Best Brain Games
There is nothing worthwhile doing when you are bored to death, than to occupy your mind with games that will make you think, think, think!
✍️ December 2, 2020
Brain exercises are just as important as physical exercises. Solving mental problems through logical thinking sets our minds to be always on the go. While playing and thinking, brainwaves are in full power, thus awakening dead brain cells!
In the modern world, we can play brain games not only through board games and physical games we play but also online! There are a lot of apps we can download on our phones and computers that will let us play the best games for our sleepy brains.
We have prepared a list of the best brain games that will definitely rejuvenate your brain and sharpen it!
11. 2048
This game was released last March 9, 2014, and was designed by Italian web developer Gabriele Cirulli. This is a single-player game that is all about addition and numbers. To date, it has more than 17 million downloads and millions of active users! Not only that, but it also has more than 120,000 5-star ratings!
It is fun and addictive to the point that even if you already reach the objective of obtaining a tile with a value of 2048, you still can’t stop playing! Everyone really enjoys a simple number puzzle which is still tricky.
How to play 2048
The object of the game is to slide together adjacent slides with the same values. Sliding them together adds value to the tiles. The ultimate goal is to obtain a tile with the value 2048, hence the name of the game.
You can still continue to play and increase the value until there are no more valid moves. Meaning, there are no empty spaces and no adjacent tiles with the same value. When this happens, the game ends!
So what are you waiting for? Follow this link and have some 2048 fun! Play 2048 now!
10. Four Pics, One Word
This game was released last February 4, 2013, by its publisher, Lotum GmbH. This is a simple word game that needs concentration and a vast vocabulary. All you need to do is download the game apps then start playing. By just reading its title, you will already have an idea on how to play this.
4 Pics, 1 Word a hit game that has 250,000,000 players worldwide! There is no need for registration fees and there are no complicated rules. What’s more, is that this game is available in nine (9) languages to cater to its growing number of players. In October 2020, 70,000 people downloaded its app.
Countless puzzles ranging from easy to tricky are waiting for you! New puzzles are added continuously for endless word fun! Find out what it is about this game that makes everyone so hooked and join the fun now!
How to play Four Pics, One Word
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, so goes the old English adage. For each round, this game will give you four words (which translates to four thousands!). Using your wits, your concentration, and your vocabulary, you need to find the common thing about the four pictures and use that to find the correct word.
Your hint would be the number of letters represented by the number of empty boxes below the four pictures. If the game gets too hard and you’re out of ideas, you can click the hint or help button that will give you a free letter!
9. Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunting is a game that involves physically searching for a treasure by following a series of clues and sometimes riddles to ultimately find the treasure or objects. It is also known as scavenger hunt which is a game wherein organizers give the players a list of objects to look for and collect. Players must complete the list or find the treasure, without purchasing them, of course!
Treasure hunting or scavenger hunting was more popularized during the 1930’s in the elite New York Society. Currently, it is played worldwide during school activities, campings, and even during holidays and parties. You may be familiar with Egg Hunting during the Easter season wherein participants look for hidden eggs. Some people also hide goodies during Halloween and have the kids find them to replace the traditional trick-or-treating.
How to play Treasure Hunt
A game like this needs to be very organized. Organizers must prepare a series of clues. Some use riddles to add a dramatic effect to the hunt. They will give the participants the first clue which will lead to the next clue, and so on, so forth. The clues have to be very smart, precise yet not so obvious so the participants will have to really concentrate and think in order to decipher the clues.
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You can play this game by teams. You can use teamwork, resourcefulness and wits to finish the hunt and find the treasure. Like any other game, it would be much more exciting if a nice prize awaits the winner at the end of the hunt or race. The organizers can declare the treasure, itself, as the prize!
8. Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles are word searching games which usually take the form of a square or rectangle grid. There will be clues for each word and you will just have to follow the legends in order to complete the puzzle. Crossword puzzles are usually found at the back of most newspapers as a sort of entertainment to readers. There are also various books that are filled with crossword puzzles that you can complete.
Of course in the modern world of technology, there is no need for newspapers and books, as long as you are connected to the internet. With just one click, you can download loads of gaming apps that will give you unlimited crossword puzzles to solve to your heart’s desire!
How to play Crossword Puzzles
To play this game, all you need to do is use your logic and vocabulary to decipher each word that each clue is pertaining to. The words are literally connected to each other in the puzzle itself. The direction of each word could be diagonal, across (left to right) or downwards. Follow the instructions and legends properly.
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The more words you correctly find, the more clues you answer, you will find that it’s easier to complete the puzzle. This is because you can already see some of the letters that will give you hints for the next words you need to find!
7. Rubik’s Cube
Puzzle lovers just adore this 3D puzzle that was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. It was originally a toy called “Magic cube” and was first distributed by Ideal Toy Corp. six years after it was invented.
Since it hit the shelves in Budapest in 1980, there is a record of 350,000,000 Rubik’s cubes sold to date! This game also launched its own competition. As of now the fastest “cuber” in the world is Yusheng Du who finished the puzzle at a record-breaking 3.47 seconds! He beat Feliks Zemdegs by 0.75 seconds. According to most people it is the best puzzle game and the best-selling toy in the world.
It doesn’t stop there because solving the Rubik’s cube is very good in activating your brain cells and improves your brain’s cognitive mapping skills!
How to play Rubik’s Cube
There are 26 cubelets in each Rubik’s cube. To solve it, you need to twist the cubes and make sure to solve each face of the cube. Meaning, you should be able to to start with some randomized, shuffled, messy configuration of the cube and, by rotating the faces, get back to the original solved pattern with each side being a single color.
There are 40,320 ways to solve the puzzle of the Rubik’s cube. At first you will be content to just solve it but as you get better and better, you will want to improve on your speed. You just need to familiarize yourself with the patterns and figure out the fastest way to solve the puzzle! Can’t wait to play Rubik’s cube? Follow this link and start the fun NOW! Play Rubik’s Cube Now!
6. Murder Mystery Games
As the name suggests, this game is all about solving a crime and finding out who the killer is. There are a lot of games that solves murder mystery. Right now, you can find numerous variations online. They can be scripted or turn-based games that work by releasing information over the course of the game. As the game progresses, each character learns something new about the plot and their involvement.
You can play a character, search for clues, study all the evidence, solve the crime, uncover the murderer. Playing this type of game is a truly original way to entertain friends, family and people you work with.
Not only that, murder mystery games also improves your reasoning skills, logic, deductive reasoning and your gutts and instinct! You might someday grow up to be the next Sherlock Holmes!
How to play Murder Mystery Games
Murder Mystery games usually start with a story plot that explains the scenario. The players randomly pick a card or piece of paper that will give them their roles to play. Among all of you, there will be at least one killer. The group can decide what the killer should do to be able to make a kill. You can all agree that winking on someone can kill that person. Those who are killed will be out of the game.
Among the players, there will be at least one detective who should catch the killer. Given a certain time, the killer can do his or her killings. The detective should catch the killer before time runs out or before everyone gets killed.
This is just one example of a murder mystery game. You can add to the rules and make it more exciting! The more players, the better!
5. Bookworm Adventures
This word puzzle video game revolves around the adventures of Lex, an actual and literal bookworm, in the Great Library. It was invented by Popcom and it has three books namely Oedipus Lex, Arabian Knight and Lexonomicon! This game has 5 different modes: Adventure Mode, Arena, Mini-games, Tome of Knowledge, and Clips and Giggles. It will introduce you to about 150 enemies. Each book has a boss battle which you should conquer in order to proceed to the next book.
This is mainly a very fun word game that has awesome graphics. Your strategy, logic and vocabulary are tested while playing this game as you maneuver each move that Lex will make.
How to play Bookworm Adventures
In each level, you will be given your set of turns to fight back against your enemy. In order to make your move, just form a word using your given set of letters. The longer the word, the bigger the move, and the more points will be deducted from your opponent!
A little tip, give your longer words first before time runs out and your opponent has made big blows on you that could diminish your health and lives.
4. DotA
Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is a multiplayer online battle arena mode for the video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, The Frozen Throne. It is a series of strategy video games developed and published by Valve. Everyday, millions of players worldwide join the battle as one of over a hundred different heroes.
This game will test your knowledge of the game, strategies and techniques in order to outwit, overpower and defeat your opponents in the game!
How to play DotA
First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the plot of the game and its heroes, character strengths and capabilities and how to activate them. You’ll need to know the use of items and how to access said items. Play the tutorial. For many, DotA is already considered an online sport. You wouldn’t play a sport with a bunch of strangers without knowing how it works.
You can find a coach or play against game bots. If you want to avoid criticism, play the artificial intelligence bots. AIs tend to be very aggressive so you will be in for a challenge. There are in-game guides that you can use, too. They are not rulebooks but they can be your starting point so that you will know your heroes’ abilities and you can test stuff.
Above all DotA is about teamwork, strategy, camaraderie and wisdom. You need to train, study and master your skills then you can try working it out with your teammates.
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3. Scrabble
Scrabble is a classic and very known word game worldwide. It is played on a board of 15x15 squares. The game is played and sold in 121 countries and is in more than 30 languages worldwide. As one of the best-selling classic games, more than 150,000,000 scrabble sets have been sold to date.
This stimulating game has entertained friends and families during pastime and a third of the families in the US owns a scrabble set per household. This game tests one’s vocabulary and strategy as your words must be carefully placed in order to block an opponent’s move and earn more points for you.
How to play Scrabble
The goal and objective of the game is to earn the most points by forming words using the letters on the tiles given to you. Each letter/tile has a corresponding number of points to it. The game contains 100 tiles, 98 of which are marked with a letter and a point value ranging from 1 to 10. There are also two blank tiles with zero points but can be used as a wildcard letter by the players (meaning they decided on what letter it stands for).
The words must be read across (left to right) or downwards. The words must also be found in a standard English dictionary for it to be valid. Some of the squares on the board are premium squares because once they are used, they could triple or double the points on the letter or word for which it has been used on.
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Scrabble is played by two to four players. Each player will draw seven tiles and will keep refilling their set of seven tiles until all tiles are drawn. Each player will have his or her turn to form a word on the board, the next player should connect his word to the words on the board.
The game ends when one player manages to use all of his tiles. You each tally and total your scores (minus the points of your unused tiles) and the player with the most points wins!
2. Chess
Another classic board game, chess is all about strategy. It is played by millions worldwide and has recently been the main sport attraction of the recently released hit Netflix show, The Queen’s Gambit (named after a famous chess opening).
Chess players are known to be those people who can win battles. Their minds can predict the next moves of the opponent and can block those moves before they can even say “checkmate!”. It might be a very complicated game but once you learn it, your brain will be exercised in ways you could never imagine.
How to play Chess
This game is played between two players. A play has no hidden information. Everything is laid out on the board. Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each piece type moves differently. The most powerful is the queen and the least powerful is the pawn.
The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king by cornering it under an inescapable threat of capture. To this end, a player’s pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent’s pieces, all at the same time supporting one another.
During the game, play typically involves the exchange of pieces for the opponent’s similar pieces. It also involves finding and commandeering opportunities to trade at your benefit or to get a better position in the game.
Other than checkmate, a player wins the game if the opponent resigns, or when time runs out. There are also instances wherein a game will end in a draw.
1. Sudoku
Sudoku, meaning “single number”, is a numerical puzzle which was introduced by the Japanese Nikoli in the newspaper Monthly Nikolist in April 1984. At first, it was called “Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru” which literally means “the digits must be single”. Later it was shortened to Sudoku by Maki Kaji.
Studies show that playing sudoku can do wonders to a part of human cognition called our working memory. They say that older people who play sudoku tend to improve their working memory compared to those who don’t.
How to play Sudoku
The objective of a game of Sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits wherein each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 subgrids that compose the grid contains all of the nine single digits which are 1 to 9. When you think about it, it may seem easy at first but as you progress into the game, you’ll realize that it is tricky.
It is when you are almost done that you finally notice the mistakes you make and you will need to retrace your steps. Sudoku requires patience, focus, and strategy. When you get the hang of it, it is actually a very fun game that will give your memory the boost it needs!
In playing these games, you need to remember that with each level or round you finish, win or lose, is a step closer to improving yourself. Playing these brain games will enhance your memory, logic, critical thinking, strategy, vocabulary, and more cognitive skills that you don’t even know about. Other than that, you are also improving your self-confidence which is very important for self-development.
What are you waiting for? Gather your friends and family for a brain game night that you will forever cherish!
