How the games work
Modes, difficulty, hints, scoring, stats and achievements, and what's free: the rules that apply to every BrainTally game.
BrainTally has 31 brain games, grouped by the skill they train. Every game has its own page in this guide with its rules and an example; this page covers what they share.
Two kinds of game#
- Puzzles & quizzes: logic, numbers, words and geography, played at your own pace on the game's page.
- Arcade games: animated games that test timing, speed and memory. Each opens in a new tab.
Starting a game#
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Open Games in the Practice menu and choose a game.
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Read How to play at the top. It opens by itself the first time you visit a game, and stays a click away after that.
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Choose a mode, how long to play, and a difficulty, then press Start game.
Modes#
| Mode | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Classic | A set number of rounds, then your results. |
| Endless | Keep going until you quit. |
| Time Attack | Solve as many as you can before the clock runs out (1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes). |
| Survival | One wrong answer ends the game. |
Difficulty and hints#
Most games have four levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. Under the picker, each game says what the level means for it (for example, how long the code is in Code Breaker).
Hints are available on Easy and Medium. Using one halves the points for that answer.
Scoring#
- A correct answer is worth 100 points, scaled by difficulty: Easy ×0.8, Medium ×1, Hard ×1.3, Expert ×1.6.
- Answering within 3 seconds adds 25 points.
- Each correct answer in a row adds 15 points for the streak, up to 10 in a row.
- A hint halves that answer's points, and a wrong answer scores nothing.
Some games score their own way; their page says so.
Your stats and achievements#
At the end of a game you see your score, how many you got right, your accuracy and your best streak, plus any new achievements. My stats on each game's page shows your games played, accuracy, best streak, total score and your progress at each difficulty.
If you leave in the middle of a game, the rounds you finished are saved.
What's free#
- A free account has 10 rounds of every game. They don't reset.
- A free round is one short game: up to 10 questions in Classic, or 60 seconds in Time Attack. Endless and Survival come with a plan.
- Capitals and Word Scramble are free every day: 5 rounds a day, reset at midnight UTC.
- The Brain Games add-on ($4.99 a month) or Membership unlocks every game with no limits.
Something wrong?#
Press Report a problem with this game at the bottom of any game: it marked a right answer wrong, something won't load, or a typo. It goes straight to the team, and you'll see it, and our reply, under Feedback.