6 Challenging Games For a Good Brain Workout

Most people think that playing games is all about having fun, but that’s not all that they can offer. Some games have been shown to be great at boosting brain power, helping to improve memory, critical thinking skills, and all-around keeping the brain sharp. It’s easy to forget, but your brain is a muscle that needs exercise — and the best way to do that is by giving it a workout.

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You could keep your brain sharp by reading technical descriptions of how lawnmowers work, but let’s be honest, that’s pretty boring. It’s much more fun to play games that give your brain a workout! 

In this post, we’ll run through a few of the most popular challenging games, all of which will have your neurons firing and will (likely) be a whole lot of fun to play, too. 

Chess

There’s no game like chess. It’s more than 1,500 years old, and yet it remains more popular than ever. While there are plenty of great modern games released, it’s unlikely that any of them will still be played a thousand years into the future (well, maybe GTA 6 if it’s ever released).

There’s a lot of theory behind chess, which means playing against anyone who’s even half decent can be highly mentally stimulating. If you have ambitions to be a great player, then we’d recommend taking an online course. You’ll learn a lot, and perhaps most importantly of all, you’ll be giving your brain what it needs to be its best. 

Crosswords

Crosswords are more than one hundred years old — they date back to 1913 — yet, as with chess, they’ve never been more popular. And that’s for a number of reasons. For one thing, completing a crossword is a solo activity, which means you don’t need to gather others to play. There are also a number of difficulty levels, so there’s a challenging puzzle regardless of whether you’re a complete beginner or if you’ve been playing for decades. Studies have consistently shown that completing a daily crossword can do wonders for brain health, helping to improve memory and cognitive skills. That’s a lot of benefits from a game that you can complete over your morning coffee. 

Poker

Poker has been on a long journey in its 200 years of existence. It used to be played in the saloons of New Orleans, and now it’s a global powerhouse that attracts more than one hundred million regular players. 

Poker provides an excellent brain workout. Though the game itself is relatively simple to learn, once you get into it seriously you’ll discover that there’s a lot of theory and strategy that goes into the game. Succeeding in the game takes a lot of studying. If you can go through the learning curve, you’ll know how to play a game that gives your brain a great workout. Plus, if you get really good, then there’s a chance that you can even make money from poker. 

Go

It makes sense that games like chess and crossword puzzles are good for your brain. After all, if you’ve never played those games, then simply understanding how to play can seem challenging. 

Some games that are good for your brain are a little deceptive, however. Go is a game that appears to be simple when you first start playing, but once the game gets underway, things become a lot more challenging. If you’re looking for a fun and social way to keep your brain sharp, then Go might be just the solution you’ve been searching for. Learn how to play, and you’ll be ready for a trip to Southeast Asia, where you’ll come across plenty of people playing in the streets. 

Sudoku

Sudoku offers the same level of intellectual challenge as a crossword, only whereas crosswords focus on words, sudoku focuses on numbers. As with most puzzles, it can take a little bit of time to get used to how the game works, but once you have, you’ll have a new hobby that stays with you for the rest of your life — and not only that but one that gives your brain the kind of challenge it needs to be at its best. 

Bridge

Bridge is an underrated game. It’s a complex game to learn, but once you have, you’ll have a social game to enjoy that really forces you to dig deep and see what your mind is capable of. To be honest, simply learning the many rules is a challenging, intellectual activity; it'll certainly make you smarter!