Do Video Games Make You Smarter? What 133 Studies Found
Key insights: 60-second read
- Video game play was linked with better cognitive performance - across 133 studies, the researchers found small, statistically significant associations involving memory, spatial ability, visual attention, cognitive control, and intelligence.
- Gamers performed better than non-gamers in observational comparisons - these studies found small differences across several cognitive domains, although they cannot establish that gaming caused the differences.
- Controlled trials found a smaller effect - intervention studies found a statistically significant but small improvement in overall cognitive performance.
- Memory stood out - memory was the only specific cognitive domain to show a significant association in the correlational analysis and the only significant domain-level effect in the controlled trials.
- No significant moderators were identified - the researchers found no significant moderation by gender, age group, health condition, game type, intervention duration, or cultural context.
Video games are a popular and routine part of modern life for people of all ages. But what does the research actually say about their relationship with cognitive ability?
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in Acta Psychologica examined 20 years of research on video game play and cognitive ability. The authors found small, statistically significant associations across several cognitive domains, with memory showing the clearest and most consistent signal.
Here is what the study found - and what it does not prove.
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Background: Why Video Games and Cognition?
Cognitive ability encompasses functions such as memory, attention, spatial processing, cognitive control and intelligence. Video games have attracted research interest because they combine repeated tasks, feedback and varying levels of difficulty.
This makes games a potential vehicle for cognitive training, but an important question remains: do improvements with game-related tasks transfer to broader cognitive abilities?
The researchers examined whether the skills practised during video game play are associated with broader measures of cognitive ability.
Previous reviews have reported mixed findings, including debate over whether gaming-related improvements transfer beyond the game itself. This review brought together a broader range of study designs and cognitive outcomes to examine the evidence more systematically.
The Study: Methods and Participants
The review included 133 studies published between January 2005 and August 2025, representing 14,245 participants and 269 effect sizes. The researchers conducted three separate meta-analyses: correlational studies, comparisons between gamers and non-gamers, and controlled trials.
Study Details
- Study designs: 17 correlational studies, 94 between-group comparison studies (gamers vs non-gamers), and 22 controlled trials (video game intervention vs control).
- Participants: Children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, including healthy and clinical populations.
- Cognitive domains: Memory, spatial ability, visual attention, cognitive control, and intelligence.
- Game types: The included studies covered multiplayer online battle arena, real-time strategy, simulation, shooting, motion-sensing, sport, and puzzle games.
Most studies were rated as medium quality (69.93%); 25.56% were rated high quality and 4.51% low quality.
What the Results Show
Correlational Studies
In correlational studies, video game play was weakly but significantly associated with overall cognitive ability. Of the individual domains examined, only memory showed a significant association.
Between-Group Comparison Studies
In studies comparing gamers with non-gamers, gamers performed better overall. Significant differences were also reported for spatial ability, visual attention, cognitive control, and intelligence. Because these studies are observational comparisons, they cannot establish that gaming caused the differences; they can only establish that those differences existed.
Controlled Trials
The controlled trials provide stronger evidence about causation. Video game interventions produced a statistically significant but small improvement in overall cognitive performance. At the individual-domain level, only memory showed a significant effect.
Key Finding: The overall effects were small. Memory was the most consistent area, while the controlled trials showed a smaller overall effect than the gamer-versus-non-gamer comparisons.
Moderating Factors
The researchers examined gender, age group, health condition, game type, intervention duration, and cultural context. The review did not detect meaningful differences in results between these groups or conditions, but we can't yet suggest that all people respond the same.
Practical Applications
So what should we take from the findings?
- Gaming was associated with several cognitive abilities - including memory, spatial ability, visual attention, cognitive control and intelligence.
- The effects were small - the findings do not suggest that gaming dramatically changes intelligence or cognition.
- No game type clearly stood out - the moderator analysis did not find a significant effect for different game types.
- Age didn't matter - age group did not significantly moderate the findings.
- Keep the findings in perspective - the review supports a possible cognitive benefit, but it does not establish gaming as a replacement for other forms of learning, exercise, sleep or healthy lifestyle habits.
The authors concluded that video game play may have a role in cognitive improvement, while noting the need for further research.
Limitations of the Research
The authors acknowledge several limitations:
- Heterogeneity: The included studies varied substantially in their designs, interventions, gaming exposure and outcome measures.
- Measurement issues: Some studies used self-report measures, which may be less precise than objective assessments.
- Uneven evidence: Some cognitive domains were represented by fewer studies, limiting the strength of those estimates.
- Mostly moderate-quality studies: Nearly 70% of included studies were rated as medium quality.
- Long-term effects remain unclear: The review does not establish whether any cognitive benefits persist over the long term.
This large systematic review and meta-analysis found small, statistically significant associations between video game play and several aspects of cognitive ability. Memory was the most consistent finding.
However, the strength of the evidence varied by study design. Comparisons between gamers and non-gamers showed larger associations than the controlled trials, and the included evidence was predominantly rated as medium quality.
The bottom line: this research suggests video games may be associated with modest cognitive benefits, particularly for memory. It is encouraging evidence, but it is not a licence to assume that more gaming is better or that gaming alone improves cognitive health.
- Grant
Frequently Asked Questions
Do video games actually make you smarter?
The review found small associations between video game play and cognitive ability, with memory showing the clearest signal. That does not mean gaming has been shown to make people generally smarter, and the observational studies cannot establish cause and effect.
What type of video games are best for cognitive improvement?
The review did not find a significant moderating effect of game type. That means no particular category was shown to be clearly superior in this analysis.
How much gaming is needed to see cognitive benefits?
No specific amount of gaming was established as optimal. Intervention duration did not significantly moderate the findings, so the study cannot tell us how much gaming is needed to produce a cognitive benefit.
Can video games help older adults maintain cognitive function?
Older adults were included in the review, and age group did not significantly moderate the findings. However, this does not establish that video games prevent cognitive decline or maintain cognitive function over the long term.
One key insight from this research
The review found statistically significant but small associations between video game play and cognitive ability. Memory was the most consistent domain-level finding, while the controlled trials showed a smaller overall effect than gamer-versus-non-gamer comparisons.
Reference
Zhao, R., Pang, K., Yu, J., Zhang, W., Kong, X., Wang, J., Haidabieke, A., Ding, X., & Li, J. (2026). The association between video game play and cognitive ability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Psychologica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107110
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