Visual memory test online

How to play

1. Press Start and watch the cards light up.
2. Tap the same cards in the same order.
3. On some levels, tap them in reverse order, from the last one shown.
4. A wrong tap costs a life, and the right card is outlined.

What this visual memory test is

Grid Trail shows a grid of cards. After you press Start, some of them light up one at a time, and then the grid goes quiet. Your job is to tap the same cards in the order they lit up, or in reverse on level 14. You need to remember where each card was and in what order it came.

Every card in a sequence is different, so no card lights up twice. The show plays once. It is not repeated after a mistake, so watch it closely. If you pause during the show, it starts again from the first card when you come back.

Tasks like this have a long history in psychology. The best known is the Corsi block-tapping test from the early 1970s, where a researcher taps wooden blocks set out on a board and the person repeats the order. Grid Trail uses the same basic idea on a screen, with a grid instead of scattered blocks.

What changes from level 1 to 15

Across the 15 levels the grid gets bigger, the sequence gets longer and the show gets quicker, though not on every single level.

Levels 1 to 3 use a 3×3 grid with sequences of 3 and 4 cards. Levels 4 to 7 use a grid 3 cards wide and 4 tall, with 5 and then 6 cards. Levels 8 to 11 use 4×4 with 6 and 7 cards. Levels 12 to 15 use 5×5, 25 cards in all.

On level 1 each card stays lit for 0.7 seconds with a 0.3 second gap before the next. By level 15 a card is lit for 0.42 seconds and the gap is 0.14 seconds.

The sequence stops at 8 cards, on level 15. From level 12 the grid is 5×5. The show there is not quicker than on level 11. Levels 12 and 14 light each card for 0.45 seconds with a 0.18 second gap, and levels 13 and 15 for 0.42 seconds with a 0.14 second gap. Level 14 asks for the sequence in reverse, from the last card shown back to the first. We have not yet checked whether reverse order plays harder or easier than level 13, so this may change after playtests.

Levels 1 to 5 are free. They cover the 3×3 grid and the first 3×4 levels. The full version opens the rest. All level settings are our first guess and have not been tested on players yet.

How the points work

Each right tap gives 10 points and a speed bonus of up to 10. For the first right tap the clock starts when the show ends, and after that it counts from your previous right tap. A wrong tap does not move the clock. A tap in under 0.15 seconds earns the full bonus. The bonus then drops by one point for every 0.3 seconds and reaches zero at 2.85 seconds.

A wrong tap costs a life but does not change your points or your place in the sequence. The game outlines the card it was asking for, and you carry on from there. You have three lives. If they run out, the level ends and you keep the points you have. Tapping a card you already repeated does nothing and costs nothing.

The most a level can give is 20 points per card in the sequence, from 60 on level 1 to 160 on level 15.

What counts as a good result

We do not publish norms, and the game does not turn your score into a memory span or a percentile. After each level the results screen shows your points, the speed bonus, the time, your mistakes and your previous best on that level. A good result is one that beats your best on that level.

A mistake does not take points away, it takes a life. The hint after a mistake helps you finish the level, but with one life left the next slip ends it.

A few tips

Try following the path from card to card rather than remembering each position on its own. Sometimes the path looks like a zigzag, a corner or a line, though the game does not draw one on purpose.

It can help to name the positions under your breath, top left, center, bottom right. For some people words are easier to hold than places.

Keep your hand away from the grid until the show is over. A finger hovering over the screen can hide the next card.

Questions

Is the visual memory test free?

Levels 1 to 5 are free. The full version opens all 15 levels. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription.

Do the cards light up all at once, like a pattern?

No. They light one at a time, and you repeat that order. It is a sequence to repeat, not a picture that stays on the grid.

Is there a time limit?

No. A slow tap does not end the level. Once the speed bonus is down to zero you still get the 10 base points. The level ends when you finish the sequence or lose all three lives.

Can I play it online without installing anything?

Yes, once it launches. It will run in the browser on a phone or a computer, and inside Telegram. Levels 1 to 5 are free.

How long is the longest sequence?

Eight cards, on level 15, on a 5×5 grid. Most levels use 4 to 7 cards.

Can the same card light up twice?

No. Every card in a sequence is different.

What happens if I tap the wrong card?

You lose a life, and the right card is outlined so you can continue. The show does not replay. With three wrong taps the level ends.

Does the game tell me my memory span?

No. It shows points for this game and your previous best. It does not measure memory in a way that could be compared with other people or with lab tests.

Will it improve my memory?

We make no such claim. The points show how you did in this game.