For the past decade, mobile gaming has experienced the highest level of growth in the video gaming industry. A recent report from data.ia and International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that it dominates 60% of the entire gaming market. Its rise is no surprise given the increased accessibility to smartphones around the world, and the ease of play it affords phone users.
Like your everyday video game, smartphone games also come in several genres. They include FPS, action, battle royale, sports, adventure, social games and many more. What this means is there’s something for every gamer, regardless of their taste. We take a look at the best genres available on mobile.
Arcade Games
Arcade games often have short rounds, simplistic controls, and vastly escalating difficulty. The concepts are simple to understand but tough to master. Players have multiple lives, and levels gradually become difficult as you progress. These factors seem to have made arcade games a success over the years.
These games frequently provide players with advantages like boost-ups, bonuses, and restarts. Games like Sonic and Pac-Man are held in high esteem for their groundbreaking innovations. Interestingly, the three arcade machines that shaped mobile gaming include Pong, Fortune Coin, and Tetris.
Currently, Konami, SEGA, and Capcom are taking the arcade world by storm. These companies sell a wide variety of downloadable games for Apple and Android devices.
Social Games
Social games are a modern category that let players interact with each other during gameplay using text. Game providers and promoters gain from building a community and keeping players absorbed for lengthy periods. It also helps to boost ad revenue and returns on ad spend (ROAS) for the companies.
The modern genre of games has certain essential elements that make it stand out. They include social media integration, guild mechanics, chat functionality, activity feeds, and leaderboards. One trending social game you can play with friends is Slotomania, which offers you free coins to play slots for free.
However, it differs from real money slots that pay actual cash prizes. Players may identify the best places to play these slots for real money by using comparison sites. They provide an overview of each provider and gaming advice for playing the various slot machines, including information on the bonuses available for these games and how to claim them.
Other popular social game titles include Pokémon Go, which was the fastest mobile game to reach $100m in earnings, PPPoker, Among Us, and Clash of Clans.
Puzzle Games
Puzzles are a great way to put your problem-solving abilities to the test, especially those related to logic, pattern identification, and word completion. Sub-genres of puzzle video games include physics games, coding, exploration, hidden object, and tile matching.
The goal of most tile-matching video games is to have the player eliminate tiles that are visually similar to one another. In physics simulations, the player must utilize the game’s mechanics and functions in solving each challenge. The style is often used in mobile and browser-based games. A couple of typical exploration puzzle games include point-and-click adventures such as Monument Valley, Lymbo, and Myst.
Sports Games
Sports are inherently competitive, and the ability to play for free against friends has led to the explosion in the popularity of virtual sports games. This subgenre focuses on simulating actual sporting events in a computer model. Sports video games mimic real-world competitions, with the use of computer-controlled “bots” or AI.
The primary focus of games in this category is on the player engaging in a sporting activity or developing tactics for a virtual team. Sports games usually let you play against a human opponent or computer and feature soccer, football, or baseball themes. Popular video games, such as NBA 2K and FIFA, are inspired by real-world sports in both strategy and gameplay.
Adventure Games
The genre takes players on a new kind of experience, complete with a sweeping narrative, nonstop action, and stunning visuals. Most video game protagonists can be nimble and wield some sort of unique weapon or power.
Some titles that fit this category include Modern Combat and PUBG. To progress through them, players face several obstacles and overcome various riddles. They are distinguished by their use of reflex-based action, item collection, problem-solving, and exploratory environments.
