Our picks for mobile games of the year 2024 prove that there’s never been a better time to pick up your cell phone instead of a controller or mouse and keyboard. Each member of the Pocket Tactics team has managed to choose just one game as their favorite and gone into a little detail about why exactly it’s so good.
If you love all things portable, we’ve also picked out our Nintendo Switch games of the year. So head over there to see if your favorite title made the list. You may even find a new Switch game to pick up and play over the holidays.
Here are our picks for the best mobile games in 2024:
Honkai Star Rail – Ruby’s pick, Editor
I’m not going to apologize for making Honkai Star Rail my game of the year two years in a row. I’ve spent hundreds of hours this year exploring the Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony, building Honkai Star Rail’s Acheron into a damage-dealing machine, and completing the divergent universe far too many times.
Because Honkai Star Rail is so easy to play in bite-sized chunks, I believe I’ve played every single day this year for at least half an hour. Having the ability to wake up in the morning, spend a few minutes completing my dailies, and then get on with my day makes it so digestible and I can’t see myself removing it from my routine any time soon.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 – Kayleigh’s pick, Deputy Editor
Mob Entertainment claimed that Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 would be the most horrifying entry in the series so far, and it’s fair to say that it delivered on that promise. Deep Sleep is considerably longer than the previous two chapters, and, unbelievably, CatNap is even more menacing than Mommy Long Legs and Huggy Wuggy. With an interesting backstory and diabolical nature, he stalks you all throughout PlayCare with blink-and-you-miss-it encounters.
Playcare itself is chilling to explore, knowing this is where the children lived, the ones who would go on to become the terrifying toys you encounter. It also marks the debut of the Smiling Critters, the line of toys that CatNap belongs to – they’re my favorite group of playthings so far. While you finally get some much-needed answers in Chapter 3, it still raises some questions with an ending that continues to haunt me. Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 is just around the corner, and considering that Mob Entertainment is once again claiming the next entry to be the scariest yet, I can’t wait.
Infinity Nikki – Tilly’s pick, Guides Editor
While the Infinity Nikki release date only dropped at the beginning of December, it has quickly climbed to the very top of my 2024 GOTY list. This delightfully cozy game takes the iconic Nikki series in a whole new direction, inviting you to explore a gorgeous open world full of magic.
From the excitement of unlocking a new Infinity Nikki ability outfit to the joy of fishing, gathering materials, catching bugs, and uncovering the secrets hidden around every corner, Infinity Nikki is a truly enchanting experience that allows you to live out your most fashionable dreams. Plus, with new content and fresh Infinity Nikki events dropping with every Infinity Nikki update, I can’t wait to see how the game grows over the next year.
If you want to read more about this adorable adventure, be sure to check out our full Infinity Nikki review. We’ve also got a list of all the new Infinity Nikki codes if you fancy some free diamonds to use on the next Infinity Nikki banner.
Balatro – Connor’s pick, Hardware Editor
Someday in the future, when my life flashes before my eyes just before the final curtain call, I’m almost sure that I’ll be playing Balatro in the snippet from 2024. It feels like I’ve hardly done anything else this year. And you know what? I’ve got no regrets. This roguelike deckbuilder has kept my brain ticking for countless hours as I’ve chased the most mind-bending card combinations possible, and even as I write this, I’m thinking about playing it some more.
Like Stardew Valley and Vampire Survivors before it, there’s something about the game loop in Balatro that grabs me and doesn’t let go, and considering it’s five Game Awards nominations, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. All I need now is some DLC, and I can enjoy another year of playing poker hands and avoiding leaving the house. That’s the dream right there.
Project Sekai – Daz’s pick, Staff Writer
Was Project Sekai my mobile game of the year in 2023? Yes. Does that matter? No. This rhythm-game-slash-visual-novel has only continued to improve over the past year, especially as the global server finally got access to the third anniversary update. This massively overhauled the game’s visuals and progressed each of the Project Sekai characters’ stories significantly.
I downloaded Project Sekai within the first month of its Western release, so I feel like I’ve grown and changed alongside the characters as I’ve witnessed their lives change through music and friendship. Plus, it’s a bloody good rhythm game (and I should know, I play a lot of them) filled with tons of Vocaloid classics and original songs from practically every genre. If you’re a fan of visual novel games with lively animation and heartfelt tales, or simply love a good screen-tapping rhythm game break, you need to play Project Sekai.
Wuthering Waves – Holly’s pick, Staff Writer
What a year for gacha games, eh? Hoyoverse has some friendly competition in Wuthering Waves, which released mid-way through 2024. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, but the overworld mechanics like the grapple hook and sprinting without consuming stamina were a delightful surprise. Even the pity system is better than expected – there’s no 50/50 on the weapon banners, and max pity caps at 80 instead of the usual 90.
Plus, Kuro Games gave us the wonderful Wuthering Waves Xiangli Yao for free which revolutionized my teams. Combat is really interesting with the aforementioned grapple hook letting you zoom out of danger’s way, then plunge using a string of attacks that varies greatly from resonator to resonator. Characters like Wuthering Waves Camellya are truly fun to play as she spins and uses vines to suspend herself while hitting enemies. I’m really excited to see where this game goes in the future.
Hades – Verna’s pick, Staff Writer
I’ve loved Hades ever since it first came out back in 2020, and when Netflix Games brought Zagreus and his family of gods and goddesses to iOS back in March of this year, I couldn’t wait to see how it performed on mobile. As predicted, this zippy roguelike felt like it was made for handheld devices. It’s just as fast, just as fun, and just as cool on a smartphone as it is on consoles and PC, and there were little to no changes made.
The combat is still intuitive, the controls are still simple to master, and the visuals are just as sharp, colorful, and highly stylized as the original. As far as mobile ports go, this is arguably one of my favorites, because it plays exactly the same. Of all the mobile games I’ve played this year, Hades is the one I always find myself going back to. Much as Hypnos likes to make fun of me for it.
Warframe – Sam’s pick, Staff Writer
I’ve tried to get into massive live-service giants like Destiny 2 several times, going through the gauntlet of downloading its massive client, only to uninstall after being unable to ‘get’ what it’s all about. Warframe is just as daunting on the outside looking in, yet, I’ve been completely converted to its ways. There’s a great sense of freedom in Waframe, as Digital Extremes has forged the experience into a bona fide buffet of campaigns and experimental game modes that you quickly forget just how many gameplay systems are at work.
Somehow, it’s all been condensed into a fantastic mobile experience that doesn’t sacrifice any of the satisfaction its console counterparts offer. The horizon for Warframe burns bright too, with expansions like Warframe 1999 calling back to Digital Extremes’ Dark Void heritage – alongside some galactic boy band antics too, of course. Sliding, diving, and jumping like a space Max Payne should be enough reason to give Warframe a try on mobile.
There you have it, our favorites for 2024, did your GOTY make the list? If not, it may be on our list of the best mobile games or best mobile RPGs.