Play Memory Match Online
Flip cards, find the pairs · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Memory Match is a classic card-flipping game that trains your memory and concentration. All cards start face down. Flip two at a time. If they show the same symbol, they stay open; if not, they flip back. Remember where each symbol is and find every pair in as few moves as you can. Three board sizes make it great for kids and adults.
Memory Match is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Flip two cards at a time. If they match, they stay open. Find all the pairs in as few moves as you can!
How to Play Memory Match
- Choose Easy (4×4), Medium (4×5) or Hard (6×6).
- Tap a card to flip it, then flip a second card.
- If the two cards match, they stay face up. If not, they flip back over.
- Remember where each symbol is hidden.
- Find all the pairs in as few moves as possible.
Controls
Click a card to flip it.
Tap a card to flip it.
Tips to Win
- Flip cards in a pattern (row by row) so they are easier to remember.
- Say the symbols out loud in your head to remember them.
- When you see a symbol for the second time, go back for its pair straight away.
- Try to beat your own best number of moves.
Memory Match Rules at a Glance
Memory Match is a card game where every card starts face down and you turn over two cards on each turn. A matching pair stays face up, a pair that differs turns back over, and you win by finding every pair on the board.
| Cards | Two cards of every symbol, shuffled and placed face down |
|---|---|
| A turn | Turn over any two cards |
| A match | The pair stays face up |
| No match | Both cards turn face down again |
| Goal | Find all the pairs in as few moves as you can |
| Easy | 4 by 4 grid, 16 cards, 8 pairs |
| Medium | 4 by 5 grid, 20 cards, 10 pairs |
| Hard | 6 by 6 grid, 36 cards, 18 pairs |
One move is one turn of two cards, so the lowest possible score on a board is the same as its number of pairs: 8 moves on Easy, 10 on Medium and 18 on Hard.
Memory Tricks That Really Help
- Name the symbol and place: say "star, top left" in your head when you flip a card.
- Work in zones: clear one part of the board before moving to the next.
- Use the first flip wisely: always flip a card you have not seen before as your first card of a move.
- Count the pairs left: on bigger boards it helps to know how many symbols remain.
How Memory Match Trains Your Memory
Memory Match trains short term memory and concentration, because every turn asks you to hold card positions in mind and recall them several turns later. It is a gentle workout that scales from a five minute Easy board to the full Hard grid.
- Short term memory: you hold a symbol and its place together until the matching card turns up, which is the core skill the whole game is built on.
- Concentration: the board rewards steady attention, because a card you barely noticed early on is often the one you need near the end.
- Scanning and pattern spotting: you learn to read the grid in zones and to group cards by area, so fewer positions are lost.
- Planning: strong players choose the order of flips, saving known pairs for the turns where they help most.
Short sessions still count. A quick game each day keeps the skills warm, and moving up a board size stretches them further.
One Game, Many Names: Concentration, Pairs and Pelmanism
Memory Match is one of the oldest and most travelled card games in the world, and it is known by many names, including Concentration, Pairs, Matching Pairs and Pelmanism. The rules stay the same under every name.
- Concentration: the most common name in the United States, also used for the classic television game shows built on the same idea.
- Pelmanism: the British name, taken from the Pelman Institute in London, a memory training school founded in 1899.
- Pairs: the plain home name, because finding pairs is the whole game.
- Shinkei-suijaku: the name in Japan for the same game of remembered positions.
- Memory: the boxed board game with picture cards, first sold by Ravensburger in 1959, which carried the game into family homes worldwide.
If you grew up playing Pairs or Concentration with real cards, you already know this game. The only change here is that the board shuffles itself.
Play Memory Match Together
Memory Match works well as a two player game on one device. Take turns flipping two cards, and if you find a pair you keep the turn. Count the pairs each person finds and play Medium or Hard for a longer match. It is a fun, screen friendly way for parents and children to play together.
Good to Know
How many cards are in each Memory Match level?
Easy has 16 cards in a 4 by 4 grid with 8 pairs, Medium has 20 cards in a 4 by 5 grid with 10 pairs, and Hard has 36 cards in a 6 by 6 grid with 18 pairs. Bigger boards are harder because there are more positions to hold in mind at once.
What is a good score in Memory Match?
A good score is a low move count, because the lowest score any board allows is one move per pair: 8 moves on Easy, 10 on Medium and 18 on Hard. Real games take more moves than the minimum, so the practical target is to beat your own best score on the same board.
Is Memory Match good for children?
Yes, Memory Match is good for children, and the Easy board with its 8 pairs is the right place for young players to start. Finding pairs builds concentration and short term memory, and because the game needs no reading or maths, children can take turns together from their very first game.
Can two people play Memory Match on one device?
Yes, two people can play Memory Match together on one phone, tablet or computer by taking turns on the same board. Count the pairs each player finds, a player who finds a pair keeps the turn and flips again, and the player with the most pairs when the board is clear wins.
Can I play Memory Match on my phone?
Yes, Memory Match runs in your browser on phones and tablets as well as on laptops and desktop computers, with nothing to download and no sign-up. On a touch screen you tap a card to flip it, and the board adjusts to the smaller screen.
Is my Memory Match progress saved?
Your best scores are saved in your own browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.