CrushStations vs Plasticity Game
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CrushStations
This game trains working memory, a key executive function, by challenging players to remember creature colors and types to rescue them from an octopus. It's designed to improve cognitive skills linked to academic success.
- Working memory training
- Executive function development
- Creature memory challenges
- Educational game design
- Research-backed gameplay
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CrushStations is a game designed to train working memory, a subskill of executive functions. Working memory involves holding information in mind and mentally working with it (Diamond, 2013). Players need to remember the color and type of creatures to free them and keep them out of reach of the hungry octopus. How does this support learning? Executive functions refer to a set of top-down, goal-oriented cognitive processes that enable people to control, monitor and plan behaviors and emotions. Miyake and Friedman’s model supports a unity-and-diversity view of EF in that it incorporates the three distinct but related components of EF: inhibitory control, task-switching and updating (Miyake et al., 2000). What is the research evidence? Our research suggests that CrushStations is an effective way to train working memory. The study supporting this claim will be published soon. Research has found that EF is related to performance in literacy and math along with long-term gains in school performance and academic readiness (Blair & Razza, 2007; Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson, & Grimm, 2009; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and that disparities in EF among preschool children from low-income versus high-income homes may contribute to the achievement gap (Blair & Razza, 2007; Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007). This game is part of the Smart Suite, created by New York University’s CREATE lab in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Graduate Center, CUNY. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150417 to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
Plasticity Game
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Follow along using Polyform-1h or Polyform-2 and let the app guide you through exercises. The app will follow your feedback to build out the optimal series for you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Plasticity Game at every 2 months against CrushStations's every 13 months. CrushStations's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CrushStations ships an update every 13 months, Plasticity Game every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CrushStations | Plasticity Game |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (11 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 294 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | New York University | Plasticity Neurorehabilitation |
In-app purchases
CrushStations
No in-app purchases
Plasticity Game
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CrushStations free?
Is Plasticity Game free?
Do CrushStations or Plasticity Game have ads?
Which is updated more often, CrushStations or Plasticity Game?
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