When the first-ever mobile phone was created in 1973, nobody could have foreseen how quickly they have evolved. Gaming on phones is now a given but it wasn’t until 1994 for a game to be included on one when Tetris came pre-installed on the Hagenuk MT-2000.
Three years later, we got to play Snake on a mobile phone for the first time when it launched on the Nokia 6110.
The popularity of Snake saw phone companies pay more attention to gaming and nowadays, users have countless gaming options via the App Store on Apple and Google Play on Android.
The days of Snake and Tetris are over (although versions of them are still available to download) but what are the trends and top apps of 2024 when it comes to gaming? Let’s take a look.
Trends and Top Apps of 2024: Gaming
Monopoly Go
Monopoly Go is a highly addictive, easy-to-play game that was released in April 2023. The game uses the concept of Monopoly, where players roll a dice and move around a board but instead of trying to buy properties, players are tasked with building landmarks and completing “boards” (which are effectively the levels in this game).
The fun and interactive part of Monopoly Go occurs when users land on a train station. This allows them to either steal coins from friends or attack their current game board with a bulldozer.
The developers have continued to keep the game fresh by running frequent events which allows users to earn extra dice rolls and coins while they have also incorporated a card collection gimmick within the game.
Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers has been around for over a decade now but its popularity isn’t dwindling. A large reason for its success is its simplicity. All users have to do is sit there and swipe from left to right or vice versa making it an easy game to play on the commute to and from work or on the sofa while watching the TV.
The game follows a graffiti artist who is running down a subway track trying to evade the authorities and oncoming trains. Users dodge the trains by moving from left to right and, on occasion, by jumping on top of them. To make the game more fun, developers have incorporated power-ups throughout the run and often run in-game events.
Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is another game which has well and truly stood the test of time. The game was first launched in 2012 and has consistently remained one of the most played and downloaded games across iOS and Android ever since.
Candy Crush is a tile-matching game where players have to swap around coloured pieces of candy on a board to connect three or more together. Once three or more connect, the candy explodes which earns them points and drops more candy onto the board. Each level has a specific goal to complete and once the goal is met, players can move on to the next level.
Roblox
Roblox is different from the other games on this list in that it is a platform where users are given the ability to create games for other Roblox users to play or play ones that other Roblox users have created. The app was created back in the noughties but its popularity ramped up significantly during the Covid pandemic as people turned to mobile phones for entertainment.
While you can enjoy Roblox without paying anything, users will generally have a better experience if they purchase some Robux – the in-game currency. This allows users to purchase items, accessories and upgrades to make the Roblox experience more fun and fulfilling.
Royal Match
The final game that we need to talk about is Royal Match. This is similar to Candy Crush Saga in that it is a tile-matching game where users are tasked with matching three or more of the same tile as they look to help a King fix his castle.
By matching tiles, users earn point and they need to earn a certain number of points to complete the level and move onto the next one. Users start the game with five lives and lose one each time they fail to complete a level. Once all five have gone, they then have to turn the game off and wait for lives to regenerate or purchase new ones with real money.
