Brain training apps and the evidence behind them
Comparing brain games vs brain training apps? Reviews find that gains mostly stay with the task practiced. Check these points first.
In the agency's account, the company claimed its games could raise performance at work and school and reduce the cognitive impairment that comes with age. Viewers of those ads had no way to test the claims for themselves, and according to the agency, the claims had no sound science behind them.
Under the settlement, the company is limited in what it can say about its products from now on.
What reviews found about transfer
When researchers read through the studies that brain-training companies cite, they found little that backed up the ads. Daniel Simons, Elizabeth Stine-Morrow and colleagues went through that research and said there was no compelling evidence the games help with everyday life. Players usually improve on the specific tasks they practice, and those gains mostly do not carry over beyond them.
A 2020 meta-analysis in Scientific Reports looked at commercial computerized games in healthy older adults. The authors backed the use of such games to challenge the brain and improve cognitive functions. Transfer of training is low, the authors also noted, so benefits stay within the domain that was trained.
A 2018 review in Frontiers in Psychology looked at commercial cognitive training devices to see whether they help with sport. The review found only limited support for benefits in sporting tasks. Most studies did not test players in the sporting setting itself, so screen gains could not be tied to changes on the field or court.
Older adults and the mixed picture
A 2017 review in Neuropsychology Review looked at brain training programs made for older adults. The review said that most of those programs had no evidence of efficacy. One commercial program had support from several high-quality studies, while the rest had little or nothing readers could cite.
A more positive view comes from a systematic review of randomized trials of cognitive training in healthy older adults. Malatyali, Reive and Williams wrote the review and presented it at a 2019 Geroscience conference. Their conclusion was that cognitive training appears to promote improvement and maintenance of cognitive functioning. Some other reviews of the same kind of products are less upbeat.
The two reviews asked somewhat different questions. One ranked commercial programs by how much evidence supported each one. The other combined trials of cognitive training in healthy older adults and looked at what the results showed as a group.
The app side was the subject of a 2025 scoping review published in Healthcare. The authors examined 14 cognitive-training apps made for older adults. All 14 claimed cognitive benefits, yet only one cited empirical research. An older adult picking among those apps would see a promise on every page, but only one of them would have a study behind it.
Checking an app's claims before trusting them
The How Old Is Your Brain games, developed by Dr. Kawashima in 2006, are cited as among the first of this type to reach a mass audience. Many apps released afterward share the same kind of score and promise.
Take a hypothetical case to see what a score can and cannot say. A player gains 10 points on one game after 20 sessions. The player's score shows they got better at that one game. Nothing in that result shows a change in memory at work or in attention while driving.
Three checks can be applied to any app's claims:
- Find a named study, with its authors and a journal or institution, rather than a vague phrase like research shows.
- Find out if the study measured people on something outside the app, because the reviews above found that gains mostly stay with the practiced task.
- A claim may describe the app itself or a general skill such as better memory, and the skill needs its own evidence.
The 2025 review found only one of 14 apps citing empirical research. A reader can run the first check in a minute by searching an app's page for a named study that tested people on a task outside game.
FAQ
Do brain training apps actually work?
A 2016 review of studies cited by brain-training companies found no compelling evidence that the games give benefits relevant to daily life. Players mostly improve on the specific tasks they practice.
Do brain games improve memory for everyday tasks?
A 2018 review in Frontiers in Psychology found limited support for benefits to sporting tasks, since most studies did not test players in the sporting setting. Gains on a screen exercise have not been shown to carry over to other activities.
What does research say about brain training for older adults?
A 2017 review in Neuropsychology Review found that most brain training programs for older adults had no evidence of efficacy. Only one commercial program was backed by several high-quality studies, while a 2019 systematic review of randomized trials in healthy older adults reached a warmer conclusion.
How do I check if a brain training app's claims are true?
Choose a study with named authors and a journal, not a vague line such as research shows. Then check if that study tested people on a task outside the app, since gains often stay with the practiced task.
Sources
NumFall is made by the publisher of this site. Any health or brain-training points here are general information, not medical advice.