The top 10 most addictive mobile games

Gaming

Gaming

Long before Nintendo democratized electronic entertainment with the introduction of touch panels (Nintendo DS) and motion sensors (Wii), the mobile video game segment brought the industry closer to previously reluctant demographics. So much so that today it is common to see mothers and grandparents engrossed in a game of ‘Candy Crush’ while ignoring incoming WhatsApp messages.

The success of the ‘mobile games’ was primarily based on simple game formulas out of necessity (given the technical deficiencies of the first telephones), which anyone was encouraged to try while traveling on public transport. The emergence of touchscreen smartphones blew up another barrier to entry: buttons. Playing became as simple as playing, which added to the emergence of application stores led to record downloads.

According to Statista, the mobile games market amassed $ 77.2 billion in profits over the past year. The latest estimate is $ 100 billion raised by 2023, after increasing the total number of users to 2.5 billion worldwide. A third of these are over 45 years old (mainly women), with a mere 14.2% corresponding to the 16-24 age group. In other words: a long time ago, playing with the mobile stopped being a thing of adolescents.

Next, we will list those mobile games that marked a before and after; without which we would not understand the inevitable decline of portable consoles.

Snake (1997)

The origin of ‘Snake’ (commonly referred to as ‘the snake’) dates back to 1976 when the arcade game ‘Blockade’ appeared. Many versions of the computer emanate from it, although we would have to wait until 1997 for its pre-installation in the hardened Nokia phones to popularize it around the world. A decade later, more than 350 million terminals had been sold with the game, consisting of twisting the character on the screen while we fattened him and avoided obstacles.

Asphalt (2004)

The ‘Asphalt’ series not only represented the first moderately elaborate arcade racing for mobile devices (including Nokia’s pseudo portable console, N-Gage ), it was also one of the most downloaded titles under the Java programming language. Before smartphones and app stores made an appearance, games like this were downloaded by sending a string of SMS messages.

Angry Birds (2009)

Pissed-off birds don’t need a cover letter. They were the first big success of smartphones (after the launch of Apple’s App Store) and brought their managers huge revenues. So they leaped merchandising, starred in two film adaptations, and justified an amusement park. The original ‘Angry Birds’ (followed by countless sequels) surpassed 1 billion downloads just two years after its release.

Plants vs Zombies (2010)

Just as Angry Birds ended up on video game consoles proper, ‘Plants vs. Zombies was one of the first desktop hits to be converted to modern mobiles. Aware of the potential of this market, publishers began to make eyes to the iPhone and high-end Android phones. Without going any further, the iOS version of this ‘tower-defense reported to PopCap (the responsible study) half a million euros in just nine days.

Fruit Ninja (2010)

‘Fruit Ninja’ is the perfect example of how the simplest mechanics can dazzle millions of players. Despite being launched on payment (the free-to-play was yet to take off), the game of slicing fruit with a sword has reached 1,600 million downloads worldwide. Its sequel came in 2020 after those responsible also triumphed with the addictive ‘Jetpack Joyride’.

Temple Run (2011)

One of the first exponents of the ‘endless runner’ genre, in which a character advances automatically and without rest while we try to avoid obstacles. Both the original and its sequel exceed 500 million downloads (considering only Google Play), a figure that doubles a paradoxically less known reference among the ordinary user: ‘Subway Surfers’.

Minecraft (2011)

With more than 155 million copies sold worldwide, Minecraft has transcended from video game to global phenomenon. Much of that figure corresponds to its mobile version, with which users took a liking to online interaction. Not surprisingly, this block-building game is based on a persistent world, where anyone can unleash their creativity.

Candy Crush (2012)

As with Tetris and the first Game Boy, Candy Crush is responsible for many mothers having dared to play with their mobile. The portable puzzle genre is as accessible as it is convenient: ideal for taking short games anywhere. Let them tell if not Celia Villalobos … The key here is to group colored candies to make them disappear, which meant the developer ‘King’ billions of dollars in revenue.

Clash of Clans (2012)

The same year, ‘Clash of Clans’ showed that genres as seemingly arduous as a multiplayer strategy also had a place under touch screens. Such was its success that the Finns Hay Day got to pocket up to 2.4 million dollars a day in micropayments (the fine print of all those mobile games that, since then, have been published under the claim of free).

Monument Valley (2014)

The cameo of ‘Monument Valley’ in Kevin Spacey’s ill-fated fiction (‘House of Cards’) gave an idea of the repercussion of a brilliant game in terms of mechanics and artistic style. Proof that you do not need state-of-the-art devices to generate works with nothing to envy to large desktop productions. It generated $ 14 million in its first two years, something that few ‘premium’ (paid) games can boast.

Pokemon Go (2016)

The so-called ‘pocket monsters’ lived a second youth in 2016, when Niantic and The Pokemon Company launched ‘Pokemon Go’. This augmented reality game invites us to walk around the city to catch the creatures of our childhood, which made the proposal sink even among those who had not grabbed a console for a long time. Much has also been written about the controversies and incidents surrounding the software.

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