this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2025
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Mobile games usually get a bad rep as they're usually asset flips and/or MTX-ridden and/or ad-filled, etc., and I'm sure this is actually the case for most games on the app/play store. But are there any ones that are actually good, maybe just something to pass the time with?

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[–] tal@olio.cafe 2 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

People have done a good job of mentioning the free open-source games that I'd call notable already.

I don't play most mobile games, because most are commercial, and I'm not willing to get a Google account and associate it with my phone. I think that Google has enough information about me.

However, there are a number of commercial games that exist for both the PC and for Android, stuff like Bloons TD 6. Unless you have a PC, I'd probably take a glance there, since if a game is good-enough, unless it's deeply tied to a touch interface, I'd expect it to have a PC port.

goes to find a list of Steam games with mobile ports

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44803552-Mobile-Ports/

Some games on there that I know and think are good


though I haven't played the mobile versions, and can't speak as to port quality:

  • Stardew Valley. I'm not a huge fan of this type of game

lots of drudge tasks


but I think that it was well-made, and lots of people like it.

  • Balatro. Already mentioned here.

  • Hades. Action roguelite. Might want a controller for this; I don't know how well this would translate to a touch interface.

  • Terraria. I don't know how well this would work without a mouse.

  • Bloons TD 6. I already mentioned this.

  • Subnautica. Dunno how well this translates to not having a mouse, and the game is 3D-heavy, so I dunno what tradeoffs someone is gonna make to get it running on a phone, but it's pretty neat.

  • Vampire Survivors. I'd guess that this is probably playable with a touch interface, though probably best with a controller.

  • Slay the Spire.

  • Dead Cells. This might want a controller.

  • Papers, Please

  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I would definitely want a controller for this.

  • Spiritfarer. Didn't really click with me, but popular, and if you're looking for an adventure game...

  • Little Inferno. Older puzzle game that I enjoyed, and I don't usually do puzzle games.

I'd also mention:

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (if you want Android; there isn't a current iOS version) is a good free and open-source game on the PC with an extremely steep learning curve. It is a very deep open-world roguelike. However, it is seriously tied to a keyboard interface. I have played the Android version, and while I think that the porter did do a better job than I expected making it playable on Android, it's clearly not optimized for a touch interface, and it is very CPU-hungry, so can run slower than the original does on PC.