Smartphones are remarkable little machines that help us do everything from take photos, to record appointments and keep in touch with friends. They’re also not too shabby when it comes to playing games on it. A cursory glance at the Google Play Store or App Store will reveal there are literally thousands of exciting games to explore and play available to smartphone users on Android or iOS respectively.
Yet despite there being ever more innovative and engaging games popping up in these official venues, there are limitations to what kind of games you can play if you stick with this format. That’s due to a number of factors – from legislation, to app store guidelines, right through to developer trends and cultural approaches.
This all means that if you stick with the app stores, you may never get to experience all the exciting and unexpected ways to make the most of gaming on your smartphone. If you’re curious what lies beyond the purview of the app stores, consider trying your hand at one of these alternatives below.
Cloud Crusaders
Have you ever thought about how great it would be if you could play games just like you stream Tv or movies on something like Netflix? Well, you’re in luck as what you’re describing is known as cloud gaming and it’s growing more popular and feature-packed by the day.
Cloud gaming services, of which the most accessible and intriguing is arguably that which comes bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, lets you play games on any device of your choosing – including your smartphone – providing it’s connected to the internet.
The magic of this is that because the game is run remotely, you don’t need a powerful device to run the games on offer. That frees you up to experience the splendor of leading triple-A Xbox Series X games like Halo: Infinite, right from your device.
What’s more, Xbox Cloud Gaming grants you access to hundreds of classic Xbox games to enjoy all for a single monthly fee.
Browser Bonanza
Before smartphones came along, people typically played minigames on the internet itself through their web browsers. In fact, many of the popular websites from this era are still around – and still offer quality gameplay experiences to be accessed through your mobile browser, like Newgrounds and Kongregate.
Browser gaming has a lot more to it today than just little indie games though. In fact, whole segments of the gaming scene are best served by browser access rather than app stores and the like. For example, the iGaming industry has long favored this format. This means that tech-savvy fans of card and table experiences understand that the best way to experience all an online casino has to offer need only fire up Chrome, Safari or another mobile browser of their choosing.
Browsing gaming also offers unique social integrations, such as those that can be found on Facebook Instant Gaming. Here you’ll find many popular HTML5 titles like Words with Friends and 8 Ball Pool, all with added features designed to let you challenge your Facebook friends to a bout.
Emulation Nation
Emulators is a fancy term to describe something very simple. In effect, an emulator is a virtual game console that lets you play classic games (known, in this format, as Roms). Emulators are commonplace on regular computers, but have historically been tricky to access on smartphones – especially the iPhone.
However all of that appears to be changing of late, thanks to a change in Apple policy that now permits the installation of alternative app stores that specialize in serving up top quality emulators. That means that you can install the app equivalent of a PlayStation 1, N64, or GameBoy to live out your very best nostalgic gaming adventures.
While modern smartphone games are impressive and enjoyable, there’s not much that can compare with the excitement that accompanies firing up a classic Pokémon game, or Metal Gear Solid – and diving in, right from your smartphone in 2024.
