If you still don't consider phones and tablets to be suitable gaming devices, it's time to catch up. Gone are the days when the best game on a mobile was Snake, nowadays Android and iOS have a plethora of console ports. And with projects like Project xCloud and Google Stadia, console gaming is taking over mobile in a big way. Phones and tablets continue to get faster and more efficient, some of our best gaming phones could compete with consoles (much older, but still). Also, the number of older games that can be re-released on mobile is increasing. With that in mind, we dug deep into the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to find the 30 console games and game series you should check out ASAP. Some of our picks appeared on PC before reaching consoles, but these are still examples of the best games we never imagined playing on our phones.
Grand theft auto series
Rockstar Games has done more than most to prove that phones and tablets can hack "proper" games, to use the language of some forum posters, by releasing a series of classic Grand Theft Auto titles for iOS and Android. From the main lineage of GTA, you can play GTA 3, the first full 3D entry in the series, as well as fan favorites Vice City and San Andreas. At the time, people wondered if the PS2 could really hack San Andreas, and now you can play it on an iPhone 4S. Furious. Nor is it the end. You can also get Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars DS / PSP classic and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories from the PSP, which also came to PS2. Play all of them back to back and you could spend a year browsing just these titles. Nostalgia aside for a minute, San Andreas is the richest of the lot, but Chinatown Wars and Liberty City Stories might be easier to hack if you're having trouble with these on-screen controls. On iTunes, you can even buy a bundle that includes all Rockstar ports, saving you quite a bit of money.
stupid
The history books may remember Bully as a monster in the group of beasts that make up Rockstar's catalogue, but there's a strong argument that it's better than some of the GTA games. the most famous Bully takes the open world style of the Grand Theft Auto games, but grafts it onto a school rather than a city. You play a little ASBO imbued with a character attitude, circling the venue on a skateboard, wreaking havoc. But you're not the bully: it's your job to confront them. However, the real draw here lies in the characters and stories, which are always irreverent and often hilarious.
Sonic the Hedgehog
In the '90s, we didn't have to worry about Trump vs. Clinton, but Mario vs. Sonic. With 20 years of hindsight, Mario won. But the big side effect is that we can now play the Sonic classics on mobile, while Mario Run is all the official Nintendo plumber action you'll ever get on your phone. There are a few Sonic options. SEGA has released the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic CD for iOS and Android. Most of you are probably familiar with the Sonic Drill - it's a platformer that, by 16-bit console standards at least, flies at around 90mph. SEGA hasn't tried to modernize this trio of classics, just using the extra pixels from modern phones to keep the visuals nice and clean. Even the joystick controls work well.
Crazy Taxi Classic
At the end of the 2000th century, Crazy Taxi was one of the main weird titles we liked to see in the gallery, when those things weren't the quaint places your grandfather talked about. nostalgically In 3, it was part of the second wave of Sega Dreamcast titles. It's a game from another era, but one that has a lot more in common with the way mobile games are played than almost every other option here. You frantically pick up passengers and drop them off in a XNUMXD cartoon city, with only a few minutes to play, saving more time for more people than you deliver. It's fast and addictive, just like many casual games that are currently hooked on in-app purchase. Sega has also released a remixed mobile version of this format, Crazy Taxi City Rush, but this is the original that we recommend for a proper console/arcade experience.
Max Payne Mobile
Yet another Rockstar Games title to discover, Max Payne Mobile is a full portal into the action-adventure that made "bullet time" a thing in the early 2000s. This craze has more or less subsided, so to explain: after the release of The Matrix, slow motion suddenly became the coolest thing we've ever seen. Next to leather trenches. Max Payne was the game that really made the mechanics work, allowing you to reduce the time to take out a bunch of bad guys without it turning into an auto-aim cheating party. On a touch screen, Max Payne's third-person action can be hard to control, but the story and level design have aged much better than most titles out there. 20 years.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Plenty of mediocre Star Wars games have come along over the years, but Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was different. Made by Bioware, it was a precursor to the Mass Effect games that, for many, were the highlight of the last generation of consoles. It's an RPG adventure where combat uses a continuous turn-based system, which makes it easier to handle on a tablet or phone than real-time combat. It was already a pretty intense experience on Xbox, but it's surprisingly manageable on mobile. Hardcore RPG fans still resonate today about how KOTOR's story is one of the most interesting ever told in a game. We're not going to spoil anything here, as it depends on ; a series of twists and turns that will make you drop your tablet. In a good way
Raiden's legacy
Cheat Alert: The Raiden game series was originally released on the arcade. These aren't strictly console games, but they came to Xbox 360 in 2008 as the Raiden Fighters Aces. DotEmu's Raiden Legacy for iOS and Android includes four whoppers. You get Raiden, Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters II, and Raiden Fighters Jet. It's even better than the Xbox 360 compilation, which didn't include the original Raiden. For the uninitiated, these games are vertical shooters. You control a fighter jet with your finger, moving the thing around to avoid enemy fire as you blow up everything on the screen. It is a perfect fit for phone games.
Rayman Classic
Gamers from the '90s may have fond memories of the original Rayman. Its beautiful, hand-drawn graphics were impressive at the beginning of CD consoles, and they still look great today. Actually, play Rayman and you'll get a quick lesson in how hard the games were: the first step is very easy, but the difficulty escalates quickly. The on-screen controls work well, but you'll have to be a master of the touch screen to get to the end. Don't run away for now as you can play Rayman Classic for free. You just have to pay to get rid of the ads, which you might want to do if you're going to stop to finish a game that was almost enough to launch your DualShock pad on your CRT TV back in 1995.
Chateau d & # 39; Illusion
Castle of Illusion was one of the best platform games released in the 16-bit era, but the version we can play on iOS and Android is actually a port of Disney's remake designed for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. As such , you get a game that looks and feels new even if its levels were designed almost 30 years ago. It is much more than an HD remake, going from a flat 2D style to a 2.5D style with some full 3D sections. You'll find more dynamic platforms on iOS and Android, but few with the Disney polish applied here.
Minecraft pocket edition
Is Minecraft PE really a console conversion? Not really, but we never miss an opportunity to recommend it, and it's arrived in every format in the sun. And no, it's not just for kids. If you've ever enjoyed a survival simulation or are just doing something with Lego, Minecraft is worth it. At first, the Pocket Edition (which stands for the EP) was a heavily stripped down console/PC version of Minecraft, but now it offers giant spawned worlds, blocks, and advanced mobs (these are the bad guys, for those not already obsessed with this global manufacturer).
Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and IX, but not VIII
Need more evidence that mobile gamers are spoiled? Take a look at the number of Final Fantasy titles that Square Enix has used on Android and iOS. The original Final Fantasy through the 2000s Final Fantasy IX are available, with the exception of the eighth in the series. And no, we don't know why. This mammoth collection of JRPGs not only offers hundreds of hours of gameplay that still hold up well to this day, but also a glimpse into how console gaming technology has developed from the NES era of the late '90s, to the turn of the new millennium. If you were a gamer at the time of its release, you probably have pretty strong opinions about which is the best - we've heard some more passionate talk about the game than people claiming that Final Fantasy VII is the best game ever. time. . You might want to get an idea of what to download first, as the mobile versions of Final Fantasy are among the most expensive phone games around.
Tumb Raider
Without Tomb Raider, there would be no Uncharted. It's time to pay our dues. The original Tomb Raider shows how gaming has changed in 20 years. The camera is sometimes a test drive, and you actually need to reach the A edge to make sure you don't fall into the X dark pit, rather than zoom in and watch the animation do the rest. Its puzzles have aged much better, though, and the whole experience has been vastly improved by simply using a Bluetooth controller instead of touchscreen controls. You'll need patience for this part of the game's story, but considering the price, it's well worth it. If you're not nostalgic for the early Tomb Raider games, check out Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light. This 2010 game is easier to manage on mobile.
Half-Life 2 and Portal
Nvidia and Valve accomplished one of the most impressive feats in mobile gaming, running Half-Life 2 and Portal on Android devices. There's a "but" coming up: you can only play them on an Nvidia Shield, a Shield tablet, or the Shield portable. However, this is one of the most compelling reasons to bundle one of them with the Nvidia Shield controller. These games were ported via the Unity engine, making it a great demonstration of what you can create, in addition to the endless number of casual titles found on iTunes and Google Play.
Soulcalibur
Today's fighting game scene is dominated by Street Fighter IV/V and, to a lesser extent, Mortal Kombat X. You'll find a watered-down version of the latter on mobile, but for a real slice of one-on old-school -excellence, download Soulcalibur. In the early 2000s, it was considered by many to be the best in its class. The Android version is actually based on the Xbox Live Arcade port, which means you get better visuals than the older Dreamcast version, but no online gaming. It's a shame, but it also breaks away from the still-connected mobile games we're used to playing these days.
miami hotline
Some console games seem almost more comfortable on mobile than on consoles. The ultra violent twin stick shooter Hotline Miami is a case in point. Its lo-fi visuals work perfectly on the small screen, and while mobile twin-stick shooters aren't as popular as they used to be, Hotline Miami sets a high standard. Each level is a dark, neon-tinged 80s dungeon where you have to splatter the blood of everyone you see across the walls and floor. If you don't, they'll just do the same to you. In addition to having a retro look, this brings back the relentless style of '80s and '90s gaming, so you might want to get yourself a Bluetooth controller to get the most out of Hotline Miami.
Doom Classic and Doom 3
Doom is a PC game, but you can also play it on more consoles than anything else. It was released for the Jaguar, 3DO, PlayStation, PS3, Saturn, Xbox, Xbox 360, and even SNES. id Software has also made a port for the iPhone, and since it was back in 1995, before you used a mouse to look at shooters, it works beautifully on mobile. Sure, you may no longer feel the terrifying thrills that Doom delivers, but its high-end design and iconic sounds are worth immersing once more. There is currently no official version of Doom Classic for Android, but there is a better treat for Nvidia tablet owners: Doom 3 BFG, which is a port of the 2004 suite, and includes Doom and Doom II as a sweetener.
strength
A very beautiful isometric action adventure, Bastion was a huge hit on Xbox Live Arcade in 2011. Its world builds as you explore, platforms appearing out of the mist as you walk. The hand-painted images also make Bastion a real eye-catcher. There are RPG elements in the game, but they are relatively light: you don't need to think too much. Also worth watching, Transistor is another super-giant isometric adventure. It has a sci-fi theme rather than fantasy and further develops the combat mechanics. There are no games available for Android yet, so this is a game for iPhone and iPad owners.
terrariums
Terraria launched on consoles and iOS/Android back in 2013, but it's still a game with scope and depth rarely seen in mobile gaming. However, it won't make that sense of a quick glance at a screenshot. It looks a bit like a side-scrolling 2D version of Minecraft, but it places more emphasis on combat and adventure, with less of the purely creative side featured. You can make objects, build a house and dig in the ground to find building materials. There is no single goal, but building your character is addictive.
The Walking Dead
Telltale Games has only kept the point-and-click genre afloat for over a decade. And you can get most of these PC/console adventures on Android and iOS. These are classic "use item X with item Y" games tied to a story, but they don't have any (or at least some) of the wacky puzzles that older readers will remember from '90s adventures. Benefiting from Telltale's rendering on mobile include Game of Thrones, Wallace and Gromit, Borderlands, The Secret of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Minecraft and The Walking Dead. Telltale's The Walking Dead is divided into seasons and broken up into chapters that last a few hours each. It is one of the most haunting experiences you will find on Android/iOS.
Strange World: Stranger's Wrath
Oddworld is a series that often gets overlooked when recalling the great game worlds of all time, but its tension of darkness is something its Marios, Sonics, and Zeldas lack. Interestingly, it wasn't the first two classic platformers, Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, that came to mobile, but much more recently Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath. These are full 3D games, giving you a real console feel, if it's controls that take a bit of effort. Stranger's Wrath is by far the stronger game, though Munch's Oddysee features the "Oddworld residents" seen in the first two games. In Stranger & # 39; s Wrath, you play as a bounty hunter in a world that could have been taken from an old western movie.
limbo
Limbo came out in an era that cemented indie games as a force to compete with AAA titles, with titles like Limbo and Braid packing more emotional punch and elements of philosophy in a matter of hours than most AAA games in 30. Limbo is a monochrome side-scrolling platformer. You're a little boy waking up, you guessed it, limbo. There's no explanatory statement: Limbo lets you do whatever you want with it, making for a much more thoughtful experience than you might think from looking at the screenshots. depressing. Limbo is not a "walking simulator" where you walk around, like most of the newer indie titles. It's a real pain in the ass, not afraid to kill your character repeatedly if you make the wrong move. And you go away. On console, some have criticized it for being short at 4-6 hours (depending on how fast you go through these puzzles), but it's perfect for mobile.
Broken age
Broken Age was one of the first successful crowd-funded games. It earned €3.45 million (about €2.76 million / A €4.55 million) on Kickstarter. It seemed like an absolute fortune back in 2012, but it's peanuts next to the €141 million (about €113 million / A$186 million) that Star Citizen has generated over the years. Broken Age's initial draw was the involvement of Tim Schafer. He was one of the guys behind several classic LucasArts adventures, including The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle. As with many over-the-top entities, some were disappointed with the final Broken Age product, but it's a very nice, well-written, and engaging adventure, without the absurd puzzles found in some earlier point-and-clicks. It's worth it.
Brothers: a tale of two sons.
Firearms, violence, action and spectacle are basic themes in the game. Loyalty, loss, and friendship are much rarer, but they are the bed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons finds itself on. This very nice but minimalist adventure allows you to control the brothers of the title as they look for water from the tree of life, to take care of their sick father. There are no aliens, there are no sworn enemies here. It's a heartwarming story, but one that also has some interesting gameplay ideas, using a virtual analog stick to let you control each of the brothers. As you may have already guessed, you have to make them work together to cross a series of puzzles in a pretty world. Do not miss it.
The Bard's Tale
One of the first full console conversions is a game many won't remember the first time around. The Bard & # 39; s Tale was released on PS2 and Xbox in 2004, and it's nothing like the bearded RPG of the same name from the mid-'80s. However, these games are included in the bonus download. The Bard & # 39; s Tale is a third-person action-adventure that sends up traditional RPG tropes. It's one of the most fun console games you'll find on mobile. If possible, you'll want to play it on a tablet rather than a phone, as it's less optimized for smaller screens than some newer console ports. Let's not forget, it was released on mobile in 2011.
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- Initially on PS Vita and Wii U
- iTunes
Magical and mighty clash of heroes
Might and Magic Clash of Heroes is really a handheld console game rather than the home console classics we're primarily focused on here, but it's finally made its way to Xbox 360 and PS3, and it's too good to be abandoned. from an RPG adventure, something comparable to the classic Might and Magic games, but goes to a laid-back, turn-based puzzler when you find yourself in a battle. You line up similar types of hunting units to attack enemy forces. It ends up feeling like a much better contextualized take on the match-3 gameplay seen in Puzzle Quest and its imitations.
Don't starve
Think "survival horror" and you can imagine Resident Evil or its less famous cousin Silent Hill. However, Don & # 39; t Starve offers another interpretation of what this term can mean. You have fallen into sinister and hostile terrain and must cut down trees and gather supplies to avoid being torn apart by the bad guys lurking in the shadows. As soon as the sun goes down, the world of Don & Starve becomes very, very dangerous. Its handcrafted gameplay has drawn comparisons to Minecraft, but Don & Starve is a completely different experience. It's a world you can't control, you always do your best to stay alive. An original visual style and an isometric top-down perspective also work well on mobile devices.
Goo world
Build, build, build. When so many AAA console games are on the brink of destruction, World of Goo offers a refreshing departure from the norm. Use drops to create bridges and other structures, delivering the remaining drops to a suction pipe at the end of each level. Since building these structures uses goo drops, you need to balance strengthening your bridges without using your goo resources. It's a lot of fun and the physics engine is powerful enough to allow you to use architectural rules to your advantage. When you return to the Nintendo Wii, you have used the Wii remote as a cursor of souris for good pleasure, but it has a function that can be encore mieux sur un écran tactile.
the stopwatch trigger
Who needs Final Fantasy when you have Chrono Trigger? This time around, the traveling RPG has one of the most engaging stories in gaming history and has aged far better than 99% of things released in the mid-90s, music and movies included. In some ways, Chrono Trigger is a classic JRPG, but it has a smoother combat system and gets rid of random encounter battles - a common annoyance in this genre of game. there's a strong argument for Chrono Trigger as the best Japanese actor of the 90s. The sting: like all of Square Enix's mobile conversions, Chrono Trigger is quite expensive.