7 simple puzzle games for the elderly to improve memory & problem-solving skills

Tiny Bubbles

The game features over 170 levels (Image: Pine Street Codeworks)

Tiny Bubbles is a relaxing puzzle game that challenges you to fill colourful bubbles with air and pop them. The game features over 170 levels with different shapes, colours, and mechanics. You can also create your own bubbles and share them with other players. The game features soothing music and sounds of popping bubbles to calm you down and cute creatures living inside the bubbles to adore. Tiny Bubbles is available for iOS, Android, and Steam devices.

Cut the Rope

Satisfying Om Nom’s endless appetite is the goal here (Express photo)

Cut the Rope is one of the most popular mobile games of all time, with over 100 million downloads on Android alone. The goal in this game is to feed candy to a hungry monster named Om Nom by cutting ropes and using various devices. Players can collect stars and unlock new boxes as they progress. While the original one has several levels to play through, in case you finish them all, there are also several sequels to master like Cut the Rope: Magic and Cut the Rope: Time Travel.

Microsoft Sudoku

Sudoku is one of the best games to get your brain juices flowing and while you may have played it on newspapers, did you know that you can also play it on mobile? Microsoft Sudoku offers six difficulty levels and four themes, or try new modes like Irregular and Ice Breaker. You can also earn coins and badges by completing daily challenges in different game modes. The game has a dark mode option for playing at night, a note-taking feature, and cloud saving with a Microsoft account.

Roll the Ball

Sudoku can be too challenging, so if you’re looking for something simpler, Roll the Ball will fit the bill. The game is a classic tile puzzle with a modern challenging twist. In it, you have to slide tiles to create a path for the ball to roll to the goal. Enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the ball roll smoothly through the connected tiles to the end. The game has over 3,000 levels with different modes, including multiplayer and daily challenges. You can also choose from various themes and difficulty levels.

Infinity Loop

It may not look like much but it can keep you hooked for hours (Express photo)

Infinity Loop claims that it’s a fun way of “increasing your logic skills.” The game works similarly to Roll the Ball in that the goal is to connect all the lines and corners to make perfect connections. However, it features a second game mode that works in the opposite direction – you have to break all the connections instead. The game does not have any time pressure or difficulty increase, so you can play at your own pace and mood.

Differences

Differences is a pretty straightforward game. In it, you have to spot the difference between two pictures, focusing on the details to find them. The more you play, the more you can improve your powers of observation. The game features more than 20,000 pictures, so you’re probably never going to run out.

What’s inside the box?

You have to unlock boxes by solving all kinds of puzzles (Express photo)

Ever received a package that’s frustratingly difficult to open? What’s inside the box builds upon that, except it’s actually fun to unbox here. In this game, you solve various kinds of puzzles and each solution opens up the box. While the game is mostly easy, a hint button at the bottom in each level is there to help in case things get difficult.