Top 5 mobile games of 2024: Shaun’s picks of the year
- 2024 has definitely been a headline year
- Warframe: 1999 has finally dropped and you should play it
- Wuthering Waves has stolen both my life and my phone’s battery
2024 has felt like a pretty big year for me in the mobile gaming sphere because it is the year that I feel I am starting to make a lot more progress in this profession. When I joined Steel Media I mostly spent my time with 148Apps and AppSpy, and I say this with all the love and respect I have, those two are and will remain my babies, but this year has been massive.
I have been contributing more frequently to Pocket Gamer with code articles, the weekly Wrapp, and some reviews. The biggest highlight will of course be heading over to Canada for TennoCon; enjoying the show, meeting and interviewing the lovely Rebecca Ford and some of the game’s talented cast, and of course, the delightful Digital Extremes PR staff who took fantastic care of us. It’s been a fantastic year, and one I hope 2025 tops.
Nauseatingly emotional preamble aside; 2024 has been a great year for gaming too. FFXIV Mobile has been announced, and if that doesn’t win EVERYTHING next award season I will riot, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket was released and almost immediately lost its shine, and Square Enix stomped on yet more of their mobile portfolio. Let’s take a look back at the definitive top five list, with nary a Balatro in sight.
Little Nightmares
Right out of the gates, I am technically cheating since this came out mid-December 2023, but I adore this port, and so did all of you, voting it the Best Platform Game in the Pocket Gamer Awards. It was my first review of the year if I recall, and it was incredibly good fun.
You wouldn’t expect a touchscreen to give you the precision control needed to guide Six around The Maw to victory, and yeah it was rough at times, but it worked. Having the tiny protagonist in the palm of your hand only heightened how fragile she is supposed to be, and genuinely elevates the whole feel of Little Nightmares.
Potion Permit
I am going to start a rumour that if I review it, it wins because my next choice is Potion Permit. It picked up Best Roleplaying Game at the PG Awards, and whilst it wasn’t my personal choice, it certainly is a worthy winner. Also my second Playdigious entry, I should be sponsored.
Potion Permit is a remarkable charming melting pot that mixes crafting, gathering, relationship-building, and RPG elements. Plus you get a dog to help you, Stardew Valley has nothing on this. I have endless fond memories of my beloved pal AlcheMutt and even found myself picking it back up on a recent plane journey.
Hades
Netflix has gone downhill a bit recently, it is hard to pinpoint exactly when, but I feel like we all just started to lose interest in the series they have. Happily, though, the gaming side is picking up the slack, with the fantastic Hades doubtlessly being the crown jewel.
I had never played Hades before I wrote my review on it, but I can’t imagine it feeling like it belongs anywhere else but on mobile. The characters are amazing, the mythology is, of course, interesting as all get out, and all the weapons are fantastic. Just do yourself a favour – use a controller for this one.
Warframe
We are building up to the crescendo here with a title I genuinely loved even before they stuffed me in a box and took me to TennoCon. Admission time; I did not expect Warframe to transition well to mobile, but I suppose even I can be wrong, once. If you read my preview back in February, you know how converted I was.
The touchscreen is a bit tricky given the hectic nature of enemies attacking from everywhere, but plug in a controller and you won’t want to play anywhere else. Plus, Warframe: 1999 was just recently released after months of teasing, so it is the perfect time to dive in.
Wuthering Waves
I am ending with the big one, and the fact that neither we nor The Game Awards recognised its greatness fills me with sorrow. Wuthering Waves is an absolute masterpiece that does gacha gaming the way it should be; giving you a solid team you can take to endgame for free, and having everyone else be optional goodies for fun.
The combat is so fantastic and in-depth, the world is stunningly beautiful, and perhaps most importantly, you can run up walls instead of taking years climbing. I reviewed Wuthering Waves last month, and since then I have played constantly. This is my GOTY, and I won’t stop playing it for a good long time.
2024 has been a fantastic year in so many regards, but the quality of mobile games has definitely been high. Above is just undoubtedly the best five, and if you disagree I am afraid you are wrong. Check out my colleagues’ lists and see if you agree as you undoubtedly do with mine, enjoy some Pocket Gamer content, and come back for my 2025 list, where all five choices will be FFXIV Mobile. Happy holidays.
