There's always been a stigma surrounding mobile games. While a lot of the criticisms are valid, the platform is arguably responsible for the rise in microtransactions and loot boxes, there's been an unseen renaissance of games making their way to the handhelds. It's possible to enjoy a pretty wide variety of games on mobile, both old and new. Plus, with 5G and streaming making their way to the market, it's getting easier than ever to play games on the go, even without a Switch.
5 Best: Classic Game Ports
Taking a stroll through the games section of the app store will reveal a couple of different things. At the surface, there's still quite a bit of shovelware, one of the biggest issues the platform faces. But dig a little deeper, and you'll begin to find a treasure trove of classic games that are now playable on phones. There's an impressive range too, with games spanning from the first few Grand Theft Auto titles, all the way back to Baldur's Gate.
Of course, these aren't the definitive ways to play the games, but simply having the ports there is incredible, especially considering that most aren't bad. Games like GTA: Vice City work surprisingly well with touch controls, and it's not alone. The app store has a surprising amount of games from prior generations of consoles on it, with industry icons like Sonic even making appearances. Not all games are supported by IOS and Android, but there's still a pretty healthy selection regardless of the operating system.
4 Worst: Arcade Games Ruined By Ads
On the flip side, publishers do have a pretty nasty tendency to ruin older arcade games with newer ports. This is evident in games like EA's Tetris, which retains some of the core aspects of the original, but has largely been overrun by aggressive advertising. Plus, for many of them, touch controls simply aren't as intuitive for games meant to have a high degree of accuracy. That being said, these games are immediately recognizable, especially by those that played them in their youth but have largely fallen out of games as a hobby. With no frame of reference, it's easy to pour hours into a game that really isn't that great.
The only upside to this is that it generates extra revenue for the companies that make them, which can then be used to fund other projects. Take a look at EA again, for example. Reports have revealed that EA made more than $1 billion off their mobile sports games alone in 2017. While some of that money will, undoubtedly, be paid out as bonuses to executives, there's still a healthy amount of that income that will fund other projects, whatever they may be.
3 Best: Indie Games Finding New Life
Phones have gotten more powerful, which means that they can support a much broader library of games. While this doesn't mean that the next Call of Duty game is going to release on the platform, though Call of Duty: Mobile is a real port of the Battle Royale mode coming to phones, there are still quite a few indie games that have come to mobile, some of them even being newer titles. Games like Journey, Donut County, and Hyper Light Drifter are all available to download, opening them up to entirely new audiences. Putting these games on easily-accessible platforms can be critical to their success, and could even make them the "next big thing" with enough luck. Just look at the explosive popularity of games like Angry Birds. It isn't the best comparison considering the paywall most indie games will have, but it is a good example of how popular a game can become when exposed to the right audience.
2 Worst: Mindless Tapping Games
Most people that take issue with mobile games often cite the platform just being for casuals. And while there are many games that break free of the casual mold, tapping games certainly aren't one of them. A relatively new trend in the industry, tapping games are exactly that - games where players simply tap on their screen to accumulate coins or some other menial form of currency. While every0ne is entitled to their preferred forms of entertainment, it's hard to argue that these types of games have a place in the industry, and aren't just attempts to make some quick advertising revenue.
1 Best: Streaming Games
While it hasn't made it to the market quite yet, the ability to stream triple-a games to a mobile device is rapidly approaching. As 5G speeds become more common, more services like Google Stadia will almost certainly start to pop up. We still don't know every game coming to Stadia, but the line up so far has looked pretty impressive. Considering that controllers are also starting to find more support on mobile platforms, it isn't hard to imagine big-budget games being taken with you anywhere you are, without having to gamble on the game coming to the Switch. Only time will tell if the model will take off, but it seems that most major game companies are interested in a streaming future, which would help validate mobile as its own platform.
Mobile games have there upsides and downsides, but it's still a pretty decent way to enjoy video games for those without any better options. It isn't the best way to enjoy the latest new releases, but it doesn't need to be. It can be a great way to pass the time with a game you haven't played in ages, or try out that indie game you missed when it launched. Not to mention, emerging forms of games. As AR becomes more common, more games like Pokemon Go and Minecraft Earth will start to pop up, which will turn even a stroll down the sidewalk into a brief gaming session.