ADHD Apps · Review
EndeavorRx Review
The first FDA-cleared prescription video game — attention training for kids’ ADHD, racing through alien worlds.
Our rating
3.9 / 5
Starting price
Prescription (kids) / subscription (adult OTC version)
Free tier
No
Platforms
iOS · Android
Developer
Akili Interactive
Launched
2020
Our verdict
EndeavorRx made history as the first FDA-cleared video game treatment: a racing game whose adaptive algorithm trains attentional control in children with ADHD, validated in controlled trials showing modest but real attention improvements. It supplements — never replaces — standard care, effects are measured not miraculous, and the company’s bumpy commercial road makes checking current availability essential. A genuine milestone with honest fine print.
This review is editorial and unsponsored — no affiliate payments influence our ratings. Selfpause makes a wellness app of its own, so where a product competes with us, we say so plainly and let you judge.
EndeavorRx looks like a polished kids’ racing game — steering an alien craft through rivers and lava fields, catching targets — but the engine underneath is a clinically designed attention-training algorithm that continuously adapts difficulty across multitasking demands.
The FDA cleared it in 2020 for children 8–12 with primarily inattentive or combined ADHD, based on trials showing improvements on objective attention measures versus a control game. Translation matters: gains were measurable on attention metrics, modest on real-world symptoms — a supplement to medication, therapy, and school supports, not their replacement.
Maker Akili has since had a turbulent business history (including an adult over-the-counter spinoff, EndeavorOTC, and corporate restructuring), so availability and access models have shifted over time. The science milestone stands; verify the current path to getting it before promising it to your kid.
Pros & cons
What we like
- First FDA-cleared video game treatment — controlled-trial evidence behind it.
- Kids experience it as an actual fun game, not disguised homework.
- Adaptive algorithm personalizes difficulty continuously.
- Objective attention measures improved in trials.
- EndeavorOTC extends the approach to adults without prescription.
What we don’t
- Effects are modest and strongest on lab measures, not report cards.
- Prescription gating (for the kids’ version) adds friction and cost.
- Maker’s corporate turbulence clouds availability — check current status.
- Daily play schedule (~25 min, 5 days/week) demands family follow-through.
- It supplements standard ADHD care; skipping that care for a game would be a mistake.
Best for / avoid if
Best for
- →Families wanting an evidence-based supplement to ADHD care
- →Kids 8–12 who resist other interventions but love games
- →Parents who value FDA-vetted claims over app-store promises
- →Adults curious about the OTC version for themselves
Avoid if
- →You hope to replace medication or therapy — it does not
- →Your child cannot sustain the play schedule
- →You expect dramatic symptom change — trials promise modest gains
Pricing
EndeavorRx (kids)
Prescription
Prescribed for ADHD ages 8–12; cost and coverage vary — verify current availability.
EndeavorOTC (adults)
Subscription
Non-prescription adult version; see current app-store pricing.
What EndeavorRx is
EndeavorRx is an FDA-cleared prescription video game that trains attentional control in children with ADHD through an adaptive racing game, validated in controlled trials as a supplement to standard care.
It is the proof-of-concept that games can be medicine — with effect sizes that counsel enthusiasm in moderation.
Why FDA clearance matters — and what it doesn’t mean
Clearance means controlled trials showed the specific product improves objective attention measures with acceptable safety — a bar the entire "brain training" industry otherwise avoids.
It does not mean cured ADHD: real-world symptom gains were modest, which is why the label says adjunct. Honest framing is the difference between a useful tool and a disappointed family.
The adaptive attention engine
Gameplay continuously tunes multitasking and interference demands to the child’s edge of ability.
That algorithmic targeting — not the racing skin — is the treatment, and what the trials actually tested.
Structured play schedule
Roughly 25 minutes a day, five days a week, in mission-sized chunks.
Dosing language is apt: consistency drove trial results, and family routines make or break it.
Where EndeavorRx falls behind
Magnitude. Lab-measure gains, modest daily-life translation.
Access. Prescription friction plus a maker in flux — confirm the current path.
Cost-benefit. Against free Forest-plus-routine, the premium buys evidence, not miracles.
EndeavorRx vs. Inflow vs. conventional care
Different layers entirely: medication and behavioral therapy remain ADHD’s evidence core; Inflow teaches adult skills; EndeavorRx trains kids’ attention as a game-shaped adjunct.
For children, the honest stack is standard care first, EndeavorRx as a trial-backed supplement if access works out, and family routines throughout.
Adults intrigued by the approach can sample EndeavorOTC without the prescription hurdle.
Bottom line
EndeavorRx is a genuine scientific milestone — the game that cleared FDA review — and a modest practical tool. Add it to real ADHD care with calibrated expectations, and verify availability before promising the kids.
Want a daily positivity practice in your own voice? Selfpause lets you record personalized affirmations, layer them with calming music, and keep them on your lock screen.
Try Selfpause FreeAlternatives to EndeavorRx
Inflow
4.2The adult ADHD skills program.
Read our review →
Forest
4.3Cheap, immediate focus structure.
Read our review →
Talkiatry
4.4Proper ADHD evaluation and medication.
Read our review →
Frequently asked questions
Does EndeavorRx actually work?+
Controlled trials showed improvements on objective attention measures in kids 8–12 versus a control game; real-world symptom changes were modest. It is cleared as a supplement to — not replacement for — standard ADHD care.
How do we get it?+
The kids’ version requires a prescription; the maker’s corporate changes mean access models have shifted, so check endeavorrx.com for the current process. Adults can try EndeavorOTC without prescription.
Is it just screen time?+
It is screen time with a trialed therapeutic algorithm inside — about 25 minutes, five days a week. Whether that trade earns its slot in your household is a fair family decision.
Will it replace my child’s medication?+
No, and no responsible clinician would frame it that way. It is an adjunct. Medication and behavioral support remain the evidence core of ADHD treatment.
A note on mental health: apps and online services can support wellbeing, but they are not a substitute for professional care. If you are struggling, a licensed professional can help — and if you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or, in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).