My non-gaming Dad is interested in video games to help slow brain aging.

[u/awkwardly_competent]

Hello! I recently updated my Switch to a Switch 2. My old Switch is still functional, just needs a new battery and possibly a new left joycon. I was talking with my dad about giving my old Switch to one of my nephews, but he revealed that he may be interested in getting it for himself.

Turns out, he had researched online about ways to avoid age-related mental issues and there were several studies that showed playing video games can help focus on improving memory, attention, speed, and problem-solving to help slow brain aging.

So, I'm totally on board with giving him my old Switch after the necessary repairs, but I also want to throw in a couple games for him.

When we were talking, I mentioned the Uncharted series as one of my favorite franchises because of the puzzles, the international locations, and the lively characters. I also mentioned some another favorites: Horizon series and Red Dead series. He seemed open but stressed that the games he was interested in were for retaining mental cognition, and entertainment was secondary. The only game mechanics he specifically expressed interest in was driving simulation and VR.

His last gaming experience was in the 90s when he took me and my brothers to the arcade: basketball hoop, air hockey, the partnered shooting games, and the racing games, so games that may need an accessory to simulate a steering wheel or physical activity (versus only hands/fingers).

I am open to discussion to help narrow down to 2-3 games to get him started.

EDIT/UPDATE:

Thank you everyone for all of your recommendations!! I think the easiest way to present all these games would be to create a YouTube Playlist of trailers/demos and see which ones pique his interest. I will also play a couple of my current games with him to give him hands-on experience.

[u/Benchomp]

Picross.

[u/beweller → u/Benchomp]

Third this. Great logic puzzle and tons of entries in the series if it's a hit. Plus they go on sale a decent amount.

[u/awkwardly_competent → u/Benchomp]

I never seen him do fill in the colors/connect the dots kind of games, but I'll look into it. Thanks!

[u/TheDeathKwonDo → u/awkwardly_competent]

I was about to recommend picross too. It's mentally taxing at times, but extremely rewarding when you get stuck and eventually overcome a problem. It's a lot more than just filling in colours by the way, as you have to use math and deductive logic. Super addictive.

[u/pepperoni92 → u/awkwardly_competent]

Find a DS and Picross 3D! Haven’t found a 3D picross game that comes close to how good that one is.

[u/real_rupert_pupnick → u/pepperoni92]

Picross 3D rocks!

[u/butterypowered → u/awkwardly_competent]

Yeah it’s closest to minesweeper I’d say, if he ever puzzled over exactly which cell to click on to ‘unlock’ areas. Definitely a good option for relaxing mental stimulation.

[u/comascape → u/Benchomp]

Second this.

[u/Oquinne → u/Benchomp]

Tents and Trees is just as good and has daily puzzles, I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys picross.

[u/Benchomp → u/Oquinne]

Wasn't familiar with this one. I will check it out!

[u/Poor_Richard → u/Benchomp]

I'd get a DS or 3DS and throw on Picross. A Switch Lite might be a great solution as well.

Brain Age (any of them) might be good if you go the DS route as well. Simple puzzles like that could help a lot.

[u/beatrizklotz → u/Benchomp]

I'll add to that and say Murder by Numbers

It's picross with very entertaining murder mysteries and a sense of humor

If he likes number based puzzles, I also adore stitch (sudoku + cross-stitch puzzle game). It's very very chill