16 Best Mobile Games To Play on the Go

Mobile games are great for on-the-go play sessions and don’t require a lot of effort to get into. Even on a small screen, the best mobile games urge you to lose yourself in hours’ worth of adventures and entertainment. 

There’s a diverse mix of paid and free games available on smartphones and tablets. Since not all mobile games are made equal, we’ve curated a list (in no particular ranked order) of the best mobile games you can dive into.

The 16 Best Mobile Games

From open-world experiences to exciting card-based mechanics, there are several unique genres spanning different games. After going through reviews, gameplay mechanics, visuals, and more, we’ve compiled a list of the best games you can play on mobile right now.

The Best Mobile Games at a Glance

Downloading and playing fun mobile games has a certain charm, especially when you’re busy commuting or waiting in line. Here’s a quick glance at the top games.

Game	Best for	Google Play Rating
RAID: Shadow Legends	Gamers who enjoy turn-based combat and strategic team-building	4.6/5
Among Us	Gamers who enjoy playing with friends for a party-like social deduction experience with strategy, deduction, and bluffing	3.9/5
Monument Valley	Gamers who enjoy visually stunning puzzles with a thought-provoking experience	4.9/5
Stardew Valley	Gamers looking for a relaxing game with charming, pixel-art style	4.6/5
Zenless Zone Zero	Gamers who enjoy stylish combat and are looking for a roguelike dungeon experience	3.4/5
Honkai: Star Rail	Players looking for a mobile story game with combat and gacha mechanics	3.3/5
Balatro	Gamers looking for a strategic card game with roguelike progression	4.7/5
Genshin Impact	Fans of open-world exploration, action RPG combat, character collecting and gacha mechanics, and anime-style visuals	3.5/5
Arena of Valor	Fans of MOBA titles looking to take traditional gameplay and unique game modes on the go	3.9/5
Royal Match	Players looking for a low-stress game that’s easy to dive into	4.6/5
Dead Cells	Mobile players interested in a modern take on classic 2D side-scrollers that combines roguelike elements with Metroidvania	4.8/5
Slay the Spire	Gamers who enjoy strategic card games with roguelike mechanics	4.3/5
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night	Fans of this 1997 classic ARPG wanting to play on a modern device	3.7/5
PUBG Mobile	Gamers who enjoy fast-paced, competitive online shooters with high stakes and strategic survival elements	4.4/5
Subway Surfers	Gamers looking for a casual title to pass time on the go	4.6/5
Marvel Snap	Fans of Marvel who want an easy-to-learn card game with their favorite characters	3.4/5

1. RAID: Shadow Legends

One of the best Android games, RAID: Shadow Legends’ core gameplay revolves around collecting and building a team of legendary warriors (Champions). Players delve into dungeons and engage in strategic turn-based battles, where Champion selection and team composition play a crucial role in success.

Class-based collection and PvP elements make it one of the finest mobile RPG titles right now, as faction wars test your team’s mettle against specific factions, and various challenges provide opportunities to earn valuable rewards and resources

2. Among Us

Among Us became one of the best phone games thanks to its unique social element. Players are placed in an environment (like a spaceship or laboratory), and only one is designated an impostor, a player whose goal is to eliminate the rest of the players without being found out. When you play with friends, you can often be against them and they’ll never know! 

The game always imposes an element of suspicion. You never know who you can trust, who’s bluffing, and who’s secretly out to corner and eliminate you without anyone else seeing. This detective-esque setting makes it one of the most exciting iOS and Android games you can play with friends.

3. Monument Valley

Monument Valley isn’t just a game — it’s a mesmerizing experience across beautifully designed optical illusions and isometric puzzles. As you play the game, you guide Princess Ida through Escher-inspired structures that manipulate environments in a backdrop full of soothing music and intricate puzzle design.

It has mobile graphics that you’ve likely never witnessed before. Thanks to its intuitive touch controls and meticulously crafted narrative, Monument Valley will let you uncover mysteries of a world that leaves a place in your psyche long after you’ve put down your phone.

4. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a beloved farming RPG that lets you escape into a peaceful countryside life. Right after its launch, it quickly became one of the most popular games across all platforms. You’ll cultivate crops, raise animals, meet the residents of Pelican Town, and live a life full of peaceful endeavors. 

Aside from the farming aspects, there are dungeons to explore and uncover many of the town’s secrets. You never know what (or who) you’ll come across! Certain games like Stardew Valley are the perfect escape from your busy everyday life.

5. Zenless Zone Zero

Zenless Zone Zero’s take on an urban fantasy RPG is full of unique twists and turns. This one’s from the creators of Genshin Impact, so you can expect gacha mechanics implemented alongside its hack-and-slash combat set within the post-apocalyptic metropolis of New Eridu. Combat is certainly the spotlight here, and you’ll likely feel overpowered with each dodge and hit. 

The game’s roguelike elements ensure each playthrough feels fresh and full of unpredictable experiences, gameplay you may be familiar with if you’re a fan of other games like ZZZ. Procedurally generated layouts and encounters are part of the loop, with a vibrant cityscape to explore as you unlock new content. 

If you’re looking for the heart of the storyline, there’s also an abundance of Zenless Zone Zero characters with rich backgrounds and lore to meet.

6. Honkai: Star Rail

If you’re a fan of mobile games like Genshin Impact, then Honkai: Star Rail may be the title for you. This 2023 title sports anime-style artwork that perfectly captures the fantasy-space setting. It also includes gacha mechanics and turn-based combat, which makes it perfect for mobile play and limited controls.

One of the main reasons that Honkai: Star Rail has become a fan-favorite is its rich storyline. As you navigate the narrative with your main character, the Trailerblazer, you can travel across planets and resolve conflicts caused by different fantastical creatures.

7. Balatro

Balatro is a unique blend of poker mechanics and roguelike deck-building. The game challenges you to build high-scoring poker hands as you navigate procedurally generated runs filled with all kinds of modifiers. Balatro’s big twist comes from its joker cards.

Each joker card bends the rules a little. Add a lo-fi soundscape and minimalist pixel art style, and you have a game that was nominated for The Game Awards 2024. Even if you haven’t played a card game before, this one should be in your life.

8. Genshin Impact

Finding immense popularity worldwide, Genshin Impact brought the vastness of open-world gameplay to mobile. Thanks to its gripping narrative that often feels like an interactive story, you’ll be hooked regardless of the characters you play. Games like Genshin Impact perfectly blend open-world exploration, deep combat mechanics, and engaging character-collecting.

Teyvat, the vast world of Genshin Impact, is a living tapestry of diverse landscapes brimming with secrets to uncover and challenges to conquer. Exploration is at the heart of the experience, with players free to scale mountains, delve into hidden dungeons, or simply wander and soak in the beauty of the world.

9. Arena of Valor

If you’re looking for a mobile game like League of Legends, look no further than Arena of Valor. This is one of the best game apps, and it includes various game modes, from the traditional 5v5 matches that rely on teamwork and communication to large-scale 10v10 fights. You can also choose from over 120 characters, each one with their own unique role such as marksman or tank.

Gameplay in the flagship game mode is similar to other popular MOBA games. You start out with a low-level character and earn experience points to level up by engaging in combat, either with other players or in PvE against the various creatures on the map.  

10. Royal Match

Part of the joy that comes with a mobile game is the ability to dive into a title to pass time with no strings attached. Royal Match is a perfect example of this, providing gameplay that’s easy to pick up and pause as needed.

Royal Match is a tile-matching game, similar to popular titles like Candy Crush. As a result, you’ll need to match tiles and complete challenges to progress through the various levels in this game. Don’t worry about getting stuck, however. In Royal Match, you can also earn (or buy) boosters that can help you in-game and before a level starts.

11. Dead Cells

A unique game, Dead Cells blends the elements of several different genres, packaging characteristics of roguelike and Metroidvania games into a single side-scroller you can enjoy on the go.

Test your combat skills and strategy as you explore level after level, with the procedurally generated layout keeping the game fresh and interesting. This part’s important, as you’ll likely be faced with failure several times during this game thanks to its roguelike nature, leaving you to adapt and tackle levels potentially several times as you control a character known as the Prisoner.

12. Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire exceptionally combines strategic card-based gameplay with the unpredictability of procedurally generated dungeons. You choose a unique character equipped with their set of cards/abilities and brave through the ever-changing Spire. 

The game’s dynamic deck-building system ensures that no playthrough ever feels similar, keeping the experience fresh almost all the time. As you progress, you’ll encounter various situations with game-altering effects. You can even enjoy the game with no active internet connection, making it one of the best offline mobile games ever made.

13. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Originally released for the PlayStation in 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night received a mobile port in March 2020. Castlevania is a classic 2D side-scroller. Playing as the offspring of a vampire and a human, this title requires unlocking different abilities, like turning into a bat or wolf, to advance throughout the castle you’re exploring. 

Castlevania on mobile is a great way to dive back into vintage gameplay if you have a nostalgic itch. And if you didn’t play Castlevania back in the day, this title is still worth trying out due to its storyline and engaging boss battles. 

Overall, it’s one of the top mobile games you can play today, especially since it has classic ARPG mechanics.

14. PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile isn’t just a game; it’s a mobile gaming juggernaut. Released in March 2018, it took the battle royale genre by storm, bringing the intense last-man-standing concept to smartphones for the first time. Its core gameplay revolved around 100-player online battles, where you need to look for weapons and gear and fight until you’re the only survivor left.

Based on certain video game stats, this free-to-play title has amassed over 30 million daily active players. PUBG Mobile captures the essence of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) experience, distilling it for mobile devices without sacrificing strategic depth.

15. Subway Surfers

Subway Surfers is a classic among mobile titles. This game places you into the role of a young graffiti artist on the run from a security officer and their dog. While the gameplay is simple, focusing on endless running, Subway Surfers remains engaging by blending in-game elements such as obstacles and temporary buffs with challenges and events. 

There are just a few main mechanics to familiarize yourself with when playing Subway Surfers. From the center, you can move your character left or right, as well jump over or duck under obstacles. When you earn temporary boosts, such as picking up a jetpack, you can unlock new routes away from the main track for a short time.

16. Marvel Snap

Because of their quick matches and simple mechanics, digital collectible card games are a popular pick for mobile gamers. However, Marvel Snap goes one step further, with mechanics truly optimized for fun on the go. 

Compared to other similar card games, Marvel Snap offers simple and easy-to-learn mechanics. Picking up the game for the first time is enjoyable, and you get to spend more time playing the game than learning it. 

The game also prioritizes quick matches, with most lasting only a few minutes, so you can easily squeeze a game in between activities.

How To Choose the Best Mobile Game

Mobile games can be difficult to wade through. Even with several games at your disposal, the market (for the most part) is saturated with low-quality attempts at games, but the titles we have listed above are stunning games from reliable publishers that are in it for more than just the download count. That said, here’s how to choose the best mobile game for you:

• Try games with mechanics that you like: If you find the gameplay boring, you’ll uninstall the app after two or three attempts. Try to go for games that have mechanics you think you’d enjoy. Some people prefer first-person shooters, others like the competitiveness of Battle Royales. Try different games from our list to see what you like.
• Find mobile games that provide at least some story and character development: Not all games will have a story to tell or a huge character roster, but mobile games that emphasize storytelling and progression are always more captivating and fun to play.
• Think about replayability and time investment: Since it’s a mobile game, you want it to be interesting enough to put time into, but at the same time, you want it to be a fresh experience that you can get right back into on the bus ride home. A good mobile game is one you’ll invest time into and replay again down the line.
• How it handles rotation and reaction to smartphones: This criterion should be the “make it or break it” element for mobile games. Games like PUBG Mobile leverage smartphone technology to build a unique experience around the device’s rotation and angling. This can be a much more intuitive gameplay experience.

Trial and Error: The Ultimate Mobile Gaming Experience

With a vast mobile game collection available, finding the perfect mobile game can be a trial-and-error process. You’ll go through your fair share of installing and uninstalling, but the games above all promise a unique and enjoyable gaming experience. 

While you’re on the hunt for your next mobile obsession, remember to try games outside of your usual gaming style. Even the most serious of strategists need to crush candy sometimes.

Mobile Games FAQ

Still have questions about the best mobile games to play? Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the topic.

What Is the Largest Mobile Game in the World?

If we’re counting in-app purchases and money made by a game, Genshin Impact earned $2 billion in total revenue between 2023 and 2024. This makes it one of the largest games to exist on mobile right now.

What Is the #1 Game on Mobile?

Based on player participation, PUBG Mobile is the #1 mobile game, with approximately 60,000 players logging in daily.

What Is the Best Free Mobile Game?

It’s difficult to determine the best free mobile game, as it largely depends on individual preferences. Whether you prefer puzzle-solving, role-playing, or strategy, there’s a game for everyone. However, if you enjoy collecting characters, strategic battles, and building powerful teams, then the free-to-play game RAID: Shadow Legends may be your next gaming obsession.