Memory Match: Techniques to Improve Your Recall

By Haroon Mustafa · Updated October 2026 · 3 min read

Memory match feels like pure luck at first, but strong players consistently beat their own record by using a system instead of randomly flipping cards.

1. Scan in a fixed order

Instead of flipping cards randomly, mentally scan the grid in the same order every time (left to right, row by row). This turns a chaotic grid into a predictable sequence, which is far easier for your memory to hold onto.

2. Anchor cards to their position, not their image

Rather than trying to remember "there was a star somewhere," anchor each card to a specific grid coordinate ("star, row 2, third from left"). Position-based memory is generally stronger and more reliable than trying to recall an image floating in space.

3. Prioritize matching known pairs immediately

The moment you've seen both cards of a pair, match them on your very next turn even if it isn't the most "efficient" looking move. Every extra turn you wait risks the board shifting in your memory or getting crowded out by newer information.

4. Use your first few flips as scouting, not gambling

Early in the round, treat unmatched flips as information-gathering rather than a bet on getting lucky. The goal of an early flip isn't to find a match — it's to learn what's under that card so you can use it three turns later.

Tackling Expert difficulty

Playnook Games' Memory Match Expert mode jumps to 24 cards (12 pairs) with an expanded emoji pool, which makes fixed-order scanning even more important — with that many cards, random flipping essentially guarantees a worse score than a systematic sweep.

A simple system for the first ten flips

Start in the top-left and work along each row in order. Flip one new card, then flip a second new card next to it. You will not find many pairs this way at first, but you are building a mental map of the board. After every pair of flips, say to yourself what you saw and where, for example "star, row one, second card". Saying it, even silently, makes it much easier to remember.

Grouping helps

On a big board, divide it into smaller areas in your head, like the four corners or the top half and bottom half. It is easier to remember "the moon is in the top-right corner" than "the moon is at row two, column five". On the 24-card Expert board, this grouping is what separates a good score from a frustrating one.

When you flip a card you have seen before

This is the most important moment in the game. If the first card of a turn matches a card you remember, go straight to its partner. If the first card is new, flip a second card you have not seen yet, rather than one you have, so that you learn something new on every turn. Flipping a card you already know when you have no match is a wasted turn.

Memory Match for children

Memory Match is a good first game for younger players. Start on the smallest board, play together and take turns saying where each picture is. Move up a size when they can finish without lots of repeated flips. It builds short-term memory and concentration in a way that does not feel like practice.

Common mistakes

Flipping cards at random to "get lucky". Trying to remember the picture without its position. Rushing, which makes the cards blur together. The game rewards a calm, steady pace. Aim to finish each board in fewer flips than last time, rather than in less time.