Good news for your brain: Starts at 60 has just added Code Cracker and Word Search

We have some news that we think will make your morning considerably better.

Starting today, the Starts at 60 Games page has two brand new additions: Code Cracker and Word Search, both from Lovatt Media – one of Australia and New Zealand’s most trusted names in puzzles and games. They join our existing games collection and are available to play right now, for free, directly on the site.

And if you needed any more encouragement to settle in with a puzzle today, we have it – because the research on what games like these do for your brain is genuinely compelling.

What the science says

The largest online study ever conducted into puzzles and brain health – involving more than 19,000 participants and led by researchers at the University of Exeter and King’s College London – found that the more regularly adults aged 50 and over played puzzles such as word searches and code crackers, the better their brain function.

The numbers are striking. Researchers calculated that people who engage in word puzzles regularly have brain function equivalent to ten years younger than their actual age on tests assessing grammatical reasoning, and eight years younger on tests measuring short-term memory.

Ten years younger. From doing puzzles.

Crossword and word puzzles have also been shown to improve executive functioning, spatial recognition and processing speed – the cognitive skills that help us plan, make decisions and navigate daily life with clarity and confidence.

And in a landmark randomised controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants around the age of 71 with mild cognitive impairment who trained on crossword-style puzzles demonstrated greater cognitive improvement than those who trained on computerised cognitive games — suggesting that the old-fashioned word puzzle still holds its own against the newest brain-training technology.

Puzzle strategies have also been shown to provide psychological benefits – offering a sense of achievement, reducing stress, and fostering social interactions when shared with a partner, friend or family member.

The researchers are careful to note that puzzles are not a guaranteed prevention for dementia — and that other lifestyle factors like exercise, sleep and social connection remain equally important. But as Dr James Pickett from Alzheimer’s Society put it: this research suggests that regularly enjoying word and number puzzles has a positive impact on thinking skills Occasional Settings — and that is a very good reason to make them part of your daily routine.

About Code Cracker and Word Search

Code Cracker is a cryptic puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number. Your challenge is to crack the code – working out which number corresponds to which letter – and complete the grid. It is the kind of puzzle that demands focus, pattern recognition and lateral thinking, and delivers that very satisfying moment when the code suddenly clicks into place.

Word Search needs no introduction – but there is something enduringly pleasurable about scanning a grid of letters and pulling out hidden words, one by one, until the puzzle is complete. It is the kind of game that is genuinely relaxing to play, requires no prior knowledge and is as enjoyable at 60 as it was at sixteen.

Both games are provided by Lovatt Media, whose puzzle content has been trusted by Australian and New Zealand readers for decades – in newspapers, magazines and now online.

Where to find them

Head to the Starts at 60 Games page – you will find Code Cracker and Word Search waiting for you alongside our existing collection. No app download required, no subscription, no fuss. Just a puzzle and a few minutes of your day.

Your brain will thank you.