The Best Brain Games for Adults

The best brain games for adults are not only fun but also extremely beneficial for your mental health. Whether you’re in your 30s or your 60s, it’s always a good time to start training your brain regularly. By challenging it to complete certain mental tasks, you keep it active. In time, this not only improves your mental sharpness and problem-solving skills but also helps you avoid the early onset of cognitive diseases related to old age such as Alzheimer’s. Here is a list of the most common and affordable brain games you can practice regularly to stay active mental-wise.

Sudoku

Sudoku is one of the most popular and accessible games for the brain. This game comes in myriad variants. The good news is that you no longer have to buy a magazine or paper to find this game. However, if you prefer to solve the game with a pencil in your hand, you will also find plenty of printed sudoku games. Nonetheless, the most popular way of playing this game nowadays is online. There are numerous websites where you simply need to create an account to play the game for free.

Sudoku is a relatively simple game. It involves numbers and squares. In each square, which is traditionally made of 9 small squares, you have to put the correct number by filling in the empty spaces. The general rule is that the big square, which contains 9 boxes needs to include all the numbers from 1 to 9. You are not allowed to use the same number more than once. This is an attention game that relies on the solving method called crosshatching.

Puzzles

Puzzles need no further introduction. They involve an image you have to recreate by putting together each piece in its right place. Puzzles can vary tremendously in terms of difficulty. For the novice, even a 300-piece puzzles can prove challenging. But think about the fact that there are people who solve 2000- piece puzzles. These games are very challenging. They require a lot of focus, patience, and attention to detail. When you mentally try to recreate the image you see on the puzzle box by putting together the right pieces, you put your brain to hard work. Constantly keeping your eye on that image while looking for the right pieces trains your short-term memory. This is precisely the skill that’s most affected by old-age degenerative diseases like dementia. At the same time, puzzles help you improve your problem-solving skills, concentration, and can induce a state of relaxation that’s similar to meditation. This is another brain practice that’s believed to help fight cognitive decline.

Crosswords

Crosswords are fun and engaging games. You can solve them individually, in pairs, or even in a group. There are countless types of crossword games and word games you can play online for free. This activity challenges your brain to come up with a specific solution to a particular question. In traditional crosswords, as you find more words to complete the puzzle with, you also get more clues for the remaining words. This exercise trains your memory and problem-solving skills. Moreover, it also helps you enrich your vocabulary and general knowledge.

Darts

You might be surprised to find darts on this list, but don’ rush to judge. Yes, darts is mainly a precision game. You need to throw the darts accurately in order to hit a certain area of the dartboard and gain points. But it’s precisely the scoring system that makes the game a good exercise for the brain. Darts involves a lot of calculation. All the games have a specific scoring system. Some players are sharp enough to track their score even without using a scoreboard. For example, in 801, 501, and 301, you start from a total score and have to deduct it until you reach zero. The deduction is made according to the area you hit on the board and how many points it grants.

Either one of these games can help you relax and gain multiple benefits if you play it over a longer period of time. Enjoy the game and if darts is your choice, don’t forget we can also support you with quality darts gear.