The easy way to find the best mobile games worth playing

If you visit the App Store or Google Play Store, you'll see thousands of questionable games that aren't worth your time. However, underneath there are a handful of great games.

1. Sign up for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass

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Signing up for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass is one of the easiest ways to narrow down your options. These services are built around aggregating the best games on the platform, and almost anything in their catalog will be a hit.

Many people prefer Apple Arcade and find that browsing through the new games section is the easiest way to find gems like Vampire Survivors and Dicey Dungeons.

If you subscribe to either service, make sure to track how often you actually use it. Both services require a monthly fee, and if you're not getting value for your money, this may not be the right choice for you. But if you're having trouble finding good games on the App Store, choosing Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass is a wise decision.

2. Download the emulator

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The emulator is available on Android, and now that Delta is on iOS, everyone can get back to their favorite classic games. Emulators do not immediately give you games to play, but they allow you to run any ROM installed on your smartphone. As for finding good games to use with an emulator, think back to your favorite childhood games.

Many people like to run Pokémon games on their smartphones, but you can also play Zelda, Metroid, Sonic, etc. Remember to check all the emulators available on your device, as they all offer the same features. Unique features cater to different types of players, although Delta is certainly a great place to start.

3. Check out Editor's Choice

Both the App Store and Google Play Store have a section dedicated to the hottest games of the day. Depending on the platform, this section may be called "Editor's Choice" or "What We're Playing Now".

Regardless of the name, this curated section is the perfect place to find the best new mobile games. Not all of these games are new (some are older releases that are still popular), but this is where you'll find popular games like PUBG Mobile, Zenless Zone Zero, and Diablo Immortal.

While checking out these options, consider checking out the "Based On Your Last Downloads" section on the App Store or Google Play Store. This section makes recommendations based on your download history. It's not perfect, but that's how you discover the great Coffee Golf. If you don't find anything that catches your attention, be sure to check back often as it's constantly being updated.

4. Pay attention to paid games

A big draw of mobile gaming is the number of free titles, as you can immerse yourself in hundreds of hours of gameplay without spending a dime. For this reason, paid games may not seem appealing - but it's worth taking a few minutes to browse through the games and see what's up for grabs.

Games like Minecraft, Plague Inc, and Kingdom Rush 5 are some of the most popular paid games, and they're easily recommended for most people. Best of all, these titles typically don't use questionable microtransactions or force you to watch ads before continuing your play session.

Paid games are often more similar to those on PC and console, often developed and published by the same company. Picking a few paid games you like is a great alternative to subscribing to Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, which mainly consists of paid games. So if you don't want to pay monthly fees, pay for some of your favorite games.

5. Regularly visit certain Subreddits

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They say it takes a village to raise a child, and sometimes that's also true when it comes to finding good mobile games. Instead of relying solely on yourself to sift through the mobile market, head over to Reddit and check out the following subreddits:

iOSGaming (https://www.reddit.com/r/iosgaming/)
MobileGaming (https://www.reddit.com/r/MobileGaming/)
AndroidGaming (https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGaming/)

Not only can you browse other people's picks, but you can also post your own asking for help finding a specific type of game. For example, a recent post recommended Papers, Please and Dead Cells as the best games on iOS. Another user was looking for good multiplayer games and was directed to the Plato app.

The best part about using Reddit is having a constant stream of new posts and suggestions. Scroll through each subreddit several times a day to see if there's anything new and noteworthy.

6. Check Metacritic scores for mobile games

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Metacritic is a great place to find the best movies, TV shows, and video games. The great thing about hunting for mobile games is its search feature. After opening the main menu, simply click "Explore Games" to filter through all your options. Using this feature, you can narrow down your options to just mobile games.

Not only that, you can test out all the different filters to find the game that best suits your needs. For example, you can choose to only search for games released in a certain year or in a certain genre. There's also the option to view upcoming releases - giving you something to look forward to throughout the rest of the year.

The main downside to Metacritic is that its mobile game catalog is a bit smaller than other platforms. You'll only find about 50 mobile games on Metacritic released between 2019 and 2024, but that number increases to over 1,300 if you go back to 2010. This is a great way to find titles that carry iconic properties from years past, such as Crashlands or Bastion.

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