What are the Best Mobile Games for Seniors?

November 6, 2026

Word Games

Word Games help maintain vocabulary and social connections through turn-based play. Wordle from NY Times is becoming extremely popular, it's free to play and is available through the NY Times Games App on the BigPurplePhone SilverFox Editions. Words With Friends 2 and Scrabble GO allow seniors to compete with family, featuring large tiles and auto-complete features for those with vision challenges. Wordscapes offers a relaxing word-search experience with tranquil backgrounds, while Candy Crush remains a favourite for its visually appealing, straightforward match-up gameplay however both of these whilst free, rely heavily on advertising.

Candy Crush screenshot

Puzzle and Card Games

Puzzle and Card Games are top choices for seniors, with Solitaire and Mahjong praised for their simple mechanics and calming nature. Solitaire apps offer large cards and unlimited undos to accommodate arthritic fingers, while Mahjong Solitaire provides therapeutic tile-matching that improves pattern recognition. Sudoku is also highly recommended for sharpening memory and logic without time pressures.

Crossword puzzles and Sudoku are available from the Sydney Morning Herald app on the BigPurplePhone SilverFox Editions (SMH subscription is required).

Brain Training Apps

Brain Training Apps provide science-backed exercises to target cognitive decline. Lumosity (used by over 100 million people worldwide) and Elevate (vocabulary, maths and more) offer personalised workouts for memory, attention and flexibility, often with progress tracking. For those preferring familiar, low-stress activities, Crosswords and Trivia Crack (unfortunately many questions are US-based) leverage decades of built knowledge, while Chess and Bridge apps offer strategic depth with accessible tutorials.

Lumosity Samples

Lumosity Samples

Dementia

Specifically, in regard to dementia, the right game depends heavily on the stage of dementia. Here's a practical breakdown:

1. Early Stage

Word puzzles – Crosswords, word searches and anagrams. A University of Cambridge study found crosswords may delay memory decline by ~2.5 years.
Jigsaw puzzles – 100-piece puzzles with familiar/nostalgic themes. Support spatial reasoning and memory recall.
Card games – Go Fish, simplified Uno and War are familiar, low-pressure and build memory/matching skills.
Brain-training apps – Elevate (40+ games for memory, maths and more), Lumosity (40+ activities for memory, attention, language) and Peak (co-operative climbing game). A Cambridge study found a custom game improved memory by 40% in early Alzheimer's patients. Memory Lane Games is purpose-built for dementia, with an RCT showing 92% of caregivers felt it made them more relaxed.
Board games – A 2019 study linked regular board game play to less cognitive decline from age 70–79.

Peak Screenshot

2. Mid Stage

Simpler card games – War (one card each, highest wins), picture matching and Animal Snap (bold picture cards, no reading needed).
Picture bingo – Using images of everyday objects instead of numbers.
Simplified board games – Snakes & Ladders and Ludo, adapted with fewer steps.
Mahjong Solitaire – A 2020 study found 12 weeks of play benefited older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Memory matching – Start with only 3–4 pairs to avoid overwhelm.

Match Names to Pictures

3. Late Stage

Sensory activities – Music (name-that-tune with familiar songs), hand-held Amazing Chase mazes and colouring books.
Reminiscence – Photo albums, familiar songs and simple conversation prompts.
Simple matching – Colour or shape sorting with a small number of items.

Key Tips

Match the game to the person's interests and abilities – a former teacher may love word games while a gardener may prefer nature-themed puzzles.
Avoid time pressure – no countdowns or "lose" conditions.
Keep rules short – one question at a time, end on a win.
Evidence is supportive, not curative – games help maintain engagement and may slow decline but they are not a treatment for dementia.

Note 1: Some games require an account to be created and may require payment or be subject to embedded advertisements. Also, while many of the games listed may initially be free, a payment is required to remove advertising, to gain extended play time or for some of their features to be available. The latter is typically described as "In App Purchases" in their description.

Both New York Times Games and Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) applications are available on BigPurplePhone SilverFox Editions. However, a paid subscription may be required for full access to SMH content.

NY Times Games and Sydney Morning Herald

Note 2: BigPurplePhone does not provide support for third party Apps or mobile websites. Please refer to the individual providers website for support for those services.