast whether one odd ring is on the panel.
Memory
- Number memory test: how many digits you can hold in mind.
- Backward digit span: digits shown one by one, entered in reverse.
- Sequence memory test: how long an order of tiles you can repeat.
- Visual memory test: how many lit tiles you can find again.
- N-back test: spotting a letter that matches the one two steps back.
Numbers and symbols
- Mental math test: how many sums you can solve against the clock.
- Symbol match: turning symbols into digits with a key, fast.
Do brain games make you smarter?
Probably not in any general way. A large review looked at the studies that brain-training companies cite. It found strong evidence that people get better at the games they practice. It found little evidence that this carries over to other tasks or to daily life.
So play for fun, or to see how your score moves from day to day. A rising best shows you got better at that game. It does not show a change in intelligence.
How do the brain games relate to an IQ test?
Some of the skills are close cousins of parts of a full IQ test. The WAIS-5 has sections for working memory and for processing speed. Our games touch on the same ideas, but they are not those tests and have no norms.
Our free IQ test is different. It measures reasoning with puzzles and turns your answers into a score with a range. You can see the kinds of puzzles on our IQ test questions page. Read how the score is worked out before you compare the two.
Where are my scores saved?
Your best score, your number of plays and your last few results for each game are saved in your own browser. When a game ends, its score is also counted anonymously, as one number with no name, account or device details. Once a game has enough plays, its result screen shows how your score compares with them. There are no accounts and no leaderboards.
The storage item is listed in our cookie policy. You can clear it with the button under the games, or by clearing site data in your browser.
FAQ
Are these brain games free?
Yes. Every game is free, with no sign-up and no email. There is nothing to buy.
Can brain games raise my IQ?
There is little evidence for that. Research finds that practice improves the game you practice. Gains rarely spread to other skills. Our guide on how accurate IQ tests are explains what does move a score.
Do the games work on a phone?
Yes. Every game works with touch, a mouse or a keyboard. Most games need sight, and the Stroop game needs normal color vision.
Is my best score compared with other people?
Not yet. Finished games are counted anonymously, and a comparison appears on a game’s result screen only once that game has enough real plays. Until then, each result page explains what your score means using published research, and shows your own history on this device.