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Human Benchmark Tests

Visual Memory Games

Start with the pattern board below, then turn it into a set of visual memory games with a few simple rules.

Remember which squares light up.

A few squares flash, then the board goes blank. Tap the ones that flashed. Three wrong taps on a level costs a life, and you have three lives.

Three games from one idea

The board on this page is the starting point. Squares flash for about a second, then you tap the ones that flashed, in any order. It opens with 3 squares on a 3 by 3 board, adds a square each level and grows up to 7 by 7. Three wrong taps on a level costs one of your three lives.

Two other tests on this site use the same skill with a twist.

GameWhat you rememberHow a run ends
Pattern board, on this pageWhich squares flashed, in any orderWhen three lives are gone
Sequence tilesA growing run of tiles on a 3 by 3 board, in orderAt the first mistake
Chimp numbersNumbered squares, tapped in order after they are coveredAt the third strike

Open the sequence memory test and the chimp test in other tabs and you have a full set.

Ways to play in rounds

  • Solo ladder. Play three runs of the pattern board and keep your best level. Beat it tomorrow.
  • Duel. Two players share one device and alternate runs. The highest level after three runs each wins.
  • Triathlon. Everyone plays one run of each game. Rank the players in each game, add up the ranks, and the lowest total wins.
  • Two second rule. On the chimp numbers, make your first tap within two seconds of the board appearing. This turns a storage game into a snapshot game.
  • No mistakes mode. On the pattern board, your run counts only up to your first wrong tap, even though the game lets you continue.

What helps in all three

See shapes instead of single squares: a line, a box, an L. On the ordered games, picture one route through the tiles instead of a list of stops. Keep your eyes near the middle of the board, and do not rush your taps, since none of the games times your answer.

Keeping track

Typical results are 7 to 9 levels on the pattern board, 6 to 9 steps on the sequence tiles and 7 to 9 numbers on the chimp board. Scores are saved in your browser, so you can compare rounds over time. For background on the skill itself, read the visual memory explainer.

Visual Memory Games FAQ

What are visual memory games?

They are games where you look at something briefly and then reproduce it from memory. Examples are a pattern of squares, a sequence of tiles or a set of numbered positions.

Are these visual memory games free?

Yes. All three games are free, need no account and save your scores in the browser.

Do visual memory games improve memory?

They improve your scores on the games you practice, mostly because you learn strategies such as seeing squares as shapes. The gains are largest on the game you play most.

Related pages

Try another test