It has been over twenty years since the first games found their way to the mobile phone. Although the history of gaming on a mobile device is almost as old as the discussion of whether these games are any good or not, there have definitely been some amazing mobile games over time.
About ten years ago, developers started to see mobile games in a more serious light. They created more and more iOS and Android games as a result. And while some of these games did not leave much of an impression, others were a great hit with mobile players. Many of them are still worthy of being played today.
10 Angry Birds
Who can forget Angry Birds? It is almost impossible to have missed the hype surrounding this game ten years ago. The 2D mobile puzzle & shooter strategy game came out for iOS at the end of 2009, and less than a year later for Android. It is no wonder that Angry Birds was a great success right from the start; shooting different types of cartoonish birds at evil green pigs turned out to be highly addictive.
As the biggest mobile hit of 2010, numerous spin-offs quickly followed its release. Many of them are still loved and played today.
9 Cut The Rope
Another puzzle-strategy game that became immensely popular in 2010. Much like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope became a worldwide hit due to its addictive gameplay and colorful, appealing style. Also much like Angry Birds; it has various successful spin-offs.
The player's goal in the main game is to feed candy to a little green monster called 'Om Nom' by cutting ropes in the right order and at the right time. Cut the Rope has reached over a billion downloads and is still popular among mobile players.
8 Dungeon Hunter
Fans of games like Diablo and Torchlight will definitely recognize the appeal of Dungeon Hunter. No other game has brought the classic dungeon crawler to the mobile phone quite as well as this one. It is therefore no surprise that Dungeon Hunter 2, which came out in 2010, quickly gathered a large player base.
A total of five different Dungeon Hunter titles have been released for iOS and Android over the years. Although the second installment is no longer available to download, Dungeon Hunter 5 is still going strong.
7 Plants Vs. Zombies
Unlike most of the other games on this list, Plants vs. Zombies was not specially designed for iOS and Android. The mobile version was released in 2010, shortly after it came out for the PC. In this colorful tower defense game, the player has to protect their house from hordes of aggressive zombies by using plants. Yes, plants. The strategic placement of these garden-dwellers will determine your survival.
The developers have not been idle in the past ten years: Plants vs. Zombies 3 was released earlier in 2020. All versions of the game are still high ranking in the App Store and Google Play Store though.
6 Zenonia
Zenonia is a highly acclaimed mobile action-RPG that came out for iOS in 2009 and Android in 2010. Although Zenonia was less popular amongst mainstream mobile players than some of the other entries on this list, it is still one of the most celebrated mobile games. In the original Zenonia, the player sets out in an open world, trying to find out the reason behind his adoptive father's death. The game features a class-system (Warrior, Assassin, or Paladin) and humorous dialogue. Although the original Zenonia is no longer available, some of the sequels can still be downloaded and played.
5 Fruit Ninja
Slice the fruit, but not the bombs; that is how Fruit Ninja explains their gameplay. Fruit Ninja came out for all mobile devices in 2010 and has remained one of the most iconic mobile games ever since. In fact, it is still amongst the highest-ranking mobile action games today. That is no surprise; Fruit Ninja's inventive use of touchscreen makes it a great mobile game. The player's objective is to slash every piece of fruit that is thrown in the air, without accidentally hitting a bomb. Easy to understand, but difficult to master.
4 Doodle Jump
Few platform games have been as popular as Doodle Jump. Often deemed the number 1 mobile game before Angry Birds came out, Doodle Jump sold millions of copies after its release for iOS and Android in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The game is known for its accurate motion controls and beautiful sketch-like design. Playing as 'Doodle the Doodler,' players must jump upwards from platform to platform without falling.
Dangerous obstacles such as black holes and angry monsters make it hard to succeed. No wonder that many players today are still trying their hardest to top the global leaderboards.
3 Pocket Legends
It is no less than impressive that Pocket Legends, one of the first mobile MMO's, still has an active player base ten years after its release. The game consists of over 100 multiplayer levels and five unique classes that are all customizable. All of those classes can be mastered and used whenever the player chooses. As multiplayer can handle up to five players at a time, there are many different ways to create the best teams. Although the animal characters in Pocket Legends definitely make it a lot cuter, the gameplay and perspective will remind you of dungeon crawlers like Diablo.
2 Words With Friends
Words With Friends came out in the second half of 2009 and quickly became a hit. Often compared to Scrabble, Words With Friends matches two players against each other in a struggle to form the most words on the board. Words have to be formed either horizontally or vertically with a random selection of letters.
One of the celebrated features of Words With Friends had nothing to do with gameplay though; many players loved it for its chat system which led to new friendships with people from all over the world. There have even been Words With Friends marriages! And while newer versions of the game have been released, the original Words With Friends is still popular.
1 Infinity Blade
Infinity Blade is without a doubt one of the best mobile games ever created. The iOS Infinity Blade series, which started in 2010, showcased the possibilities of what was graphically achievable on a mobile device. With incredibly detailed landscapes and well-developed, Dark Souls-like combat, this action-RPG truly stood out and is still fun to play. Most notably, the game makes clever use of the touchscreen; the player's sword is handled by swiping in the right direction.
Unfortunately, all three titles were pulled from the App Store in 2018. Nonetheless, the game deserves to be included for its sheer quality and the fact that it could still compete with any recent mobile release.