Technology has come a long way. Who would have thought that those barely portable bricks of the 1980s would turn into a viable and powerful portable gaming platform? Mobile games are a strong brand of their own, and have even outlived some console series.
So why are mobile games so popular? Portability, accessibility, and addictive gameplay loops are often found in phone based games, which keep people’s brains engaged with the apps. Let’s take a trip to the app stores of history and check out some older mobile games that are still popular. These games released at least ten years ago, and have kept their popularity up. That’s a monumental feat for any game, but especially on a phone which has users following trends for apps, memes and obsessions.
7Candy Crush
Anyone who’s had a smartphone in the last ten years will, almost definitely, have downloadedCandy Crushat least once. The bright and saccharine game took the world by storm, and despite having several spin-off games, remains on top.
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The addictive additive-filled game has players swapping candies around to create colored groups. The aim is to either collect specific amounts of each sweet, to drop certain ones to the bottom of the board, or to break through layers of crystallized candy. Even in 2022, 10 years after release,Candy Crushremains on the top download lists.
6Clash Of Clans
Clash of Clansis another smartphone game that has stood the test of time. It was one of the first real mobile strategy games, and remains free to play.Clash of Clanshas players train and build armies to attack others, while also building up their own villages. There’s customization available, and the ability to play with others and team up.
Developers Supercell have made sure to keep the game updated and in line with new technology and trends, and there is in factnewClashgames coming out soon! It’s no wonder that people are still playing it ten years after release.
5Angry Birds
Ah,Angry Birds.Plenty of young adults today distinctly remember playing this game in high school, having tournaments among friends.Angry Birdscame out in 2009. For any game, that is an impressively long life span. It doesn’t stop withapps and games, though — the franchise even has movies and even aStar Warstie in.
The games featured a weird and wacky concept: throwing different kinds of irritated birds at structures containing green pigs to break them. Most different colors of birds had new and exciting abilities that allowed players to shake up how to destroy the crude pig structures, and there were almost endless levels to keep players engaged.
4Roblox
OK, this one is a technicality, but it still remains a hugely popular game on mobile devices.Robloxitself was created way back in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2012 (for iOS) and 2014 (for Android) that there was the ability to play it on smartphone devices.
Robloxis wildly successful, and for good reason. Not only is it awide selection of playable games, but it also includes the ability for players to actually make and program their own games within it. SomeRobloxadventures are still absolutely teeming with activity, and developers recognize this by releasing codes regularly for players to redeem to boost their characters or quests.
3Temple Run
Launching in 2011,Temple Runis one of the longest-running and still active smartphone games. The game is simple: an endless chase through (as the name suggests) a temple, where if the player slacks, they will get caught by monkeys.
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Temple Runwas one of the first big mobile games (along with the aforementionedAngry Birds), and as such gained a lot of popularity very quickly. It kept people amused while on journeys, in class, or at home, and didn’t have loads of ads or paywalls. To this day, it remains a simple but addictive game.
2Subway Surfers
Along withCandy Crush,the pivotal gameSubway Surfersalso landed on app stores in 2012. It is an endless runner game, where players control Jake as he must run, dip, and dodge past obstacles and avoid the oncoming inspector.
Since release, the game has garnered over three billion downloads, and remains popular to this day. The game goes on and on, and has missions and power-ups to aid the cool cast of characters. The best thing is that none ofSubway Surfers' content is locked behind paywalls, meaning everyone can enjoy it to its full potential.
1Coin Master
Ads forCoin Masterare spotted so frequently that it would be a miracle for anyone to not have seen the name. But what is it? Essentially, this game is an interactive slot machine that players use to get coins, that are then spent on building up and improving villages to gain levels.
On the surface, it looks boring, and can be off-putting for a lot off people due to the pop-ups for bundles and social media connections. However, there is an addictive core aspect toCoin Master. Hit the button, win big, and continue. It is one of those apps that requires players to wait for refills of the slot machine spins, so keeps them coming back repeatedly in a day.
