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How to choose a memory game for your parents

By operchief · 9 October 2026

You want to put something pleasant on Mom's or Dad's phone: a game they'll genuinely enjoy for a few minutes, that they can open on their own, and that won't leave them stuck on a confusing screen. The app stores are full of “brain games”, and many of them are built for younger players or for selling things. Here is a practical checklist to help you pick well.

1. Start with your parent, not the app

Before you search, think for a moment about how your parent actually uses the phone. Do they read messages and answer calls but rarely open anything else? Do they wear reading glasses? Are their fingers steady, or do they sometimes tap the wrong spot? Do they enjoy puzzles, cards or crosswords on paper?

The honest answers tell you a lot. Someone who loves crosswords may enjoy a word game. Someone who prefers quiet patience games may like a calm puzzle with a single clear rule. A parent who gets nervous with technology needs, above all, something that cannot go wrong.

2. Check for ads and in-app purchases first

This is the single most important filter. Many “free” games show full-screen ads every minute or two. For anyone who isn't a heavy phone user, an ad is not just annoying: it can look like a warning, and a mistaken tap can open a web page or a store page they don't know how to leave. Games with in-app purchases may show offers, coins or “special deals” that are easy to tap by accident.

On the Google Play page, look just under the app's name. If it says Contains ads or In-app purchases, think twice. A small one-time price for a game with neither is often the calmer choice. It is also the reason I made Caticon a single payment with no ads at all.

3. Look at the screen, not just the description

Scroll through the screenshots carefully, or better, install the game on your own phone first and play a round. Ask yourself:

• Are the buttons large? Small icons in the corners are hard to hit.
• Is the text big and clear? Light grey text on white is hard to read.
• Is there strong contrast between the background and the important elements?
• How many things are on the screen at once? Fewer is better. One clear action per screen is ideal.
• Are there flashing effects, sudden sounds or confetti? Some people find them exciting; many people find them tiring.

Also check whether the phone itself allows zooming and larger fonts in the system settings. A game that respects those settings is a good sign.

4. Prefer simple rules and short rounds

The best game for a parent can be explained in one or two sentences. If you need a tutorial with ten pages, it's probably not the right one. Short rounds of a few minutes also help: they fit into a coffee break and there's no pressure to “finish a level” before putting the phone down.

Look for a gentle difficulty curve. A good memory game starts very easy, so the first experience is a success, and lets the player move up only when they want to. Ask yourself, too, whether the game rushes the player. Some people enjoy a little time pressure; others find it stressful. You know your parent best.

5. Make sure it works offline and needs no account

Many people turn off mobile data to save money, or simply have a weak connection at home. A game that needs the internet will show error messages at the worst moment. Games that ask to create an account or sign in with email add another step where your parent can get stuck, and another password to forget.

The ideal: install it, open it, play. Nothing else.

6. Read the privacy section

Every app on Google Play has a Data safety section and a link to a privacy policy. It's worth a minute. A simple offline game has no reason to collect location, contacts or personal information. If a puzzle game wants access to everything on the phone, choose another one.

7. Choose it because it's enjoyable

Be careful with apps that promise to “prevent memory loss” or claim to be “clinically proven”. A game is a game, and the best reason to play it is that it's interesting. A good puzzle also exercises memory and attention along the way, but that's a bonus, not a treatment. The real value is simple and very human: a few minutes of focus, a small daily ritual, the satisfaction of getting something right, and something to talk about together on the phone.

8. Set it up together

How you introduce the game matters as much as which game you choose. A few tips:

• Install it on their phone, with their Google account. Apps bought on your account won't appear on their phone.
• Move the icon to the home screen, ideally on the first page, so it's easy to find.
• Play the first round together, on the easiest level. Let them press the buttons; resist the urge to do it for them.
• Don't explain every option. Show the one or two buttons they need.
• Check in after a few days: “How's the game going?” is a nice, easy question.

A quick checklist

1. No ads and no in-app purchases (or as few as possible).
2. Large buttons, large text, high contrast.
3. One clear rule, short rounds, an easy first level.
4. Works offline, no account or sign-up.
5. No unnecessary data collection.
6. No medical promises, just a game that's fun to play.
7. You tried it yourself first.

Where Caticon fits

I built Caticon for my own mom with this list in mind. Its rule comes from “The Fly”, a classic attention exercise described in a 1988 Soviet book on psychological training. It's a calm spatial memory puzzle: the board is hidden, Caticon jumps one cell at a time, short arrows show where it went, and you press Stop at the moment it leaves the board. It has no ads, no purchases and no account, works offline and collects no data. It won't suit everyone, and that's fine: the checklist above works for any game you consider. If it sounds like a good match for your parent, you can find Caticon on Google Play.

Written by operchief, a retired developer and the author of Caticon. Questions or suggestions: caticon.app@gmail.com.