47
votes
What mobile games are worth playing?
As we all know finding a mobile game usually only brings up microtransaction infested hell so let's share some hidden gems!
As we all know finding a mobile game usually only brings up microtransaction infested hell so let's share some hidden gems!
On Android, Pixel Dungeon is absolutely incredible, AND open-source. There are even forks of it, including Shattered and Sprouted. Easily the most faithfully modernized roguelike I know of, complete with turn based gameplay, randomized scrolls/potions, cursed equipment, and very scarce food. The win condition is even called the Amulet of Yendor in a direct callback.
It has 20 levels, and the farthest Ive ever gotten is level 16. Ive been playing it almost 5 years now (albeit quite intermittently).
Shattered is significantly more fun than the original game, IMO – it's also receiving regular updates (e.g. the alchemy system got reworked recently).
I played that game a lot for like a month straight and never beat the final boss ( I think) but I did reach him
My favorite mobile games that are not ad-infested garbage (and actually quite fun to play):
Upvote for threes, the original game that got copied by 2048. If I have time to kill and no vocab to study, rarely I'll play Doodle Jump or Threes.
Just wanted to point out the excellent Unofficial Tildes Wiki which is maintained by @deing. I was just looking through it and saw that it had a few topics from the past related to mobile games if anyone wanted to browse them and maybe find their next download.
I've finished Alto's Adventure and am now finishing Alto's Odyssey. Simply, one button to jump, and another to activate flight. There's not much to it, but this simplicity and the goals to attain in each level make it entertaining for a few minutes and stressful to make you really want to progress to the next level. Plus, you can get coins during the game to improve some features (e.g. flight time, extend magnet time, etc), and if you're offline you won't have ads popping up!
I love Altos.My only gripe is my eyes are not what they used to be and sometimes I have a hard time seeing the skier. If you like this game you will probably also like the Ski Safari series. Same mechanics.
Oh my, what have you done to me. I was just getting ready to set free from this.
For the puzzlers:
Myst Riven has an excellent port, as well as The Witness. Talos Principle is cool too.
Rollercoaster Tycoon, Stardew Valley, FTL and Prison Architect are really good ports as well.
Finally there's TIS100P, Zachtronics' funforgiving assembly programming game similar to Shenzhen I/O. Pretty challenging.
Doesn't work with external ipad keyboard sadly.
Hang on a second, has Stardew Valley been ported to mobile? Also I'm pretty sure FTL is available only on iOS as i looked for it myself on the Play Store some time ago to no avail...
I'll add to your list Motorsport Manager Mobile 3 and Guild of Dungeoneering which are both somewhat pricey yet definitely worth it!
Looks like Stardew Valley recently announced mobile ports. The iOS version is available now, but it seems Android is still in the works.
As far as FTL goes, it doesn't seem like there are any plans for Android.
That's great news about Stardew Valley, the dev deserves every cent for all the work he's been putting in, now that i know it I'll make sure to keep an eye out for the port on the Play Store.
On the other hand, no surprise about FTL, although it's still an incredible game it's old news by now, plus the devs have had their fair share of work with Into the Breach, which now that i think of it is the perfect candidate for a future mobile port.
Interesting that all of your recommendations are originally on PC. Did you play all of these on PC before mobile? Is there something about these ports specifically that you enjoy over the more "traditional" mobile experience (short play times, simple controls, etc).
I like my mobile game to have a very short moment to moment loop, and to be interruptable. I should be able to play for very should session with maybe one and and not much real time thingy (for more involved game I have my Switch and PC).
With that in my, I can wholeheartedly recommend those:
My favorite mobile games are Downwell and Ridiculous Fishing. Both have pretty similar gameplay, but they're both good and different in their own way.
Yes! Ridiculous Fishing is amazing! It's in portrait mode and the levels are short so you can just play for a few minutes OR sink a bunch of time all at once.
I downloaded this game to try for a few minutes and ended up catching every fish possible except one.
I recommend people to download Simon Tatham's Puzzles as an essential game to their mobile phones. It's Open Source, works offline and has many games (39 Currently). Good time wasting when there was no internet
I can't recommend Civ 6 enough—Aspyr did a phenomenal job porting the full PC experience to iOS. Not sure if it's on Android.
If you have a flight, that game makes time melt away like nothing else.
This war of mine. Gives you a very different view on war, here you are not some hero who singlehandedly stops some bad guys. You are a simple civilian who tries to survive in a destroyed city where other people will come to you to ask for help or will raid you.
The main one I keep coming back to daily is Phoenix II on iOS. It's a bullet-hell game, so it might not be everyone's cup of tea. It has micro-transactions for additional in-game currency to purchase ships, but I've personally never spent a thing on the game. Definitely something you can pick up and play casually when you've a spare 5-10 minutes.
If you're into puzzles, Blackbox is one to try for sure. It certainly requires some creative thinking on some of the challenges.
For both iOS and Android, there's lichess for the chess players and The Battle of Polytopia for fans of Civilization.
I actually prefer the original Phoenix. It plays faster imo.
I would recommend Hearthstone. It's a PC game as well as mobile, and I've been addicted for a while. There are some microtransactions but they're rare and don't give much of a benefit most of the time. Give it a go!
Hey man, you forgot the /s tag. Hearthstone is built around game booster packs, much like how the original magic the gathering was. It can get prohibitory expensive to play and be competitive, but for a casual gameplay experience it’s not so bad.
Oh, my bad. I play only casually play Hearthstone and I probably haven't reached the point where microtransactions became a problem.
??? Hearthstone is a card game, hell yeah, they have a huge benefit.
On android it is ridiculously easy to connect a ps4 controller and play nes/snes/genesis/ etc emulation
I’m currently obsessed with stardew valley.
The mobile interface for Dwarf Fortress is excellent though the game itself has an intense learning curve (worth it imo)
Yes indeed: Dwarf Fortress Remote
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dwarf-fortress-remote/id1003660287?mt=8
I got lazy and just forwarded the port instead of properly setting up SSH but yes, spent many an hour tinkering with villages on the road :)
Haven't seen these mentioned yet but all of "The ROOM" games are outstanding. https://www.fireproofgames.com/ Exploding Kittens and Phase 10 are also some great time killers for me.
For board game fans, Ticket to Ride has an abolustely fantastic mobile version.
Fieldrunners 2 is probably my most played game of all time though.
I know that the Splendor port I have for android is pretty solid. What makes you like the Ticket to Ride version so much, and have you played much of the real version? I'm sure the rules play the exact same, but I'm just curious if it's a mechanical benefit (not having to deal with tiny cards, no counting points, etc).
Honestly, it has a computer I can play against so I don't have to round up friends or convince my wife to play a game with me.
It's identical to the physical game and they even have all the different maps and versions they've released.
For android I've been playing Age Of Civilisation for the last 2 years, it's insanely addictive, easy to learn but hard to master.
Also recently have been playing mini metro, it costs £1 but its honestly so good, you've got to link metro stations together and deal with capacity, sounds simple but it's very addictive. Art style is nice and also very polished. You can also get it on steam as well.
I mostly play digital versions of board games that I've bought from Humble Bundle. Especially Small World and Ticket to Ride. They both work perfectly on Sailfish.
Rome: total was is a pretty great port and is available at least on iOS. It was surprisingly playable on both an iPhone 8 and a 2016 ipad, though I’m not very good at the game so I might be engaging with it in a superficial way. Definitely worth the $10 they want for it.
On Android, I have been playing Mini Metro. It's a nice mix of puzzle and time based strategy as you need to expand the metro system farther in a limited amount of time before your previous stops and trains get overwhelmed. It also has a free build mode where you can spend time laying out the system of your dreams.
I tend to flip between games on android pretty fast, but there's a few that have kept with me for a fair amount of time, listed below.
The Guides Axiom is pretty good too. It’s a puzzle/code breaker with the only in app purchases being bonus levels and hints.
I really enjoyed Data Wing, free with no ads and interesting gameplay and storyline, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DanVogt.DATAWING
Clash Royale is my most-played game on mobile, even though it contains a store and the usual micro-transaction systems. The gameplay is fun and surprisingly deep if you get into it. Matches last a maximum of ~3-4 minutes. You are matched with other players with similar card levels and will slowly progress through the leagues without any payments. Join a Clan and trade cards / play clan wars to speed up progress significantly.
Mini Metro has been mentioned here already and scratches my optimisation-itch perfectly, coupled with great aesthetics. Good for 15-30 minute sessions.
The Baldurs Gate II port is well done and just what you expect if you know the original title - I might be biased here since I spent years of my child hood failing and failing at trying to beat this game. Easily ends up sucking up full evenings when you get into it.
Super Hexagon is a fun twitch-reaction based game with a rad sound track. Quite old already - check it out if you have not yet come across it.
Amongst the endless DotA clones on mobile, my favorite is Vainglory, with a well-done interface for mobile / tablet. An in-game store exists, but is not too in-your-face, basically like League of Legends. Easy to enjoy without payments.
In terms of Rhythm games, I can recommend Cytus, Muse Dash and GROOVE 2.
The only game I would nominate for this kind of thing would probably be Underhand. It's a card game about a cult and their worshipped beings. The game plays by a certain story unfolding, depending on which dark gods you choose for the round. At the start of the round you receive a certain number of recources, which are used to progress the story further to unearth new dark gods by making choices and gaining or losing recources, avoiding suspition, while finding ways to the next step to "find" the next god. The only downside to the game I'd say is lack of story updates. In about a year and a half the only updates have been bugfixes and art improvements. Would love to see more from it.
Death Road to Canada is a fantastic little rogue-lite that you should definitely check out.
Thanks. Checking this out now. Im not usually into pixel animated games but this looks really interesting.
From what's not yet mentioned -
Proper games, can be played through to the end:
Love You To Bits - FANTASTIC game, can't recommend high enough.
Tiny Bang Story - also very beautiful, good puzzles.
Hidden Folks - Where's Waldo, XXI century edition
For short plays, bathroom breaks and such:
Miyamoto
Miracle Merchant
Sky Force Reloaded
Six!
From what's mentioned - Alto's Adventure is really good and Threes.
The iOS port of KOTOR is pretty fun.
I remember playing this on the original xbox. Seeing it on my phone is kinda amazing.
It ran quite well on my iPad 2 from nearly eight years ago too, unless I’m terribly misremembering. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope for a great many ports of that ilk.
The only mobile game I play is Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia. It's a gacha game, but it's generous enough with free gems and tickets that I haven't felt the urge to spend money in over a year. With gacha games, I leave it to the whales to subsidize my play. The first year is wrapping up now and, while some bad pulls can be disappointing, it's not so bad when you aren't spending money/gambling.
Two man studio Simogo makes really great little games for mobile platform – Device 6, Year Walk, The Sailor’s Dream, SPL-T.
I'm partial to TD (tower defense) games myself.
Bloons TD 5 is fun for a while but gets kind of monotonous.
All the Kingdom Rush games are pretty fun and well done.
non TD Games:
Inferno+
Inferno 2
Undroid
Undroid2
Battlevoid
Out There
Space Marshals
10,000,000 a good tile matching game, it’s actually quiet good and fast paced.
And
Mini metro- a puzzle like game based on train networks and effective movements
For Android my go to game was probably crashlands. So much value even at $6. I also dumped a ton of time into the Rayman games(Jungle and Fiesta). I find them much more fun and charming than than MARIO RUN. For IOS my gotos are usually “Flower”, altos odyssey, KAMI 2(my niece loves this game), and HQ(live quizzes every day with real money rewards.)
I've been playing Beat Cop, it was fun and I loved the pixel art style. I always return to Pokémon go as a staple tho