Looking for a great game to play on iPhone or Android? We've picked out some of our favourites, ranging from quick puzzlers to meatier titles.
Most of the apps listed here are available through the iTunes App Store and Google Play, but there are a couple of iPhone exclusives.
Dissembler
Match-three games might be a little overdone, but Dissembler is a sleek new take on the genre that sees you carefully clearing colours away. By the end of each level, you'll have no tiles left.
Dissembler starts simple enough with easy-to-solve grids made from just a few tiles, but quickly moves to larger, more complex boards. It's not easy, but it's not unforgiving. You can rewind your moves at whenever you want without penalty, and the game never makes you feel bad about your mistakes.
While you'll need to fork out a couple of bucks for Dissembler, it's packed full of content. In addition to 120 or so "main levels" you'll make your way through when you start, there's an infinite mode with a couple of its own twists, and extra daily challenges.
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Available on: iPhone
Rogue-like meets rhythm game in Crypt of the Necrodancer, an unholy mix of Dungeons and Dragons and Dance Dance Revolution.
You'll dance your way through dungeons to the beat of the background music, slaying monsters and collecting loot. Keeping in time with the music will earn you extra gold, but misjudging the beat will break your multiplier and can leave you vulnerable to attack.
The challenge comes from a combination of quick thinking and pattern memorisation. Enemies stick to a routine; a blue slime will move up a tile every two beats, then down a tile on the following two. Learning these patterns is the only way to kill an enemy without getting harmed, but it's easier said than done when you're surrounded and under pressure from the beat.
Crypt of the Necrodancer is a challenging but satisfying game; you start over every time you die, and you'll die a lot. But the more you practice, the further you'll get. There's even a couple of items you can keep across playthroughs, which can be a massive help. And hey, the soundtrack is full of absolute bangers.
Spaceteam
Spaceteam is a rare smartphone game that supports local multiplayer; you and up to seven others can band together to see if you can survive on a spaceship.
You and friends play as a motley spaceship crew travelling deep into the galaxy. Player all man their own control station, and each "round", you'll get an instruction to give to other players, which need to be completed with a certain timeframe. It helps that they're wonderfully nonsensenical, so you'll end up shouting "set Volatile Retrotape to 3" or "Caramalise Onions" out over and over until you realise that they were on your control station all along.
Spaceteam gets chaotic quickly; panels will come loose, translators will malfunction, you'll need to shake your phone to avoid asteroids and more. It's a perfect party game that makes gaming on your phone a hell of a lot more social; just try not to drop your device when dodging wormholes.
You can group up with friends by being on the same Wi-Fi, through Bluetooth, or even over your 4G connection; you'll just want to make sure you're all in the same room. Notably, iOS and Android owners can play together, but you'll need to use Wi-Fi or 4G to communicate.
Alphabear
Alphabear is the world's cutest word game, but don't be fooled: there's a surprising amount of strategic depth under all the charm. Points are scored in two ways: forming words with the tiles on your board, and using the empty space on your board to make the largest bear possible.
Each tile on your board has a countdown timer. The longer it stays on the board, the less points it becomes worth. If you don't manage to use a tile, it will expire, clogging up the board. This in turn prevents your bears from taking up that spot, which means you'll earn less points at the end of the game.
While it might seem like the best approach to Alphabear is just making the longest word possible, forming a word reveals more letters on the board, and revealing too many at once can hurt in the long run.
Alphabear is broken up across multiple levels, but there's two main play modes. You can either race against the clock, or play a more leisurely mode where you can take your time in racking up the highest score possible.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
If you're looking for a meatier game to sink your teeth in, pick up Knights of the Old Republic and prepare to spend at least 30 hours of your life exploring the galaxy as the last hope of the Jedi Order. And another 30 hours for a second playthrough where you succumb to the dark side.
The sprawling RPG puts a Star Wars twist on titles like Baldur's Gate, trading in swords and sorcery for light sabers and the force. Even though Knights of the Old Republic was first released in 2003, the BioWare-developed title is still arguably the best Star Wars game to date, and is often considered one of the best games ever made.
Fortnite
Available on: iPhone
Fortnite is literally one of the hottest games around right now, touting a massive 45 million players. This is a number that will almost certainly keep growing, especially given that you're now able to get your Fortnite fix on your iPhone or iPad.
If you've managed to stay clear so far, here's what you need to know. Fortnite is a battle royale style shooter; 100 players get dropped off on an island and duke it out until only one is left. You'll start each match with just a pickaxe, but the massive maps are littered with weapons, ammo, and resources that you can use to build with. As each round goes on, the area in which you can fight shrinks, eventually forcing all remaining players to the centre of the map. It's a classic case of easy to learn, hard to master.
While Fortnite was initially designed for PCs and consoles, it's made a surprisingly elegant transition to iPhone. Given that most matches won't last much longer than 10 minutes, Fortnite is a great game for killing a bit of time. And it's one you'll probably keep coming back too.
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build sure lives up to its name.
Each level in this short-but-sweet puzzler has you building a snowman (or snowmen) while following two core rules:
- Snowballs can only be pushed; you can't pull them, you can't get them out of corners, you can't lift them.
- Snowballs grow larger when rolled over snowy grass; if they get to big, you won't be able to stack them for your snowman.
These two limitations mean every move matters when it comes to building a good snowman; each level can take quite a bit of experimentation. You'll probably get through the A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build in a couple of hours, but every second is filled with charm.
Do you still want to build a snowman? Because you definitely should.
Reigns
Reigns is like Tinder, but for regicide.
Swipe left and right to make decisions that affect your kingdom, while balancing your people, your finances, your army, and the church. Give anyone too much power or too little influence, and your reign will be meet a swift end.
The aim is to rule for as long as possible, but also you'll come across achievements and events that tie multiple playthroughs together. And it's a little too easy to find yourself playing another round to try and get a new high score.
Alex Choros
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