Whether you've got a degree in particle physics or you used to fall asleep in the biology lab, there are science games on portable platforms out there to suit every person's interests. Surprisingly enough, science can be fun when you're not forced to study for exams! It also fits into a range of genres, so take a look at our list of the best science games below to find your next experiment.
Of course, science isn't the only genre out there. We've got heaps of lists of great games, including the best geography games, golf games, football games, bear games, dinosaur games, wrestling games, mystery games, cat games, horse games, and horror games for every gamer out there.
Here are the best science games on portable platforms:
Alien: Isolation
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, Windows handhelds
We're starting off strong with one of the best horror games for Nintendo Switch ever made, Alien: Isolation. You play as Amanda Ripley, 15 years after her mother, Ellen, failed to return to Earth. Yeah, we all know what happened there, and Amanda is about to find out the hard way.
Trapped in a labyrinthine space station with one of the deadliest lifeforms known to science you must find a way to survive. Definitely a great pick if you want to learn more about the science of fear!
Plague Inc: Evolved
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, Windows handhelds
Plague Inc: Evolved is a unique spin on grand real-time strategy games like Age of Empires where instead of spreading your empire across the globe, you're spreading a virus.
Simulate your own pandemics and try to destroy the human race as quickly as possible. There's even DLC that flips the script and lets you work to stop a global pandemic. Wonder what could have inspired that?
Tesla vs Lovecraft
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, Windows handhelds
This one's a bit of a tenuous link, but who doesn't want to play as a mech-piloting version of Nikola Tesla? What's more, as the name suggests, you get to mow down hordes of Lovecraftian minions in single-player or with friends in local co-op.
This one's available on Switch and mobile, so you could even play as Tesla in your Tesla if you really wanted. We don't recommend gaming while driving.
Terra Nil
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, Windows handhelds
This reverse city builder lets you use the power of science to breathe life back into barren wastelands, restoring ecosystems to their former glory after climate change decimated them.
Terra Nil is bright, replayable, and offers some hope in the face of a climate emergency. Plus, it's visually stunning - just look at those coral reefs! It's just one of the great Netflix games on offer to those of you with a subscription.
Little Alchemy
Portable platforms: Android, iOS
People might argue over whether alchemy is science or magic, but Little Alchemy encapsulates the most fun part of chemistry - mixing stuff together!
Start with the four basic elements and mix your way to discovering the dinosaurs. Don't ask us how - we're not real scientists, we just pretend to be them in videogames.
Bridge Constructor Portal
Portable platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS, Steam Deck, Windows handhelds
Combining the physics-based fun of Portal with the engineering experience of Bridge Constructor is the aptly named Bridge Constructor Portal, a science game set in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center where you must use the company's inventions to solve complex puzzles.
Avoid plenty of hazards that definitely aren't OSHA-compliant and bridge-construct your way to a cake reward! What? The cake is a lie?
That's everything we've got for the best science games. If you fancy taking your newfound knowledge to a blocky dimension, check out our list of Roblox games and find one that takes your fancy. You can even grab some freebies from our Project Slayers codes, Roblox Doors codes, and Anime World Tower Defense codes guides.