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The Easy Way to Find the Best Mobile Games Worth Playing
The Easy Way to Find the Best Mobile Games Worth Playing
Mobile games are often underrated. If you head to the App Store or Google Play Store, you’ll find thousands of dubious titles that aren’t worth your time. However, there are a few great games hidden beneath the surface. Here’s how to find all the best mobile games available on iOS and Android.
1. Sign up for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass
Signing up for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass is one of the easiest ways to narrow down your options. These services are built around aggregating the best games on the platform, and pretty much anything in their catalog is going to be a hit.
Many people prefer Apple Arcade and find that browsing through the new games section is the easiest way to find gems like Vampire Survivors and Dicey Dungeons.
If you sign up for either service, make sure you keep track of how often you actually use it. Both services require a monthly fee, and if you’re not getting your money’s worth, this may not be the right choice for you. But if you have trouble finding good games on the App Store, Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass is a good choice.
2. Download the emulator
iPhone with Delta emulator open and running Pokémon FireRed
Emulators are available on Android, and now that Delta is available on iOS, everyone can go back to their favorite classic games. Emulators don’t give you games to play right away, but they do allow you to run any ROMs installed on your smartphone. To find good games to use with emulators, think back to your favorite childhood games.
Many people love running Pokémon games on their smartphones, but you can also play Zelda, Metroid, Sonic, etc. Be sure to check out all the emulators available on your device, as they all offer unique features that cater to different types of players, although Delta is definitely a great place to start.
3. Check Editor's Choice
Both the App Store and Google Play Store have a section dedicated to the hottest games of the day. Depending on the platform, this section may be called “Editor’s Choice” or “What We’re Playing Now.”
Regardless of the name, this curated section is the perfect place to find the best new mobile games. Not all of them are new (some are older releases that are still popular), but this is where you’ll find popular titles like PUBG Mobile, Zenless Zone Zero, and Diablo Immortal.
While you're checking out these options, consider checking out the "Based On Your Last Downloads" section on the App Store or Google Play Store. This section makes recommendations based on your download history. It's not perfect, but it's how you discover great Coffee Golf. If you don't find anything that catches your eye, be sure to check back regularly as it's constantly being updated.
4. Pay attention to paid games
A big draw of mobile gaming is the number of free titles, as you can sink hundreds of hours into gameplay without spending a dime. For this reason, paid games may not seem appealing – but it’s worth taking a few minutes to browse through the games and see what’s up for grabs.
Games like Minecraft, Plague Inc, and Kingdom Rush 5 are some of the most popular paid games, and they’re easily recommended to most people. Best of all, these titles typically don’t use questionable microtransactions or force you to watch ads before continuing your gameplay session.
Paid games are often more similar to those on PC and consoles, often developed and published by the same company. Picking up a few paid games that you like is a great alternative to subscribing to Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, which are mostly paid games. So if you don’t want to pay a monthly fee, pay for a few of your favorite games.
5. Regularly Visit Certain Subreddits
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that sometimes holds true when it comes to finding good mobile games. Instead of relying on yourself to sift through the mobile market, head over to Reddit and check out the following subreddits:
Not only can you browse other people’s picks, but you can also post your own asking for help finding a specific type of game. For example, a recent post recommended Papers, Please, and Dead Cells as the best games on iOS. Another user was looking for good multiplayer games and was directed to the Plato app.
The best part about using Reddit is that there is a constant stream of new posts and suggestions. Scroll through each subreddit several times a day to see if there is anything new and noteworthy.
6. Check Metacritic scores for mobile games
Nintendo Metacritic Sites
Metacritic is a great place to find the best movies, TV shows, and video games. A great place to hunt for mobile games is its search feature. Once you open the main menu, simply click “Explore Games” to filter through all of your options. Using this feature, you can narrow your options down to just mobile games.
Not only that, you can experiment with all the different filters to find the game that best suits your needs. For example, you can choose to only search for games released in a certain year or in a certain genre. There's also the option to see upcoming releases - giving you something to look forward to throughout the rest of the year.
The main downside to Metacritic is that its catalog of mobile games is a bit smaller than other platforms. You’ll only find about 50 mobile games on Metacritic released between 2019 and 2024, but that number jumps to over 1,300 if you go back to 2010. It’s a great way to find iconic titles from years past, like Crashlands or Bastion.