The 15 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

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• Bursting Balloons

  Bloons TD6

  You might imagine a game featuring cartoon monkeys popping balloons would lack depth, but you’d be wrong. I love Bloons TD6, and there’s enough challenge here to keep you bursting balloons for months. Tower defense games are perfect for smartphones because they work well with touchscreen controls and are easy to dip into, and the levels are like mini puzzles to solve.

• A Card Game

  Balatro

  Described as a mashup of Solitaire and Poker, this deck-building roguelike is fiendishly addictive. You start out picking the best poker hand to score maximum points, but you’ll soon realize this is not poker, as you buy jokers and other cards that act as multipliers or provide special abilities to boost the value of your hand. Smart strategy and some luck are required to reach the point targets as you progress, and bosses pop up to throw wrenches into your plan. It’s all wrapped up in a retro psychedelic package, and it’s tough to stop playing.

• City Building

  Courtesy of Dinosaur Polo Club

  Mini Metro

  Can you manage a rapidly growing subway system for a major metropolis? This incredibly addictive puzzler has a hypnotic flow as you build new stations and add trains to successfully shift passengers around each city. Seductively simple, this game sucks you in immediately, but the challenge mounts quickly, and it is hard to put down. The follow-up, Mini Motorways (iOS only), is also worth a look, but nothing beats the original.

• A Classic Racer

  Courtesy of Aquiris Game Studio

  Horizon Chase

  This retro racer is a loving tribute to classic arcade racing games like OutRun and Chase HQ. You take part in races across the world with vibrant backdrops, nostalgic 16-bit tunes, and accessible gameplay that requires focus and fast reactions. Easy to pick up and exhilarating, this is the most fun I’ve had with a racing game on my phone. Although the base game is free, there are several in-app purchase expansion packs with new tracks. Apple Arcade subscribers can also try Horizon Chase 2.

• Tap-Controlled Runner

  Alto’s Odyssey

  There are some great endless runners, from Canabalt to Subway Surfers, but Alto’s Odyssey took the genre to new heights. The simplest of tap controls makes it very easy to grasp and play one-handed on your phone as Alto slides down massive randomly generated dunes, avoiding obstacles, performing tricks, and collecting coins. But the developers do a solid job of adding mechanics and changing up the gameplay as you advance, and it’s gorgeously atmospheric. If you enjoy this, the snowboarding predecessor, Alto’s Adventure (iOS, Android), is also very good.

• Bunker Builder

  Fallout Shelter

  Whether you’ve previously roamed the wasteland in Bethesda’s games, loved the surprisingly good Fallout TV show, or have no idea what I’m talking about, Fallout Shelter is an excellent 2D construction and management simulation. Can you keep a growing population of Vault Dwellers alive as you carve deep into the ground to build them a state-of-the-art bunker safe from the nuclear fallout and rampaging mutants above? It’s a bit like an upside-down Sim Tower but with fleshed-out residents to keep happy.

• Beautiful Scenery

  Monument Valley

  Playing Monument Valley is like stepping into an Escher painting and trying to navigate through it. Each pastel-colored chunk of geometry is a puzzle to solve, as you try to find ways to manipulate the environment and allow a princess to pass through. The simple story, chill vibe, and lovely style make this one of the best mobile games for all ages. It’s just a shame it doesn’t last longer, though the sequel, Monument Valley 2 (iOS, Android), is almost as satisfying.

• Horde Survivor

  Courtesy of Erabit Studios

  Halls of Torment: Premium

  Wave after wave of increasingly tough, undead nasties come at you from all angles in this addictive survival shooter. Keep the hordes at bay, and you’ll unlock power-ups, snag gold and weapons, and gain access to new characters. For a Robotron and Smash TV addict, this game scratches an itch I’ve had for a long time but features a hellish underworld setting that’s more reminiscent of Diablo. This game is also available on Google Play Pass right now.

• Tower Defense

  Courtesy of Ironhide Game Studio

  Kingdom Rush

  As perfect as Bloons TD is, there’s room for another tower defense series in your life, and it should be Kingdom Rush. This medieval fantasy world is overrun with monsters, and you are just the hero to slay them by building defensive towers (archers, mages, artillery, and infantry). A super cute comic book style and humorous vibe that reminds me of Dungeon Keeper detracts from the wanton violence, making this suitable for any mobile gamer. There are five main games in this series—Kingdom Rush: Alliance (iOS, Android) is the latest, released this year—and they are all beautifully made, deeply addictive, and genuinely challenging.

• Scavenging Adventure

  Sneaky Sasquatch

  The impossibly cute Sneaky Sasquatch is an utterly unique adventure game where you must scavenge for food without getting caught by the park rangers. As you begin to explore, you learn that the park needs cash, and the only way to save it is to find all the missing pieces of the treasure map and uncover the bounty. Along the way, you can disguise yourself as a human and take part in activities, from snowball fights to golf tournaments. It’s every bit as charming and weird as it sounds. Sadly, this one is still exclusive to Apple Arcade.

• Turn-Based Strategy

  Warbits+

  With various army units, different terrain across many maps, and a major ramp-up in difficulty once you get the hang, Warbits+ is a great turn-based strategy game. The original brought Advance Wars–style gameplay to a modern audience, and the revamped Warbits+ features enhanced graphics and adds more replay value with a map editor and cross-platform multiplayer to tackle after you complete the campaign.

• A Slasher Puzzle

  Courtesy of Blue Wizard Digital

  Slayaway Camp

  This sliding puzzle game casts you as the killer in an ’80s slasher flick; think Jason Voorhees. Things get gory, but the blocky voxel look allows the game to lean into comical territory. There’s plenty of variation as you send hapless teens to their doom and try to evade trigger-happy cops. The mechanics layer up nicely as you progress through the isometric levels, earning coins to help you on your murder rampage. There is a sequel, Slayaway Camp 2 Netflix & Kill, but only for Netflix subscribers.

• King of the Castle

  Courtesy of Devolver Digital

  Reigns

  In Reigns, you play as the king with a stream of requests from your needy advisers, which you can accept or reject by swiping left or right, y’know, like Tinder. But be warned, heavy sits the crown, and most of your decisions will have unforeseen consequences down the line, many of which lead to your untimely demise. It can get repetitive, but there are two further releases in the series: Reigns: Game of Thrones (iOS, Android) is a must for fans of the show, and Reigns: Her Majesty (iOS, Android) is a worthy sequel.

• Game Maker

  Game Dev Story

  If you’re looking for a comforting, relaxing game, Game Dev Story is tough to beat. The idea is to build a game development studio and ship as many games as you can. You’ll start shipping turkeys, but your staff can level up, you can hire better folks, and you can buy licenses to develop for new consoles as you progress until you start to earn rave reviews. All the Japanese developer Kairosoft’s simulations feature similarly charming pixel art, and many are just as fun to play. (I also recommend TV Studio Story, Grand Prix Story, and Convenience Stories.)

• Crazy Golf

  WHAT THE GOLF?

  Endlessly inventive and genuinely amusing, it’s a shame that What the Golf? is still an Apple Arcade exclusive. You go in expecting crazy golf but quickly realize the developers have thrown the rule book out the window in this physics-based parody. Witty enough to have you chuckling as you puzzle your way through a constantly expanding course of absolutely absurd holes, this is fantastically fun.