Video games have come a long way from simple pixelated adventures to complex universes filled with both excitement and challenge. Beyond entertainment, many games now serve as fantastic tools for mental exercise. These games can sharpen your problem-solving skills, improve memory, build critical thinking, and even enhance creativity. Here’s a list of seven video games that will give your brain a workout while you have fun.

1. Portal 2

Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Portal 2 is a mind-bending puzzle game that requires you to think critically and solve problems creatively. Using a portal gun, which allows you to create openings between spaces, you complete complex puzzles set in a quirky laboratory environment.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

Portal 2 challenges your spatial reasoning skills, forcing you to think outside the box. You’ll analyze angles, anticipate the motion of objects, and plan your actions strategically. The co-op mode encourages teamwork and communication skills when tackling puzzles with a friend.

2. Brain Age Series

Platform: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch

Nintendo’s Brain Age series is specifically designed as a brain-training tool. This game features exercises like Sudoku, memory matching, and math puzzles, all aimed at stimulating different parts of the brain.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

The mini-games are timed to encourage mental agility, while the puzzles work on logic, memory, and basic math skills. Thanks to daily challenges, it’s easy to incorporate into your routine for consistent brain exercise.

3. The Witness

Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

The Witness places you on an isolated island full of beautiful landscapes and hundreds of intricate puzzles. Each puzzle trains different parts of your brain, from memory to spatial recognition, as you connect lines, decipher clues, and explore patterns in increasingly complex ways.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

This game emphasizes observation and critical thinking. Puzzle solutions often require remembering clues from earlier in the game or paying close attention to subtle visual details in your surroundings. Plus, the open-world design encourages creative exploration.

4. Civilization VI

Platform: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

This strategy masterpiece lets you build and control an empire from scratch. You’ll make decisions about resource management, diplomacy, warfare, and scientific research to grow your civilization across centuries.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

Civilization VI sharpens strategic planning and decision-making. You’ll analyze trade-offs, anticipate the moves of opposing players, and manage multiple interconnected systems. It’s a fantastic way to train long-term thinking and adaptability in the face of challenges.

5. Lumosity

Platform: PC, Mobile

Lumosity is a widely recognized brain-training app filled with quick, engaging mini-games that target various cognitive skills. From memory recall to pattern recognition, it covers the fundamentals of mental sharpness.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

The app tracks your progress over time, allowing you to see how your brain improves. Challenges are tailored to your skill level, ensuring constant growth without becoming frustrating. It’s perfect for a quick mental workout during breaks or commutes.

6. Chess.com (Online Chess)

Platform: PC, Mobile

Chess.com brings the classic strategy game to the digital world, allowing you to play against both AI opponents and real people from around the globe. Whether you’re a beginner or a chess master, this game challenges your ability to think several moves ahead.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

Chess teaches patience, foresight, and critical thinking. Regular games can improve memory by helping you recall strategies, predict your opponent’s moves, and adapt your plans based on shifting circumstances.

7. Tetris Effect

Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, VR

This is no ordinary block-stacking game. Tetris Effect combines the iconic gameplay of Tetris with mesmerizing visual and audio effects, creating an almost meditative experience. It challenges your brain’s ability to recognize patterns and act quickly.

How It Keeps Your Mind Sharp:

Tetris improves spatial awareness, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. The fast pace of the game forces you to make quick decisions, which helps train your brain to process information and adapt on the fly. The VR mode takes mental immersion to a whole new level, making it a deeply engaging cognitive exercise.