The best mobile online games of 2024

What gamer doesn't want to have his favorite game always at his fingertips? It will dispel boredom during a trip on public transportation, it will allow you not to lose your skills, and it's just fun. In the past, portable consoles such as Nintendo DS and PSP were responsible for this kind of entertainment. But now you can play anything on an ordinary smartphone. The hardware in modern mobile devices pulls three-dimensional graphics, screens have long gone beyond HD resolution, and Internet connection can be found anywhere, even in a city park or on a train. If you have problems with touch control, nothing prevents you from buying an accessory that can turn your cell phone into a gamepad with a display. In general, today we tell you about the best online games for Android and iOS gadgets.

Let's start with a hit that should be on the smartphone of any person who respects the genre of "battle royale" and in general action games with multiplayer. The mobile version of the popular game PUBG offers the same as the computer original, only the graphics are simpler and the control is adapted to touch screens. Together with other participants of the match you parachute onto the map, search for weapons, armor and supplies, and then engage in a battle to the last survivor on a gradually shrinking map. On a smartphone, unlike on a PC, bots can participate in the battle, which the algorithm adds for quantity - to get the necessary hundred heroes. Otherwise, you will have a familiar experience.

An important feature of PUBG Mobile is that it runs even on relatively weak devices, on which Genshin Impact, for example, turns into a slide show. But here gamers get comfortable frame rate in any scenes, even in firefights with several opponents at once. It is also noteworthy that the spin-off NEW STATE Mobile was released for the game on mobile devices - the developers called it "battle royale" of the new generation. The picture here is better, and there are no bots in the matches, but you'll need a more powerful system - you won't be able to accelerate with a phone for ten or fifteen thousand. However, both PUBGs are available for free, and nobody forbade experiments.

Apex Legends also has its own mobile version. But, unlike PUBG Mobile, this "battle royale" has several important differences from the original. First of all, there is a third-person view, not just first-person, and the selection of teams is organized in such a way that everyone on the battlefield has the same view. Secondly, on the smartphone fans of "Legends of Apex" get more modes: in addition to the usual and rating modes, there are several variants of desmatches, arenas and shooting ranges with daily tasks and rewards. However, it is not without compromises. There are fewer characters and maps than on PC, and the graphics, as it happens, is a bit simpler.

The experience of battles is enriched by pleasant little things. The game, for example, has support for wireless gamepads - if it's inconvenient to poke your fingers into the display, you can use a familiar manipulator. There is also automatic collection of loot as soon as your hero approaches it. Modules on guns are also attached independently, which is not always convenient, especially with optical sights. But the characters got a full-fledged role-playing pumping and a lot of all kinds of jewelry - available for real currency, of course, while the action movie itself is free. In other words, the PC-version of the shooter is very different from the portable one. And variety is always good for you.

We can not ignore the most famous series of military shooters. Mobile Call of Duty has existed for a long time, since October 2019, so it managed to change more than a dozen seasons and acquire a lot of patches, which made the game if not perfect, then one of the highest quality for sure. There's only multiplayer here - no story or single-player campaigns. Nevertheless, there are maps familiar to fans: something from Black Ops, something from Modern Warfare and other releases. There's no need to talk about touchscreen control - it's calibrated to millimeter, and you can customize it to your liking. For example, you can assign one press to both aiming and shooting. Or play in a simplified mode, when the character opens fire as soon as the enemy appears in the field of vision.

Sounds, animation, effects - everything is realized at a decent level for smartphones. It's no coincidence that tech reviewers use CoD: Mobile as a kind of benchmark - they check how many frames per second the game produces on this or that gadget. At the same time, its system requirements are gentle, so you won't have to rake in money for a flagship device for the sake of entertainment. Fans of rich arsenals will be satisfied: here you will find all the rifles from PC-versions, and shotguns, and submachine guns, dodgers and even grenade launchers with flamethrowers, as well as special attacks for a series of useful actions - you can make a missile strike on the enemy. Do not forget about classes with items from combat passes. Finally, the game is available for free - what more could you want?

This online fighter was made specifically for those who would like to get a full-fledged analog of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on their smartphone - with terrorists, special forces, storming buildings, planting bombs and everything in that spirit. While it's easy to find other CS clones for Android and iOS, including Modern Strike and Critical Ops, this one is valuable for its quality. Standoff 2 is perfect for gamers who want to pass the time on their way to work or school, because the matches here are very dynamic and last no more than a dozen minutes. That's just enough time to make a few stops. The maps contribute to this pace: they are compact, but full of hiding places, corridors, and bypasses.

There are several modes in the game. In one, the first team lays a bomb, and the second team must defuse the explosive device or just shoot the enemies. There is also "Team Battle", in which the squads compete, who will kill more enemies. And in the "Arms Race" you have to eliminate opponents for a while, and from pre-specified guns. The set of the latter is generally familiar - everything from "Emka" and "Kalash" to Desert Eagle shoots in the same way as in Counter-Strike. At the same time, the technical requirements of the shooter are democratic - you can play even on an outdated smartphone, as long as the Internet connection was stable.

The Supercell company is known to the public, because it was its specialists who created the strategy Clash of Clans and the farm simulator Hay Day. Brawl Stars is the same bright game, where teams of three heroes compete with each other on small arenas. Much of the match depends on the chosen character: there are Stormtroopers, Medics, Engineers, Bombers, Gunners and other classes to choose from, and each of the fighters has a special skill, not to mention a remarkable appearance. Given the cartoon style, the competitions look very fun - just the right time to pass the evening with friends or to entertain a child with something, as the age rating here is "7+". It is clear that the action game does not require a lot of resources from your smartphone, and it is available for free.

But the most remarkable thing is the variety of modes. You can try your strength in a classic fight, play virtual soccer or "Crystal Capture", when the squads must hold points on the map, or even take part in a real "battle royale". There is also the reflection of waves of robots, group raids on bosses, desmatch, siege, duels, pumping heroes in your free time from action, collecting battle pass rewards - you won't get bored in Brawl Stars. If you prefer a variety of mechanics, adrenaline-fueled matches and colorful style, this game will definitely find a place on your mobile device.

It would be too banal to mention Minecraft in this selection, after all, this "sandbox" is available on almost all platforms, including the most exotic ones. But Roblox is a frequent guest on mobile devices. Here you can create your own matches, competitions and individual levels to then pass them together with friends. The product, of course, is not new - it was released in 2006. But it is very popular. Note for clarity that in 2019 Roblox had more users than the entire Steam store, and in early 2024 the virtual constructor set another record - gained 9.7 million simultaneous active connections.

Where does such fame come from? The thing is that Roblox is not a game, but an entire platform, on which analogs of industry hits have already been created. Here, for example, there are their own Minecraft, The Sims and Fortnite. They are called differently, but the essence is the same. The gamer is free to use someone else's developments or, if you have imagination and creativity, to make something of your own. The platform allows you to experiment with any genre, from shooter and racing to flight simulator and economic strategy, and then screw multiplayer to the project. The means of the artist, of course, are limited - there is nothing to dream about a realistic picture. But in case of success you can get quite a real reward - everything is free, but no one canceled the purchase of cosmetic items.

Smartphone users are not left without battles in MOBAs, i.e. in the online battle arena, where action with a view from above and strategy are mixed. One of the leaders of the genre on mobile devices is League of Legends: Wild Rift. The popularity of the game has even grown recently due to the success of the animated series "Arcane" based on it. The essence of each game is that two teams of five participants, playing on a symmetrical map, must pump their heroes and destroy the opponents' base. But to do this is much harder than say, because the match requires high concentration, teamwork, thorough knowledge of the terrain and skills of your character. Otherwise, there is nothing to count on winning.

Although the portable League of Legends was created from scratch, it doesn't have many differences. Here all controls are on the display, for the convenience of playing with a touchscreen the skills of some heroes were redesigned, not to say simplified, but otherwise the studio Riot Games repeated the original one and the same. Even the graphics did not have to be cut, as it is usually done - LoL is already rid of technical contrivances for the sake of higher frame rate and smooth animations. Before the release of Wild Rift, there was an opinion among gamers that MOBA is unlikely to take root on smartphones because of the complexity of control. But now everything has changed - anyone can try their skills on the mid for free.

Although recently this gacha-RPG with turn-based battles was advertised from every iron, obsessive marketing doesn't mean that it's not worthy of attention. In fact, Raid: Shadow Legends is a great way to "stick" for an hour or two and pass the time without any tension. There's really no need to make an effort here, because it's not a MOBA or a team-based shooter. You just take command of a group of heroes in the fairy-tale kingdom of Teleria to defeat all the monsters of the evil Cyrot. The choice of fighters in the game is huge - there are more than four hundred of them, and each of them can be upgraded to level 60 to create a squad of really unique characters.

Most of the time in Shadow Legends goes like this: you line up your squad against an enemy squad, and then the heroes take turns hitting each other. You can intervene to use a special attack, but in general everything is automatic. If you win, you get a reward and resources to improve your characters. If one of them did not live up to expectations, it is allowed to replace him with any other from the collection. As is customary in the genre, in addition to the story campaign the gamer has access to boss raids and duels with other users in the Arena, as well as regular challenges, the composition of which is constantly changing. In general, there is a lot to do, and also for free.

And here's an entertainment for those who would like to wiggle their brains a bit. The collectible card game Hearthstone has become a hit on various platforms, including mobile. It, firstly, is related to the popular fantasy universe of Warcraft, and, secondly, offers a perfectly calibrated balance, giving the users' wit to unfold. Although there are several decks in the game (you can play as a Shaman, Necromancer, Hunter, Druid, Priest, Death Knight and so on), the rules are the same for all of them. Each battle is a duel, where the opponents receive cards from the chosen decks and take turns until one of the participants wins.

It sounds simple, but in reality you have to play the game wisely. You have to calculate the mana expenditure for the use of cards, activate your hero's class skill wisely, and be cunning when it's appropriate. And most importantly, you need to know what your deck and the enemy deck are capable of, so you can quickly figure out how to use spells and creatures randomly given to you for maximum benefit. In this form, the game becomes a tactical puzzle game. In addition to the usual duels, Hearthstone offers ranked and story modes, as well as "Battlefields" for up to eight gamers moving cards around the field like chess pieces.

And, as long as we remember chess, we can't ignore Auto Chess. In fact, it is not even a game, but a whole genre, which was started by one of the DotA modifications, where the heroes of the popular MOBA fight on the chessboard. Several players take part in the game, each of whom controls unique characters with magical abilities instead of pawns and queens. The battle takes place in several rounds: first you are offered to pump your fighters in PvE, and then to clash in PvP - among themselves. There is no strategy with moves like "E2-E4" and long deliberation of the opponent's idea.

The case in Auto Chess is much more important than in regular chess, because the drop of items when pumping heroes is unpredictable. That is, you can approach PvP with a well-pumped hero. Not for nothing this game is compared to Hearthstone - in the sense that the rules seem to be elementary, but in a match you must come up with tactics with the effective use of resources obtained randomly. Otherwise, the project can be a great substitute for KKI for those who don't really like maps, and you can join for free. Although you will still need some knowledge about heroes and items from Dota.

And what games for smartphones brighten your leisure time?