Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? (DS)

Also Known As

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (US Title)

Number of Players

1 (Single Player)

Genre

Release Date

17th Apr 2006
9th Jun 2006
19th May 2005

Wii U eShop

12th Jun 2014, Free
25th Jun 2015, £6.29
14th Apr 2016, $6.99

Series

Tags

Feature Support

Official Site

nintendo.co.uk

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

33
Review Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? (Wii U eShop / DS)

Brain food
It seems like only yesterday that we got Game Boy Advance games on the Wii U Virtual Console, but now DS games have also joined the party. Curiously enough, Nintendo has chosen not to start off with one of their classic franchises, like Mario or Zelda, but has instead opted to go with one of their best-selling titles, the original Brain...
- Thu 19th Jun 2014
- Reviews
- Wii U eShop
- DS
- Brain Training
- Brain Age
8
Review Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? (DS)

I can now add and subtract small numbers without using my fingers.
In the past, I have heard many things about how good video games are for you. I've heard that they help with hand-eye coordination and can even help increase knowledge. Of course, I never understood how, in anyway, it could really help. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day...
- Thu 11th May 2006
- Reviews
- DS
- Brain Training
- Retro

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41
Feature Biggest Nintendo Gaming Anniversaries Of 2025

57 games with big birthdays this year
Throughout 2025, many of gaming's most treasured gems will be celebrating a significant birthday and to remind you of some of the biggest (and of just how old you are!), we've compiled this list of nearly 60 gaming dates for your calendars. What do we mean by 'significant' birthdays? Anything that ends in a...
- Wed 1st Jan 2025
- Features
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- 2025

51
News 'Nintendo Music' Adds Another DS Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included

Train your brain with Dr Kawashima
The latest Nintendo Music mobile app update happens to time in with the 20th anniversary of the DS, and with this in mind, the soundtrack from Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? has been added to the service. The soundtrack comes with 14 tracks all up and has a runtime of 35 minutes. You can...
- Tue 26th Nov 2024
- Nintendo Music
- Nintendo Switch Online
- Nintendo DS
- Brain Training
- Nintendo Mobile
19
Random Japanese Workers Wish Nintendo Would Gamify Their Tax Returns

Who wouldn't, right?
At the best of times, tax returns are absolutely dreadful. Anyone who conducts their own business — whether it be as a full time gig or some freelance on the side — knows just how soul-destroying it can be to fill in the seemingly endless list of forms, with the only end result being the transfer of money over to Mr. Tax...
- Mon 21st Mar 2022
- Random
- Nintendo
- Japan
47
Poll Box Art Brawl #83 - Brain Age / Brain Training

Hype brain
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular box art-based poll to find the best regional variants from two or more territories. Last time we took a 20th anniversary look at HAL Laboratory's GBC game, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. With Europe out of the running thanks to the game never launching in that region, it was left to North America and...
- Sun 18th Apr 2021
- Polls
- Box Art Brawl
- Brain Age
- Anniversaries
60
News Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training Is Making A Glorious Comeback On Switch

Welcome back, doctor
Nintendo has revealed that it is resurrecting the million-selling Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? Series (known as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! in North America) on the Nintendo Switch. The game has only been confirmed for Japan at present, but given the massive global popularity of the...
- Mon 30th Sep 2019
- Nintendo Switch
- Brain Age
- Brain Training
- Japan
113
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 24th)

Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another busy week has slipped by as we descend inevitably into the clutches of 2020. Things kicked off with the Nintendo Indie World Showcase which featured some cracking 'available now on Switch eShop' games such as Superhot and Hotline Miami Collection. We got
- Sat 24th Aug 2019
- Talking Point
- Nintendo Switch
- What Are You Playing
- Features
14
News Professor Kawashima to Appear in Event to Discuss "Secrets of Healthy Ageing"

Potential spoiler: play the Brain Training / Brain Age games
Though they're less frequent nowadays, those that enjoyed the DS years in particular are likely to remember the Brain Age / Brain Training games with fondness; in fact, there are still persistent European fans that bemoan the fate of Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can You Stay...
- Wed 14th Sep 2016
- Kawahima
- University of Reading
- Brain Training
83
Nintendo Download 14th April (North America)

Bravely Second! New 3DS VC! Lost Reavers beta! Runbow DLC! Much more!
It's the time once again for the North American Nintendo Download Update, and this week serves up a lot of enticing goodies. The Wii U offering includes a range of promising download games, a beta, DS classic and DLC for one of 2015's premium eShop exclusives; on New 3DS we have...
- Thu 14th Apr 2016
- Nintendo Download
- North America
- Wii U eShop
- Wii U Virtual Console
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104
Nintendo Download 25th June (Europe)

Yoshi! Kirby! Art Academy! Samurai Warriors! More!
It's the start of a normal week in the world of the big N, so naturally it kicks off with the Nintendo Download Update details in Europe. This week brings three promising and relatively high profile retail releases, two diverse offerings on the Wii U eShop along with some retro goodies, some...
- Mon 22nd Jun 2015
- Nintendo Download
- Europe
- Wii U eShop
- 3DS eShop
61
News Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain Now Free on European Wii U eShop

Not yet in North America
Just recently Nintendo released its first DS title on the Wii U Virtual Console, offering Brain Training / Brain Age for free in Japan. Now, without any warning or announcement, it's released Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain onto the Wii U eShop for free in Europe. The banner for the title says that it's only available...
- Fri 13th Jun 2014
- Wii U eShop
- Wii U Virtual Console
- DS
36
News Brain Training / Brain Age Makes DS Début on Wii U Virtual Console in Japan

Suddenly released for free
Nintendo caused a minor stir earlier this year when it announced DS titles for the Wii U Virtual Console, with the accompanying concept image showing both screens side-by-side on the GamePad; it's an idea that may not suit all games released on the portable, at least not without some alternative formatting. In any case it...
- Wed 4th Jun 2014
- Wii U eShop
- Wii U Virtual Console
- DS
- Brain Training
- Japan

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: "How Old Is Your Brain?" is the latest Japanese phenomenon on Nintendo DS.

If you're bored of playing games that don't stretch your brain cells and you'd like to give your grey matter an extensive workout, pick up this program. The tests have been devised in cooperation with Dr. Kawashima himself, a renowned neuroscientist. With Brain Training you can train both your mental awareness and your memory. Hold the DS vertically, like a book, and write your answers with the stylus on the touch screen. The exercises are quick challenges that help stimulate your brain. There's a combination of arithmetic, reading and memory tests, and the program calculates your score in the form of a 'brain age' by assessing the speed and accuracy by which you perform these simple tasks. The title has sold over 1.4 million copies in Japan and is hugely popular with young and old alike. And that's hardly surprising - because playing regularly for just a few minutes a day has been found to stimulate parts of the brain related to thinking, creativity and concentration. So if you want to tone your intellectual muscle, Brain Training is a fine way to get started!