Looking for low-precision, mouse-only Steam game recommendations
I just learned that I can use the Steam Link app (iOS link, Android link) to stream Steam games to my phone and tablet (within my home).
I have no desire to play M/KB or controller-based games on these devices (I already have a computer and a Steam Deck which can do those better), but I like the idea of playing some more casual stuff that only uses mouse input (in the form of me tapping the screen).
I'm thinking stuff like:
- Mobile game ports meant for touch input
- Point-and-click adventures
- Clicker games
- Anything else I'm not thinking of that could be easily played by tapping the screen
I'm interested specifically in lower-precision mouse-based games that would be comfortable to play on my relatively small phone screen (the device I'm most likely to use), though that's not a hard requirement. Anything requiring more precision I could play on my much larger tablet screen instead.
What games do you recommend?
Balatro is the first one that comes to mind, if you haven't played that yet.
Balatro already has a mobile version, even, so you wouldn't necessarily be limited to the Steam link.
Papers, Please is a game where you act as an immigration inspector at the border of a fictional communist country. You check the information provided by applicants and decide if they should be allowed in the country. Choices have consequences. You play using the mouse. Although there will be tense moments in which you will have to move the mouse quickly, the ability to spot differences and inconsistencies is more important than how you move the mouse.
Slay the Spire fits the bill (though you can just get the mobile port)
I used to play a lot of one-handed mouse-only games on steam in the middle of the night while feeding / rocking my infant kids back to sleep.
My favorite was one called Orbit, super chill game about using a minimum amount of fuel to achieve stable orbits around gravitational bodies. Easy to play, tricky to master, well-paced difficulty curve.
Another one was Reigns, though I think that one has a native mobile version.
I searched for "Orbit" on Steam and clicked through most of the results, but didn't see anything matching your description. The closest I found was Orbit - Playing with Gravity, which doesn't seem quite right. Your description sounds interesting to me, so I'd appreciate if you could find it in your Steam library and provide a link when you get a chance.
Visual novels like Phoenix Wright or Roadwarden would work if the text is legible. Point and click adventure without little to no text like Myst and its sequel Riven may be a good bet.
You mentioned clicker games - if you're the type who likes a little heroin, as a treat, Pokéclicker is a lot of that.
There's a soft keyboard if necessary - you can likely play CRPGs like Disco Elysium or Fallout/2 on there pretty comfortably even if you need to input text every now and then. Again, legibility. Same with soft controller buttons for reflex-light games, eg JRPGs in an emulator.
I got a cheap BT keyboard + trackpad recently so I could expand playing stuff on my Deck comfortably; depending on where you play you may want to consider it or a controller? I have my desktop, but with a baby it's nice to have access to KBM around the house when I'm nap-locked.
If OP (or anyone) is interested in your suggestion, there's a nice bundle going on right now on fanatical that includes the Ace Attorney Trilogy and Chronicles (as well as Ghost Trick, which I've heard great things about) for like 6 bucks each.
Wow, literally today I got the itch to play Great Ace Attorney and I was already looking for an MMZ Collection sale. That solves those... Thanks!
Ghost Trick is another good recommendation tbqh -- it was designed for the DS touchscreen, so its controls might even be better this way.
iirc Disco Elysium doesn't require you to input text at all, and all you'd be missing out on would be having a button to highlight interactive objects, assuming you were able to get the UI to a usable size for your screen (which may, admittedly, not work, idk).
Literally came here to recommend the Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright) series, as well as Ghost Trick. OP, if you're interested, start with the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. These games were all originally designed for a small low-resolution screen, so there ought to be no problem making out details. They're also just plain fun to play, and it's really satisfying to finally pin someone down on the witness stand. The tone of the storylines can be very wacky at times, but it's also got some real emotional punch too.
I'd probably try playing with a fine-tipped stylus, though it shouldn't be necessary. I just find it makes things go much more smoothly if I'm spending any significant amount of time with a touchscreen.
Other people have mentioned roguelike deckbuilders (Slay the Spire and Balatro) so I'll add Monster Train to that list. All three are great and can be played with just a mouse and at your own pace.
Point-and-click adventures there are a bunch too, my favorite being Pentiment.
A mix of the two genres would be something like Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales which is equally excellent.
And one more strange suggestion is something like the Civilization series. I remember Civ 5 had a respectable touchscreen mode, not sure about the other entries in the series but they may be worth considering. I've played many rounds of Civ with just a mouse before.
Same with the Football Manager series if you're interested in football/soccer. Easily playable one-handed. If you're not into that, maybe try something like Cycling Manager or Motorsport Manager or Out of the Park Baseball depending on your interests. Typically any game with a lot of spreadsheets and interfaces should be easily playable with just a mouse, but those aren't very casual for the most part.
And as for mobile games, I'd recommend Mini Metro and Mini Motorways, both should be tap-only and are very casual and fun.
Good luck!
Also Griftlands is a great roguelite deckbuilder.
There are only so many games that work well on phones and do not have a mobile port. Steam has their official list of recommendations, but if I could highlight one, FTL: Faster Than Light doesn't have a mobile port and plays pretty well as just a touch screen game with some hot keys for functions.
I'm sorta curious how that works. I thought about recommending it, even though the UI is kinda small, but what got me is to pause the game you need to use space bar or middle click. Pausing the gameplay often is a pretty big part of this game, turning it more into a turn-based game. If you need to do everything real-time it seems that'd be crazy difficult and chaotic.
Steam Link let's you have on screen touch buttons for certain functions, and I think FTLs recommended layout has pause on a hot key.
Just chiming in to further support the claim that pausing is vital to the game's core gameplay loop. While you could play the game fully in real time, "No-pause" is understood by the community to be an extremely difficult self-imposed challenge. Playing on easy but without pause is undeniably much, much harder than playing on hard with pause, and this is a game where "easy" mode is already pretty hard. That being said, FTL has been made to work on phones through other means so I would assume using Steam Link would work fine.
Maybe the Rebuild series? #3 is on Steam.
Pretty sure the first two have native mobile versions.
The first two are Flash games on e.g. Newgrounds, you might be able to play them on a web browser.
On Android there's Rebuild and Rebuild 3. Iirc Rebuild is a mix of the first 2 flash games.
They're worth a few dollars to play, but I did find them a bit repetitive after awhile.
Baba Is You.
I was considering recommending several more but they require drag or middle mouse for placing buildings or panning screen.
Maybe a weird one, but... Insaniquarium (Deluxe) is a sci-fi themed action-resource management fish tank builder from the early 2000s, made by the team that went on to bring us Plants vs Zombies. It started as a flash game, and feels like one at its core design, but the full release is on Steam and regularly goes on sale for less than US$3.
It isn't exactly "low-precision" mouse only controls, but it was designed for 800x600 displays, and upscaling kind of makes it work that way. The early gameplay is trivially easy, and never gets hard, but it's right in that sweet spot of mobile game difficulty, and rewards creativity.
Besides, all the little character designs are adorable, and when those aliens show up to chomp on your baby guppies, you get a real sense of protective fury.
I thought most of those old popcap games were lost into a sea of licensing and ownership disputes or something. Cool that it's playable again.
If you like RTS, try Oil Rush. I wrote a review on it on Steam where I describe how it plays. It is similar in some things to State of War game (released ~2000) but not entirely. It is quite a good game that will last you for some hours. It is different take on RTS. It likely comes from mobile/tablet game as the interface would hint on that. Well suited for touch input, IMHO.
FTL: Faster than light is great game that could be played using mouse, but is even better with keyboard. Also released on mobile where it plays better, but maybe the PC port will work fine using touchscreen as well.
Into the breach is another one that is mouse only and really great game. It is a bit chess-like where you have different mechs to do different stuff using different skills and you have to think about your turn in advance because you can arrange for better outcome this way. It is turn-based tactical game that will make you think.
EDIT: Added link to review.
Came here to say FTL as well. And while I'm here I'll second Into the Breach. Both are amazing games.
Machinarium is an old favorite but pretty short. I think it would be perfect for that setup.
Machinarium is from Amanita Design, and pretty much all of their games would fit here: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/AmanitaDesign
I've had a lot of fun with Pawnbarian. I don't have a Steam Deck, but I imagine it would fit the bill with being turn based and playing out on a 5x5 board.
If you haven't already played through it, the Henry Stickmin Collection are nice little choose-your-own-path games that shouldn't be hurt by a touch-screen only control scheme.
I'm kinda partial to playing
Hexceedto pass time using just the mouse.Monster Train is on sale right for $2.50 and it is an excellent deck builder game that is not difficult to get into.
I'll add a couple to the lovely suggestions that others have shared.
Dorfromantik is wonderfully charming tile-placing game. You are looking to connect like parts on hexagonal tiles, such as forests, towns, rivers, etc. Periodically, tiles will give you "quests", where you're looking to either connect an exact number or over a set number of like structures with the reward of more tiles. Rinse and repeat.
In a totally different vein is Hypnospace Outlaw. A weird, vibrant, and endearing pastiche of the early internet. You are set up as moderator of this alternative web platform and assigned cases with the goal of finding instances of harassment, copyright infringement, etc, and bringing the ban hammer down. Since it's essentially an OS and web browser, it controls are very straightforward. But the real fun is just exploring and discovering the depth and sincerity of the various characters and the ways they express themselves in this space.
My wife is absolutely addicted to Brotato and I feel it'd probably work in this situation. She plays it WASD (no mouse) and I play it with just the left stick on a controller. Seems like it could be played fine on a touchscreen since it's possible to play with just a mouse.
It's surprisingly entertaining for a game whose gameplay consists only of moving your character and buying randomized (roguelite) upgrades. I've got 97 hours on it, my wife has 195. (My brother got it for us and has around 25.)
Bloons TD 6. Fun tower defense, drag monkeys and watch them go basically.
Utopia Must Fall is essentially Missile Command: CE.
Mouse only, cheap as chips, is all vibe and totally addictive. Additional content will be added and with that so will a price increase. It’s totally worth it as is.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2849680/Utopia_Must_Fall/
Edit: sorry, I overlooked the low-precision aspect of your post. It’s all about shooting incoming attacks so precision is required, but the range is limited to one screen. It’s mouse only for a reason