FAQ
The short version of how Cognivo works. Can't find your question? The answers below link out to the details.
A free website of strategy and thinking games, played in the browser: 8 board games, cipher-breaking Spy Games, and a small arcade. Every game has a lesson on its history, rules and strategy that you can read or listen to.
Yes, completely. No paywalls and no subscriptions. Ads shown by Google pay for the site.
No. There are no sign-ups. Your preferences and best scores are saved in your own browser.
It's an independent project built and maintained by a solo developer with AI assistance — see and .
All of them, with no signup, install or waiting. The 8 board games are Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Connect Four, Nine Men's Morris, Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, Hex and Dots and Boxes: each against the computer (easy, medium or hard, and you choose who moves first) or with two people on one device. Spy Games is a set of cipher missions for one player, against a clock. The arcade has Ember and Delve.
Yes. On , pick a game and send the private link it gives you; the first person to open it takes the other seat. Each move has three minutes. It works for Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Connect Four, Nine Men's Morris, Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, Hex and Dots and Boxes.
Open one in the , choose a game and a size, and share the room link. The host starts it once at least three people are in. The bracket is drawn at random, with byes when the numbers do not fill it, and everyone in the room can follow it. A match waits until both players have opened it before its clock starts.
Yes. Mecha is the default; Classic is a wood board with traditional pieces, and Slate a cool grey one. Pick a theme on any game's start screen or during a live game, and it applies to every game.
The has Ember and Delve, small games you play on your own with the keyboard or touch. Labs, at labs.cognivo.digital, holds the tools behind them: Level Lab makes a level, checks it can be finished and plays it; Sprite Lab draws and recolours the games' pixel art; and Animation Lab sets how it moves. A game can play your art with Play with your art in its menu, and anything you make can be downloaded as a file to keep.
Yes — in chess you can speak your moves ("knight to f3"), and every lesson has a Listen button. Voice uses your browser's built-in speech support, so availability varies by browser.
Yes. The site is responsive and works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
Cognivo doesn't require registration or collect personal data; preferences stay in your browser. See the page for specifics.
Yes. Google AdSense shows ads, and they may be personalised from your activity across sites that use Google's ad services. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland Google asks first. Every cookie, and how to turn ads personalisation off, is on the page; the games all work with ads blocked.
Yes. The have a guide for every part of the site, from your first game to tournaments and the Labs, and a reference for the files the Labs make. Press Ctrl+K there to search them.
The page answers questions about the site, and lets you report a problem. You can also email support@cognivo.digital. For accessibility barriers specifically, see the page.