The Best Puzzle Apps For Seniors To Keep Their Puzzlers Puzzled!

Certified Senior Advisor®
Senior Home Safety Specialist®
20 years of medical equipment experience
Compassionately helping seniors and their caregivers solve challenges of aging
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Exercising the brain is much needed especially as we grow older. And playing puzzle apps is a great way to help keep the mind sharp while having fun. Here's a list of some of the best puzzle apps for seniors to get started working digital puzzles.

Best Puzzle Apps For Seniors
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When it comes to seniors, it is important to find entertaining and fun ways that will ensure their minds remain sharp and active. Just like other muscles in the body, the brain needs exercising too.

Fortunately, there are many entertaining apps for seniors that accomplish both goals.

For this reason, we have gathered a list of some of the top iOS and Android puzzle apps for seniors.

Best Puzzle Apps For Seniors

1. Crosswords Classic

With hundreds of archived puzzles and new ones that are added daily, Crosswords Classic is an app that a senior will never get bored of since there are so many ways to have a lot of fun while exercising their brain. 

2. Sudoku

Sudoku is a classic game that can now be downloaded to iOS or Android devices (available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store). Sudoku puzzles are one of the best ways to keep an older adult’s mind entertained and sharp. 

3. Words With Friends

Similar to Scrabble, Words With Friends is a great game for your loved one to play with friends or family members.

The benefit of this type of game is twofold. A senior gets an intellectual and fun way to play and a way for them to stay connected to friends and family members on the app. 

4. Lumosity

Lumosity is an app that is well-known for sustaining and improving memory, making it one of the best apps for aging adults. 

5. MindMate

If you have a loved one that suffers from Alzheimer’s or dementia, this is also among the favorite apps you can get for them. MindMate includes a range of entertaining games designed to enhance cognitive abilities and top tips for exercising and eating healthy.

In addition to these features, this app can also be used to store memories and personal information. 

best puzzle apps for seniors bests
Pick one or two jigsaw puzzle apps that will give you the most fun.

Best Jigsaw Puzzle Apps For Seniors

If your loved one enjoys jigsaw puzzles, there are many online apps to choose from. 

1. Jigsaw Puzzles Epic

Jigsaw puzzles are one of the best options for aging adults, and downloading the game on a device such as a tablet is one of the easiest options. Jigsaw Puzzles Epic for Android and Apple is one of the free apps that include a range of high-quality puzzles. 

There is an option to choose the puzzle size (from 4 pieces to 400 pieces) and whether the puzzle pieces should rotate (or not). There is also an option to purchase more puzzles (from the in-game store), but there are so many free puzzles, so they should last for a very long time. 

2. Jigsaw Planet

Jigsaw Planet is a popular destination for those that like to play free puzzles online. This website features hundreds of puzzles to choose from that can be found in the recommended lists or when using the toolbar to search for puzzles.

No plugins or downloading or programs will be required to play any of the puzzles on Jigsaw Planet since all the games function in the web browser directly on a device. 

3. Jigsaw Explorer: Jigsaw Site With The Least Ads

One of the main attractions of this site is that it is very easy to use and looks great. There are also almost zero ads except for an ad featured on the selection and play pages. One of the drawbacks of these games is the jigsaw puzzles seem to fall into a similar or the same genre. 

Jigsaw Explorer is not entirely ad-free. This is also rated as one of the top online jigsaw puzzles for seniors due to the clean layout, which showcases all the puzzles in a very easy-to-read style.

These are the two designs that make Jigsaw Explorer stand out in contrast to just about every other puzzle app or site that is typically crammed with ads and way too many links and text. 

The puzzles on Jigsaw Explorer can either be found using a search bar or the featured and curated puzzles that appear on the Front Page. These puzzles are updated every day.

Users also have the option to upload their own images to this website to create new puzzles that they can then share with family and friends. 

4. Jigsaw Puzzle – The Latest Online Puzzle App

Two of the main features of this app is that it allows users to work with different puzzles at a time. This app also supports puzzles that feature 100s of pieces. 

Jigsaw Puzzle is one of the popular free apps for both Android and iOS devices that include a combination of free jigsaw puzzles along with “paid” puzzle packs. The app is also available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Unlike most of the other free apps, this app boasts HD resolution for its imagery. It also allows users to specify the exact number of pieces that they would like in their jigsaw puzzle using the slider in the app. 

Jigsaw Puzzle includes several pre-installed puzzles, while the remainder of the app’s library can be downloaded online. One of the best parts about this app is that new puzzles are added regularly, so your loved one will always have something new to work on. 

Players also have the option of connecting to Facebook, which will sync any progress between different devices. There is also a single “paid puzzle” that can be played for free each day. 

best puzzle apps for seniors magic jigsaw puzzles
Magic Jigsaw Puzzles has both free and paid puzzle ranges.

5. Magic Jigsaw Puzzles

Magic Jigsaw Puzzles offer difficulty levels that can be customized to a maximum of 630 pieces per puzzle. This app also offers soothing background music, which can either be turned off or on. 

Magic Jigsaw Puzzles is said to be among the top-designed free puzzle apps available in the Google Play Store.

Some of the main attractions of this app is the simple design making it much easier to find a puzzle and to start playing without having to navigate through several screens and menus. 

Magic Jigsaw Puzzles also has a puzzle range that you can buy. These apps start from $1.45, but the main focus of this app is that it highlights thousands of puzzle apps for free which is unusual for these types of apps. 

New puzzles are added to the app at least every month, while players get to choose what type of jigsaw puzzles they would like to download according to their individual preferences. 

6. Jigsaw Puzzles Real

This is another fantastic free app that is available for both Android and Apple devices.

Jigsaw Puzzles Real is entertaining for seniors that enjoy puzzles and need a bit of brain stimulation. There are many puzzles to choose from, and the pieces in each puzzle can be adjusted from 9 to 1000.

RELATED: 10 Best Podcast Apps For Seniors: Easy Entertainment for Older Adults

Final Thoughts

Keeping our minds active and stimulated can make a significant difference, especially for older adults. You can really help your loved one by downloading puzzle apps to help keep their brain sharp, active, and engaged. 

Tablets are often a fantastic way to keep a senior entertained, and today there are several types of apps to choose from.

When finding the right apps for a senior, it is important that they are included in the process of selection. This will also allow you to see what interests them the most and the game types they will probably enjoy more.

At this stage, there are no cures for conditions such as Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia, even though a bit of progress has been made. However, technology can offer assistance to patients with these conditions and the people that are involved in caring for them.

This is why puzzle apps for seniors are often recommended for the elderly, since they can assist with several aspects of these conditions or even slow down mental decline in those that have a concern about developing them.

Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®
Senior Home Safety Specialist (SHSS)®
Assistive Technology Professional

Scott Grant has spent more than 20 years serving seniors and the elderly in the home medical equipment industry. He has worked as a manufacturer's rep for the top medical equipment companies and a custom wheelchair specialist at a durable medical equipment (DME) provider in WV. He is father to 4 beautiful daughters and has three terrific grandkids. When not promoting better living for older adults, he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and kayaking and early morning runs.

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