This decade, mobile games have reached unprecedented heights. Despite a slight dip after the pandemic’s record highs, mobile game revenue continues to rise. In fact, it’s projected to surpass $90 billion by 2026. More people than ever are playing games on their smartphones, covering a wide range of genres. 

While we’re already well into the decade, shortlisting the best games is no easy task, with so many making a huge impact. Nevertheless, here are our favorite recent mobile games, and the reasons behind their success.

Criteria for choosing the decade’s best mobile games

When choosing the decade’s best mobile games, we considered the following factors:

• Critical reception: Player reviews and high Metacritic scores reflect a game’s broad reach and high quality. 
• Sales and downloads: Commercial success further highlights a game’s popularity. 
• Cultural impact: Mobile games that are referenced online, inspire trends, and become iconic. 
• Mobile game aesthetics: High-quality visuals, audio, and other aesthetics that positively impact player experience. 
• Replayability on mobile: Mobile games with addictive game mechanics that keep players engaged and returning for more.

With these criteria in mind, we ended up with a diverse range of titles. From RPGs and roguelike deck-building games to MOBA epics, this decade has had it all so far. 

Counting down the 9 best mobile games of the 2020s so far

Let’s run down the very best that the mobile game industry has given us so far this decade. Which mobile game ended up at number one? Read on to find out. 

9. Fantasian

When Final Fantasy’s Hironobu Sakaguchi is at the helm, you know your game’s in safe hands. Fantasian took the gaming world by storm in 2021. This iOS title has all the key components of an RPG game, most notably turn-based fighting. But the producers gave it a fresh twist, with stunning visuals and a killer score from Nobuo Uematsu. 

Fantasian follows amnesiac Leo, who travels between worlds after ending up in a battle between chaos and order. This game manages to attract a new audience to RPGs. It’s great for beginners, while also ticking the boxes of seasoned players of the genre. The game is full of neat controls, many save points, and enthralling fights. The game’s environment being created with real-world diorama models is classic Sakaguchi.

8. Hello Kitty Island Adventure

If you don’t know Hello Kitty, then where have you been for the last 30 years? Synonymous with modern Japan, this adorable feline has an infinite supply of merchandise and media. And mobile game Hello Kitty Island Adventure is one of the brand’s latest additions. This adventure/platform is like Animal Crossing in gameplay but on an island full of Sanrio characters.

Your created character lands on the titular island, where you have to work with other characters to rebuild it. There are plenty of wacky activities to get up to, like baking, fishing, and solving various mysteries. With so much content in this colorful game, it’s no wonder that players struggle to put it down.

7. Poinpy

Jeez, Netflix is making games too these days? The streaming service has partnered up with Devolver Digital to produce numerous games. But Poinpy might be the best of the bunch. Kind of the opposite of Downwell, Poinpy sees the titular green dinosaur ascend through many environments. It collects fruits to feed a blue beast that chases it. 

The gameplay is simple, in theory, as players drag the screen and release to launch Poinpy upward. But this can often put Poinpy in compromising scenarios, like getting caught in obstacles. Players can keep the bouncy dinosaur going though by earning extra jumps.

6. Balatro

There’s no rhyme and reason to what makes a successful mobile game. They come in all different styles and genres. But well-designed card games always have the potential to be successful. In 2024, that game happened to be Balatro. This roguelike deck-building game was the best-selling game on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. 

Canadian indie games studio LocalThunk gave basic poker mechanics a strategic roguelike twist. Players build a deck of poker-style hands to reach numerous stages. They face various bosses and challenges along the way. This mashup of game styles makes it extremely addictive.

5. Rocket League Sideswipe

People love soccer, and people love cars. So why not combine the two? That was the original pitch of this unlikely hit. After performing well on multiple platforms, Psyonix decided to please those crying out for a mobile version. The end result was the spinoff game Rocket League Sideswipe. 

They applied the original’s fundamentals to create a 2D, faster-paced version with touchscreen controls. Players can still enjoy the 1v1 and 2v2 matches. But they can also shoot, nudge, and bounce the huge soccer ball, albeit in a side-scrolling fashion.

4. Marvel Snap

As if more than 40 MCU films and shows weren’t enough Marvel content to sink your teeth into. This free-to-play digital collectible card game still surprised gamers with its unique format. Imagine if Marvel’s characters and Hearthstone‘s competitive deckbuilding had a baby. 

The game is built around card fights that last just a couple of minutes across three locations. Players stack decks of 12 cards representing iconic Marvel heroes and villains. The player with the superior powers in two of three locations wins the game. 

This is ideal for mobile users looking for a quick distraction from everyday life. But it’s super addictive as players can climb the game ladder and unlock new cards very quickly.

3. League of Legends: Wild Rift 

Netflix series Arcane was already taking this iconic MOBA brand to new audiences. Then you add League of Legends: Wild Rift to the mix and it’s safe to say that 2021 was a big year for LoL fans. 

The basic story elements are still there. Your team has to battle the enemy (5v5) to gain control of the territory and destroy the Nexus. There’s also the classic LoL feature of building up power with new abilities and weapons. 

Riot Games stripped down LoL for mobile, easing the learning curve for casual gamers. Wild Rift might be the best way for mobile gamers to enter LoL because of its shortened match times and smaller map size. Its vivid design, simple on-screen gameplay, and well-crafted touchscreen controls all deserve praise.

2. Honkai: Star Rail

Set in the HoYoverse, Honkai: Star Rail is a captivating, visually stunning RPG gacha game. It sees the main character ride the Astral Express across planets to resolve many “Stellaron”-induced disasters. Honkai borrows some gameplay elements from fellow miHoYo game Genshin Impact. But Honkai stands on its own for its turn-based combat and linear storytelling.

1. Genshin Impact

Sure, it’s available on most platforms these days. But Genshin Impact first came out on Android and iOS, surprising players with its console-quality visuals and gameplay. You can swim, run, climb, glide, fight, and perform many other actions on this exciting action RPG. 

Set in the expansive world of Teyvat, Genshin Impact has ancient gods and plenty of mysteries for players to discover. There is brilliant voiceover work and anime-inspired graphics to die for. 

Remarkably, this was available for free from the get-go. It sounded too good to be true for early downloaders. With a large amount of content to discover, you can roll for new characters with a special in-game currency.