How Memory Games Work and Tips to Improve Your Recall
Memory games are some of the oldest and simplest games around: flip two cards, remember what you saw, and try to find the pairs. They are fun at any age, and they also offer a window into how memory works. This guide explains what memory games actually test, shares some well-known techniques for remembering more, and is honest about what these games can and cannot do.
What memory games actually test
Most casual memory games rely on what psychologists call working memory: your ability to hold a small amount of information in mind for a short time while you use it. When you play Memory Match, you briefly see a card, then need to remember its picture and position a few moves later. When you play Color Memory, you watch a sequence of colours and repeat it, with the sequence getting longer each round.
Working memory is limited. Most people can only hold a handful of separate items in mind at once, and those items fade quickly if you do not refresh them. That limit is exactly what makes memory games challenging, and it is also why the techniques below help: they are ways of working around the limit.
Technique 1: Chunking
Chunking means grouping small pieces of information into larger, meaningful units. Instead of remembering ten separate digits, you remember three or four groups. This is why phone numbers are usually written in groups rather than as one long string.
In a sequence game like Color Memory, you might notice that the pattern starts "red, red, blue" and remember it as a single chunk, then "green, yellow" as another. In Memory Match, you might group cards by area of the board: "the top-left corner has the star and the moon". Grouping makes each item easier to recall because you are remembering a few bigger pieces rather than many small ones.
Technique 2: Visualisation and association
Many people find that they remember pictures and stories more easily than bare facts. You can use this by turning information into a vivid mental image. If you need to remember that a cat card is in the third column, you could picture a cat sitting on a tall number 3. The sillier or more colourful the image, the more it tends to stick.
Association works in a similar way. Linking new information to something you already know gives your memory a hook to hang it on. For example, you might remember a sequence of colours by linking them to a flag, a football kit or a favourite food.
Technique 3: The method of loci
The method of loci, sometimes called the memory palace, is one of the oldest memory techniques and dates back to ancient times. It works like this:
- Choose a place you know very well, such as your home or the route to school or work.
- Pick a series of spots along a fixed path, for example the front door, the shoe rack, the sofa and the kitchen table.
- Place each item you want to remember at one of those spots, using a vivid image.
- To recall the items, take a mental walk along the same path and "see" what you left at each spot.
This technique is most useful for longer lists, such as shopping items or points in a speech, rather than for a quick card game. Still, practising it with simple lists is a fun way to see how much more you can remember with a system.
Practical tips for memory games
- Be systematic. In Memory Match, turn over cards in an orderly way, such as row by row, so you build a clear mental map of the board.
- Say it quietly. Naming each card or colour in your head, or softly aloud, gives your memory a second way to store it.
- Do not rush. Taking a moment to fix a card in your mind often saves several wasted moves later.
- Rest between rounds. Memory tends to work better when you are not tired or distracted.
- Try different games. Word games also lean on recall; see our tips on word games and vocabulary.
What to expect from practice
It is fair to say that you will get better at memory games by playing them. Your scores will likely improve as you learn strategies and become familiar with the game. What is less certain is whether that improvement spreads to everyday memory, such as remembering appointments or names. Research on this question has produced mixed results, which we discuss in more detail in our article on puzzle games and the brain.
The techniques in this guide, such as chunking and the method of loci, are different. They are general strategies that people can apply directly to real tasks, which is why they are worth learning even outside games. Sleep, reducing distractions and paying attention in the first place also make a big difference to what you remember. If you are worried about changes in your memory, please talk to a doctor.
Key takeaways
- Memory games mainly test working memory, which holds a small amount of information for a short time.
- Chunking groups information into fewer, bigger pieces that are easier to remember.
- Vivid images and associations help new information stick.
- The method of loci places items along a familiar route so you can recall them in order.
- Playing improves your game scores; wider benefits are less certain, so enjoy the games for their own sake.
Flip cards two at a time and find every matching pair in as few moves as you can.
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