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Mobile games usually get a bad rep as they're usually asset flips and/or MTX-ridden and/or ad-filled, etc., and I'm sure this is actually the case for most games on the app/play store. But are there any ones that are actually good, maybe just something to pass the time with?

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[-] halfwayserious@lemmy.world 6 points 4 weeks ago
  • Into the Breach (Netflix subscription)
  • Shogun Showdown (Crunchyroll subscription)
  • Balatro
  • Slice & Dice
[-] OhVenus_Baby@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago

Scrolled the entire page. Just to not see hill climb racing, and slither.io

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

The N64 and earlier emulate really well on mobile. It's a stretch to call those mobile games, but you can have like 1000 titles that take up a grand total of around 20gb.

Controls are pretty wonky in some games - it's hit and miss. Touch screen doesn't pair well with some, especially the N64 titles specifically, but it's usually good enough to be playable.

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[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 5 points 4 weeks ago

-endless sky is pretty good -hyperrogue is interesting game, also quite good -dungeon crawl stonesoup is good

though i'm not sure if there are any good pure mobile games, as those are for pc too.

[-] skepller@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

There are actual AAA full games, Feral Games is releasing a lot of their games on Mobile now (Android as example), like Alien: Isolation, XCOM 2, GRID Legends, Several Total War Entries and Tropico.

Hitman Absolution launches now in October 16th.

There are also some from other devs, like Focus' Mudrunner and Square Enix's Life Is Strange.

If you want awesome casual ones, there's Balatro, Isle of Arrows, Keep on Mining (non-slop incremental), Dungeon Clawler, Siege Up! and All Aboard! of the top of my head.

[-] bomberesque@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Hoplite - hex dungeon puzzle Spelltower - word puzzle X-COM (on a bigger screen)

[-] utopiah@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

I mean... not sure if it counts as mobile but the entire history of console gaming up to few years ago works on emulators, so that's a VAST choice. Sure you might dislike 99.99% but if there is even 0.01% you enjoy, that's hundreds of games if not more!

Check https://search.f-droid.org/?q=emulator and consider a BT controller.

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[-] VerilyFemme 5 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 5 points 4 weeks ago

Walkscape is a step counter and an RPG, it's pretty cool but not exactly a game you spend a lot of time on. You mostly just walk and then check your progress and make a few decisions for your next walk (inventory, equipment, tasks, travels...)

[-] Varying9125@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

if you like factory builder type games, try out mindustry or shapez

[-] jbk@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 weeks ago

Flow free is pretty cool

[-] gray@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 weeks ago

I love Stardew Valley and Gameboy Color emulator

[-] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 3 weeks ago

I've been playing old electron engine game like icewind Dale & Baldur's gate. Even Neverwinter nights runs & plays great.

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[-] vortexal@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Outside of emulators and other similar apps, there are some games that have decent mobile ports. Some of the good ones I know of are:

Lego Star wars: the Complete Saga, which as far as I can tell, seems mostly identical to at least most of the other versions but it lacks all of the co-op/multiplayer components. I did also see some minor graphical glitches but they didn't effect gameplay.

The 3D remake of Final fantasy 3. It seems identical to the PSP version but it's obviously running at a higher resolution and possibly a higher frame rate as well.

Bloons TD 5, other users have mentioned 6 but 5 is also good too.

HamSandwich, which is not available through the Google Play Store, so you may soon be stuck with the browser version when Google's changes to side loading take effect. Also, I recommend using either a keyboard or a controller, as the touchscreen controls are not that good.

The Enchanted Cave 2, the first one is also pretty good too but 2 has a lot more content and is a much better game all around.

I know that a lot of people have issues with games that have MTX, but I will defend these games if they are actually good and I can play them without feeling like I'm being force to put money in. Here are some of the games I can remember:

Honkai Impact 3rd, I haven't completed the story yet but I've played up to the end of chapter 28 of part 1 and I haven't had to put a single cent into the game. My only issue with this game is that, while the game does have keyboard support and the keyboard controls are decent, it doesn't have controller support for some reason.

Bloons Monkey City, this game is basically just Bloons TD 5 but with a city building mechanic and some online components.

The Walking Zombie 2: Shooter. This ones a bit weird but I've been playing this occasionally. It's a pretty decent FPS that takes at least some inspiration from the Fallout games. It's not a masterpiece by any means but it still seems worth mentioning. I just wish it had keyboard and mouse support.

[-] OddMinus1@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 weeks ago

Slay the Spire: it's the same game as on PC or any other medium. Fantastic game. Obviously costs the same as other places (about $10), but well worth it!

Pokemon TCG Pocket. I started early with this, so I have had no problem with being F2P, but I'm sure that late adopters would need to pay some amount to become competitive. Still should be playable F2P, though. Anyways, it's amazingly unintrusive when it comes to real money transactions. No interrupting ads and you basically have to search for the in-game shop to find the microtransactions.

Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic. This one might have changed since I got it ~8 years ago. It's a pretty good mobile version of the original game. I've spent a lot of time with this game.

[-] bravesilvernest@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 weeks ago

Magic Survival has been my main game for months; its such a simple game but really scratches that itch.

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[-] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 weeks ago

For games currently out and available:

• Slay The Spire ( a bit more than just something to pass the time with IMO, but again, it's a direct port from PC )

• SuperTuxKart ( I personally don't like the mobile version over control issues I have, but it's still real fun IMO, if you like good kart racers )

• Feudal Tactics ( definitely a time passer on smaller maps )

• HyperRogue ( trippy non-Euclidean game )

• Shattered Pixel Dungeon ( I suck at it, but it's a fun enough dungeon crawler )

• Mindustry ( PC port is more my style, but fun base defense resource extraction game overall )

For games to come out hopefully soon:

• Maze Mice ( I'm addicted to that game and am half tempted to buy it on mobile when it drops if the dev provides a way to buy an APK for the game instead of going through g••gle play. Think Superhot meets Pac-Man meets roguelite ( rougelike? ) )

[-] dangrousperson@feddit.org 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

there are a couple, a lot of them are ports of PC Rogue-like Games.

alphabetically, these are the ones installed on my phone that I actually play.

Balatro

Bloons TD 6

Luck be a Landlord

Mindustry

Mini Metro / Mini Motorways

Monument Valley 1+2

Peglin

Shapez

Super Auto Pets

Turmoil

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[-] noretus@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Alto's Adventure. One of those simple is powerful games. Though it can get really frustrating as there definitely are situations where the game just decides that actually, you're done.

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[-] Spankerton@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Slice and dice, infinitnode

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[-] Tuuktuuk@piefed.ee 4 points 4 weeks ago

I'm a big fan of Shattered Pixel Dungeon!

[-] CountVon@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 weeks ago

Most of the mobile games I play have been mentioned by others, but I'll give a shout to one I haven't seen in the thread: Dungeons of Dreadrock. A fun puzzle game with a good amount of content. Free with ads, or ad-free with a onetime purchase; no MTX. Doesn't offer the same replayability as something like Shattered Pixel Dungeon, but I was happy with what I got.

[-] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I really like the polybridge series of games. Bridge puzzle game worh great mechanics.

Lots of good PC ports. The Kotor series and Baldurs gate 1 and 2 and icewind dale ports are good.

Autochess is fun. Lots of opportunities to spend money but none are important, just cosmetic.

Balatro is good (if you like that game as i do)

And also a series of games called "doors" are fun to pass the time. Like a puzzle box where solving one element opens another until the door is opened.

It is 99% crap on the stores though. I tend to get ports and emulators for most of my mobile gaming.

[-] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 3 points 3 weeks ago
[-] meldrik@lemmy.wtf 3 points 4 weeks ago

Most games on Apple Arcade is proper games.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

I haven't seen it mentioned yet but I would add the mobile port of Wingspan.

[-] Old@europe.pub 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

There are many great Indie Games. My far favourite are the ones by 'yiotro' which seems to be a single (Russian?Ukrainian?) developer. Each is some kind of strategy/simulation mix and very cheap with simple graphics but a lot of depth. I discovered his work from seeing Antiyoy which either is so old that I got a demo of it in a ~2002 gaming magazine, or a copy of that old game. Just amazing fun all around and the only reason I don't have any of them on my phone right now is that I can't stop playing if I install them (similar to Unciv and Shattered Pixel Dungeon, both FOSS and excellent choices that were mentioned already).

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[-] radiouser@crazypeople.online 3 points 3 weeks ago

If you're into deck building give "Dominion" a go. The base game is free (which is absolutely playable) and a good way to get into the swing of the game. The AI is a cheating bastard through, so either play it on "easy" or play with some friends. It's SERIOUSLY addictive.

[-] Katana314@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Ace Attorney I believe had a very good mobile port.

One I’ve been addicted to, and have spent no money on, is Zenless Zone Zero. Gacha game with action-style combat using dodges, parries, and flashy effects. In some ways a cool demonstration of what phones can render now. Very much depends on what your gacha/FOMO resistance is.

[-] tal@olio.cafe 3 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

People have done a good job of mentioning the free open-source games that I'd call notable already.

I don't play most mobile games, because most are commercial, and I'm not willing to get a Google account and associate it with my phone. I think that Google has enough information about me.

However, there are a number of commercial games that exist for both the PC and for Android, stuff like Bloons TD 6. Unless you have a PC, I'd probably take a glance there, since if a game is good-enough, unless it's deeply tied to a touch interface, I'd expect it to have a PC port.

goes to find a list of Steam games with mobile ports

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44803552-Mobile-Ports/

Some games on there that I know and think are good


though I haven't played the mobile versions, and can't speak as to port quality:

  • Stardew Valley. I'm not a huge fan of this type of game

lots of drudge tasks


but I think that it was well-made, and lots of people like it.

  • Balatro. Already mentioned here.

  • Hades. Action roguelite. Might want a controller for this; I don't know how well this would translate to a touch interface.

  • Terraria. I don't know how well this would work without a mouse.

  • Bloons TD 6. I already mentioned this.

  • Subnautica. Dunno how well this translates to not having a mouse, and the game is 3D-heavy, so I dunno what tradeoffs someone is gonna make to get it running on a phone, but it's pretty neat.

  • Vampire Survivors. I'd guess that this is probably playable with a touch interface, though probably best with a controller.

  • Slay the Spire.

  • Dead Cells. This might want a controller.

  • Papers, Please

  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I would definitely want a controller for this.

  • Spiritfarer. Didn't really click with me, but popular, and if you're looking for an adventure game...

  • Little Inferno. Older puzzle game that I enjoyed, and I don't usually do puzzle games.

I'd also mention:

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (if you want Android; there isn't a current iOS version) is a good free and open-source game on the PC with an extremely steep learning curve. It is a very deep open-world roguelike. However, it is seriously tied to a keyboard interface. I have played the Android version, and while I think that the porter did do a better job than I expected making it playable on Android, it's clearly not optimized for a touch interface, and it is very CPU-hungry, so can run slower than the original does on PC.

[-] dumbass@aussie.zone 3 points 4 weeks ago

MDickie games are pretty fun.

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[-] J_on_LemmyML@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago

I honestly think Hayday is one of the best free farm games, It does have paid currency but it's not forced on you. You can watch optional Ads for a few daily random items but these are not forced, you're the one who has to click the ticket near the mail box.

Supercell make some of the best games that aren't fully scummy.

[-] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Solomon's Keep and Solomon's Boneyard.

Keep is a traditional dungeon crawler and Boneyard is an endless wave survival game.

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this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2025
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