Five Games to Learn if You Want to Give Your Brain a Workout

Most of us could do with getting down to the gym more often, but even more of us than that could do with working out our brains a little harder. Many of us get those moments: forgetting passwords, spacing on names, or just feeling mentally sluggish.

But here’s some good news – sharpening your mind doesn’t have to feel like homework. There are tons of games out there that challenge you in sneaky ways, boosting your cognitive skills while still being fun. Here are five games that’ll whip your grey matter into shape – no Sudoku puzzles or crosswords in sight.

Chess: A Classic for a Reason

Chess might seem intimidating at first glance – those endless strategies, obscure terms, and the serious faces of Grandmasters. But peel back that reputation, and you’ll find a game that’s brilliantly accessible and fiercely replayable. Chess is a pure brain workout, requiring pattern recognition skills and exceptional memory recall. If you’re worrying that you don’t have those skills yet then don’t let that put you off. You’re going to learn them! Your mind begins to think multiple steps ahead, always planning your next move (and the one after that). After a while, you’ll spot patterns everywhere – useful for life, not just pawns and knights. Better still, we’ve got a strong chess culture in Malawi, with record-breaking chess teams and local clubs, too. It’s one of those rare games where you genuinely feel smarter with each session.

Sharpen Up with Scrabble

Scrabble sounds gentle, cosy, even slightly wholesome. But beneath those friendly letter tiles lies a battlefield. If you’ve not watched a Scrabble world final, I urge you to do so. It gets heated. You might have noticed it playing against your Aunty at Christmas time one year! You need linguistic agility to whip up words quickly and problem-solving skills to adapt your strategy when your opponent takes your perfect spot. A dose of patience doesn’t hurt either. The other big bonus is that your vocabulary will improve tenfold. Each strange noun you find has got to be used in a sentence.

Poker: The Ultimate Mind Game

Some games are just plain brilliant at forcing you to think critically, assess situations quickly, and even read the room. Poker is a prime example, as it requires you to read situations, calculate odds, and make decisions under pressure. Those looking to learn poker will find that mastering the game sharpens memory, enhances logical thinking, and builds resilience – making it a great addition to your game rotation.

The beauty of poker is in the human element. You’re constantly interpreting subtle signals from opponents: tiny changes in facial expressions, hesitations in bets, that slight tremor in their hands. Even online, you’re assessing odds, managing bankrolls, and keeping a calm head under pressure. Your mind juggles multiple skills simultaneously – and every win feels deeply satisfying. You might even walk away richer (or at least wiser).

Go: Simple Rules, Deep Strategy

Go has been around for thousands of years, yet it still feels fresh. On the surface, it seems simple: capture territory by placing black or white stones on a board. But underneath? There’s surprising complexity. Go really pushes your pattern recognition skills. You’ve got to be constantly thinking about territory control, but whirring away in the background are your skills of adaptation and recalculation. Basically, if you’re not a whizz when it comes to multitasking, you’ll struggle in the short term, but you’ll make fast progress.

Catan: Problem Solving With Sheep and Wheat

Ever heard the phrase “I’ll trade you two sheep for one brick”? If you have, you’ve already

dabbled in Settlers of Catan. This board game is built around negotiation, strategy, and resource management – all things your brain secretly loves, you just might not know it yet. As you trade, build roads, and carefully expand your settlements, you’re strengthening cognitive skills like problem-solving, adaptability, and long-term strategic thinking. The tactile satisfaction of placing roads and settlements – little wooden blocks that tap gently on the board – is part of the charm too. Plus, winning feels genuinely rewarding, especially when you’ve convinced your friend to trade away the last sheep you need.