Can video games help sharpen your reflexes and reaction time? Yes, because video games require one to process information quickly and respond to situations. Video games improve reaction time by helping with faster decision-making, improved visual attention, and better short-term memory. Playing video games forces players to make decisions and respond to situations much faster than in everyday life.
Studies show that video games can enhance visual attention and contrast sensitivity while improving short-term memory and working memory. Action-based video games can significantly refine reflexes by supporting hand-eye coordination, visual processing speed, and the ability to respond quickly to stimuli on screen. It also increases attention span and muscle memory development.
Action video games, boxing, and sports like tennis and squash can help reaction time. One can also try exercise games, too. This article will discuss the top 5 games that help sharpen your reflexes and reaction time. So, keep reading to learn more.
Top 5 games best to sharpen your reflexes and reaction time
If you want to improve your reflexes and reaction time, consider playing games like Super Hexagon, Aim Lab, Beat Saber, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Call of Duty series. These games are best because they require quick decision-making, rapid responses to stimuli, and fast hand-eye coordination, thus effectively training your reflexes. Let us look at what these games are about.
1. Super Hexagon
Super Hexagon is a fast-paced geometric puzzle game, where players must navigate a rotating maze. This game demands quick reactions to change patterns, which helps train one’s reflexes. This action video game was created by independent developer Terry Cavanagh and was released in 2012. It is a twitch game where players get to control a triangle on a hexagonal grid in the center while walls come from the edges of the screen.
In order to survive, the players must pivot their triangle left or right into an opening. The ultimate goal of the game is to survive as much as possible and beat the player’s previous record. The pace and difficulty level of the game increases the longer the player survives. Also, the game has six different difficulty levels, which makes the game more challenging and engaging.
2. Aim Lab
Aim Lab is a dedicated training platform with several drills designed specifically to improve the players’ aiming accuracy and reaction time in first-person shooter games. It is ideal for beginners as well as esports pros as it provides curated training scenarios that will turn the players into an ain God in no time.
The game features tasks like train flicking, switching, and tracking while giving players detailed analysis feedback to guide them toward rapid improvement. This shooter game was released on June 16, 2023, with the aim of allowing players to practice and optimize their gameplay in a first or third-person shooter setting.
3. Beat Saber
Beat Saber is a rhythm game where players must slice virtual blocks to the beat of the music, requiring precise timing and hand-eye coordination. This virtual reality game was developed by Ján Ilavský, Vladimír Hrinčár, and Peter Hrinčár and was officially released on May 21, 2019. The game takes place in many different surrealistic neon environments and the players use VR controllers to relocate a pair of glowing sabers, which by default are colored red and blue for red left and right respectively.
In each song, the game presents the players with a stream of approaching blocks laid out in sync with the song’s beats and notes that are located in the grids. Each block may be marked with an arrow indicating one of eight possible directions in which the block can be cut. Also, there may be black dots instead of arrows. When the blocks are properly cut by the saber, it is destroyed and a score is awarded.
4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a popular first-person shooter game in which quick aiming and reaction time are crucial for successful gameplay. It is a competitive game that emphasizes precise aiming and quick decision-making in fast-paced firefights. The game places two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, against each other in various objective-based game modes.
The most common game mode is of Terrorists planting a bomb while Counter-Terrorists attempting to stop them or Counter-Terrorists trying to rescue hostages that the Terrorists captured. This game helps improve reflexes and reaction time by constantly requiring players to identify and react to visual clues on screen quickly, like energy movements, flashbangs, and sudden appearances around corners. This forces our brains to process information rapidly and translate that into physical actions with a mouse and keyboard.
5. Call of Duty series
Call of Duty series is a popular first-person shooter game where players need to react quickly to enemy movements and fire accurately in high-pressure situations. This military shooter game was first developed by Infinity Ward, and then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. This game series is focused on a World War II setting and is highly engaging because of its storyline.
It can also unwind and de-stress as the engaging and immersive game helps the mind take off daily worries and provides a healthy outlet for releasing tension. This game is highly known to enhance visual attention, short-term memory, and reaction time.
Also Read: Top Indie Games Of 2025: Hidden Gems You Shouldn’t Miss
Conclusion
Video games can be a great way to improve and sharpen one’s reflexes and reaction time. Playing video games requires the players to quickly process the information and respond to situations. It helps improve decision-making, visual attention, attention span, muscle memory development, and short-term memory. Action video games, boxing, and sports games are ideal for enhancing reflexes.
Some of the best games include Super Hexagon, Aim Lab, Beat Saber, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Call of Duty series. These games require quick decision-making, fast hand-eye coordination, and rapid responses to stimuli, which effectively trains one’s reflexes. Even though video games can help sharpen your reflexes and reaction time there are certain downsides to it. It can cause addiction if not properly managed.
