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The best casual games in 2024

From dressing up with the Queer Eye guys, to bringing down buildings with the Angry Birds, our list of the best mobile casual games has something for everyone.

Screenshot from Zoo Keeper mobile casual game with humans and animals on screen in the same area

There’s no better way to waste half an hour than with the best casual games. Whether it’s a pick-up-and-play puzzler, or an idle tycoon tap-a-thon, sometimes an easy time is a good time, and we have no problem with that at all.

If you’re still not sure what to play but love a good theme, why not check out our picks for the best samurai games, assassin games, fashion games, and cowboy games. Or, if you prefer an athletic pursuit in your leisure time, browse through our lists of the best football games, basketball games, bowling games, and tennis games.

With that out of the way let’s kick back, relax, and saunter into our list of the best mobile casual games. The best mobile casual games are:

What the Golf?

We love a wacky sports sim that pushes you to think outside of the box, and What the Golf? delivers on all fronts. With an impressive amount of levels to eat away at your time, you’ll be blown away by the outrageous mini-games that involve crab golf, some stealth elements, and even a Portal tribute section. 

While it’s not a live-service game like others on this list, the lack of new content isn’t really an issue for What the Golf? due to a surprising depth in the amount of content available. If you’d prefer something a little more serious, and with a little less crab, be sure to check out our list of the best golf games on Switch and mobile.

Play What the Golf? on Apple Arcade.

Animals & Coins Adventures

Animals & Coins Adventures is a game with a simple aim, collect coins and build massive bridges as an adorable animal. In this fun-filled adventure, there are also treasure islands to raid, kingdoms to explore, and cards to collect.

You can also play Animals & Coins Adventures with your Facebook friends, but beware, they can visit your island to wreak havoc and steal your precious coins.

Harvest Land

Harvest Land is a magical farming game where you build up your very own village. Build homes for your people, tame and take care of adorable animals, fight any monsters that put your new home at risk, and watch your settlement prosper. You might even uncover some mysteries and secrets along the way.

Mixing elements of farm game and city builder, there’s always plenty to do, including cultivating crops, raising sweet animals such as chickens, pigs, and cows, constructing useful facilities such as sawmills, mines, and more – and you can carry a whole world in your pocket. It’s simple, sweet, and a lot of fun on the go.

Play Harvest Land for free.

Idle Miner Tycoon

There’s nothing more casual than an idle game, so we had to include Idle Miner Tycoon on our list. In a similar vein to its tycoon compatriots, this title gives you a peek into the true workings of capitalism, and you’ll have a surprisingly good time while doing so.

Earn millions of in-game dollars by upgrading your mine and eventually hiring a couple of specialists, so you can sit back and put your feet up, watching the money roll in.

Play Idle Miner Tycoon for free.

Zookeeper World

Challenging Candy Crush for the best mobile puzzler, ZooKeeper combines match-three mechanics with a zoo tycoon simulator for a unique experience. It makes our list of the best casual games just because of how easy it is the pick up for a quick round of monkey-matching, as well as the adorable animals that occupy your grounds. You’ll find this one included in your Apple Arcade subscription too, which is always a bonus.

Play Zookeeper World on Apple Arcade.

YAHTZEE With Buddies

If you’re a fan of Hasbro’s dice-rolling, number combination game, then YAHTZEE With Buddies is the game for you. You’re able to play this officially licensed version of Yahtzee with friends or by yourself if you’re not in the mood to socialize.

You can also customize your experience with unique dice, fun frames, and themed game boards that show off your style to your friends and family.

Play YAHTZEE With Buddies for free.

Monument Valley 2

If you like your casual games with a good helping of charm and ingenuity, then Monument Valley 2 might be right up your street. It’s one of the few games on this list with a narrative component, but much like the gameplay, the story stays at a pace that is easy enough to dip in and out of, without losing any of the magic. If you’re still not sure, why not check out our Monument Valley 2 review for the full breakdown?

Play Monument Valley 2+ on Apple Arcade.

Crossy Road

A certified classic, millions around the world have wasted their time, and loved every second of it, while playing Crossy Road. For those that don’t know, it’s essentially Frogger, but with a massive roster of playable characters to use in your quest to reach the other side. For a game with such a simple objective, you might be surprised how many hours you end up sinking into Crossy Road. Just remember to look both ways before you do.

Play Crossy Road on Apple Arcade.

Mini Metro

A transport sim without a million menus or a needlessly confusing design, Mini Metro is a quaintly designed puzzler that goes deeper than it looks. The job of designing subway systems for London, Paris, and other iconic capital cities is made easier than ever before with a zen-like interface and a soothing synth soundtrack. It’s another Apple Arcade title, so you can grab this one as part of your subscription.

Play Mini Metro+ on Apple Arcade.

A screenshot of the casual game Idle Bank Tycoon, showing a bank full of customers

Idle Bank Tycoon: Money Empire

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a hot shot banking tycoon? Well, now you can get the experience without any of the work in the superb casual business sim, Idle Bank Tycoon: Money Empire. Start off with a small branch then continue to upgrade and expand until you have your very own bank empire. You can even hire managers to keep the cash flowing while you’re offline!

Cover art for Angry Birds 2, one of the most popular casual games

Angry Birds 2

With the threat of making the Angry Birds even angrier, we couldn’t risk not including the mobile classic on our list. For those that don’t know – and where exactly have you been for the last fifteen years – Angry Birds is simple enough concept, with you taking control of a catapult that launches the titular flightless birds into constructions, with the aim of knocking them down. 

It sounds simple enough, but the gameplay loop is infamously difficult to put down, and you’ll be surprised how time flies alongside the Angry Birds. Now with countless iterations, spin-offs, tie-ins, and just about everything else a franchise could spit out, there’s still little competition out there for a smashing good time with a catapult and a few angsty avians.

Key art for Candy Crush, another classic on our list of casual games

Candy Crush

Ok, so it won’t be all classics, but if you’re looking for a casual game and haven’t tried Candy Crush, it really is the place to start. It’s the very definition of an easy-to-play/hard to put down title, with popping colours, creative candy powerups, and a decent amount of gameplay variety. In fact, the pick-n-mix puzzler is so popular it’s spawned a legion of spin-offs, which you can find out more about in our list of the best Candy Crush games.

Cover art for Stardew Valley, a farming casual game

Stardew Valley

There’s nothing much more casual than the easy life, fishing, farming, and maybe even falling in love in a rural destination. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, then Stardew Valley is the game for you. Despite coming in such a small package, this game has hours of content, so many secrets to unlock, and a long list of crops and vegetables to turn your patch of land into a lucrative harvest. 

If spending a few seasons as a farmer sounds like a good idea to you, get ahead of the curve with our helpful guides, including all the need-to-know info on Stardew Valley fish and Stardew Valley characters. Or, if you’ve already taken the trip to Pelican Town, see our picks for the best games like Stardew Valley.

Promo art from Project Makeover, our fashionable pick from the casual games on mobile

Project Makeover

Don’t worry fashionistas, we’ve not left you out. If you love watching a glow-up, or need a few tips to get a little more glam yourself, Project Makeover is a good time that won’t give you a dressing down for the odd fashion faux-pas. Having recently enjoyed a Queer Eye crossover, there’s never been a better time to find your style with Project Makeover.

Cover art for AdVenture Capitalist, one of the better casual tycoon games on mobile

AdVenture Capitalist

Next time someone says to you “more money, more problems” ask them if they’ve ever played AdVenture Capitalist. As you might expect, AdVenture Capitalist puts the dollar above all else, in a quest to monopolise the universe, planet by planet. Fortunately, all you need to do to make it happen is click, click, and click again in this idle tycoon wealth accumulator, and once you unlock an auto-clicker, the moolah really starts to roll in. 

There you have it! Our picks for the best mobile casual games, with a little something for everyone. If you’re looking for a challenge after one of these easy rides, be sure to check out our picks for the best mobile roguelikes.