Top 15 best indie mobile games

Snowboarding is an extreme sport because it’s dangerous and invites a lot of risks. The trick is taking such an activity and adding a sense of relaxation or even a zen-like quality. That’s what the devs at Noodlecake have done with Alto’s Adventure. As the silhouette of a snowboarder, you have everything you need at your fingertips while gravity does the rest. All you need to do is guide Alto safely down the mountain, collecting all the sparks you can and pulling off whatever moves you feel confident you can land.

Subpar Pool is anything but subpar! This procedurally generated pool game has a lot of puzzle aspects, from strangely shaped pool tables, to obstacles on the table. There is a lot of strategy to be found in such a simple concept game! The graphics themselves are inviting and captivating – creating a fun world to explore. It’s up to you to get the pool ball in the proper hole.

The rogue genre can thrive anywhere, even in the palm of your hand. While there is no shortage of rogue indie games for your phone, Soul Knight should be at the top of the list. Created by Chilly Room, the game sees you exploring a lot of different rooms as you delve through different dungeons and environments. It’ll just be you and whatever warrior you feel is strong enough to brave the dangers ahead. With colourful pixel art, tons of weapons, and lots of magic, it will keep you busy and challenged.

Among all the gaming genres, puzzlers are one of the more popular and accessible on mobile. When presented with puzzles, you’re free to take your time and try out as many solutions as you’d like. It’s even better if you can create a rich and beautiful environment for them to take place in, like what Us Two has done with Monument Valley. This surreal and fantastical adventure puts you in the role of a silent princess named Ida traversing geometrically twisted structures. You must navigate her safely from one point to another.

The word “scourge” is never associated with anything good, with games frequently asking you to fight against it or live through it. PID Games went for the former with the flashy title Scourge Bringer. You play as a young and aggressive fighter named Kyrha who must fight her way through dangerous ruins to seek redemption. The experience pulls no punches by presenting a quick and visceral platform, where your movements need to be precise and you can’t just swing around wildly. You’ll not only have to deal with numerous enemies and hazards but also the giant bosses waiting to be slain.

Some of the best stories can be told without words yet appeal to all other senses in a powerful and emotional way. This is the deal with OPUS: Rocket of Whispers by the folks at Sigono Inc. In a very harrowing story, you follow the journey of two humans who have managed to live through a plague that has wiped out most of the world’s population. You’ll follow their steps as they explore what remains in order to find what they need to build a rocket to leave the planet. It’s a long shot, but it’s the only one they’ve got.

Comfort food can make you feel nice and cosy even when you aren’t hungry. There are entire businesses around trying to serve people the warmest dishes, so why not play an indie game about it? The HIDEA team has added another adorable element to this with their game Cats & Soup. As the title implies, you control a bunch of cats who are driven by the desire to make soup. It’s an idle game where you can assign each cat to a station and then put it all into the soup once it’s all ready to come together.

It’s unknown when the whole idea of being trapped on an island started producing stories about survival, but it perseveres even in gaming. Usually, the character will be dropped onto a deserted island with nothing but their wits and will have to survive. This time around, the folks at Concode Corp. have dropped Kevin and his cat Cheese onto a vibrant pixel island in The Way Home. The goal is simple: explore, craft, survive, and maybe look for a way off the island. If you encounter other survivors along the way, the more the merrier.

We’ve written about Dead Cells a ton on this website, and for great reason. Dead Cells is a metroviania game that has tons of replay value, upgrades, monsters, and a slightly different world to take on each time you play. It’s award winning and held at a high standard when it comes to roguelikes!

If there’s one thing that ‘thatgamecompany Inc.’ does well, it’s creating stunningly beautiful visual journeys. This is obvious from their breakout hit Journey and they’ve brought some of that flair to their mobile title, Sky: Children of Light. Using a similar visual style, this is a 3D exploration game with an online community. As the children of light, you’re tasked with exploring a quiet, yet vibrant, world full of nature. As you learn more about it, you’ll uncover new memories, revealing even more about the story. It was hard to believe this is an indie mobile game at first, as it truly looks like a title fresh out of an AAA studio. It is featured on our list of the most beautiful mobile games, which tells a lot right from the start.

The silhouette aesthetic is likely never going to go out of style since it creates an air of mystery and fear. Players will see this and may be driven by a desire to see a positive outcome in a bleak situation. This might be possible in BADLAND 2 by Hype Hype Inc. As a fuzzy head with wings, you’ll need to tap to flap your way through hazardous tunnels and physics puzzles. Since all you have is your weight and motion, make sure you use the different devices to alter those traits to break through to the next level.

We’re yet to set foot on Mars, but that hasn’t stopped us from writing plenty of stories about what would happen if we did. It’s often seen as a harsh and hostile environment, which is why it’s nice to visit from a fun perspective. Pomelo Games has presented this with Mars: Mars. As a cute little astronaut with a jetpack and a number of appearances, you fly around Mars as much as you can. Your jetpack isn’t the most reliable with very little fuel, so the challenge is to see as much as you can before your flight is over.

Just like a cult would never call itself a cult, a cultist would never call itself a cultist. Even so, it’s fascinating to wonder what goes on behind the closed doors of a cultist’s chambers. Playdigious has offered an idea with the very complex and engaging Cultist Simulator. By using a variety of cards, actions, and combinations, you’ll be able to uncover strange truths, summon beings from other dimensions, or take control of anyone willing to follow you. Since there’s no tutorial, half the fun is just figuring things out for yourself.

For those of you that are into this genre, we have the finest simulation games on Android, and also a list of best simulations for iOS.

In a roguelite game, the more you can make from runs, the more control you can have over the outcomes. In Sparklite, another indie mobile game by Playdigious, you’re a crafter exploring a world that is constantly changing. From the forests to the ruins, dangerous creatures are constantly moving in and old machines are shifting around. Thankfully, you have plenty of gear to fight back and make progress while at the same time gathering as much material as possible. Every time you fall is just another chance to make something new and to improve.

Burritos are both filling and amazing considering just how much stuff you can stuff into one tortilla. It’s also a fun-sounding word, which is probably why Kongregate decided to call their game Burrito Bison. This colourful 2D launching game presents a very festive and silly world dominated by sweet things. As the eponymous Burrito Bison or one of his companions, you must punch through your wrestling opponent and keep bouncing across gummy bears and whatever other creatures you find to travel as far as you can and break all the pinatas.

If you are looking for a new puzzle word game, Honeycomb: Word Puzzle is a great bundle of challenges! You will need to fill a honeycomb shaped puzzle, with a hexagonal grid, to snake together words! It’s a satisfying game that is complete with a cute bee, to congratulate you when you do well!

One of the most revered classical novels ever, The Phantom of the Opera has appeared in multiple types of media. However, I don’t think anyone expected MazM to turn it into a mobile game. In Phantom of Opera, you explore a visual novel of sorts with animated avatars wandering around the fabled opera house. You’ll meet all the recognizable characters and follow their personal stories as well as others. You can follow the plot of the original text and play mini-games to further enhance the drama and horror.

Cats and birds have been depicted as natural enemies for decades, so it’s not common to see the two of them mixed together. However, Raiyumi has done just that with the main character of Cat Bird. As a small white cat with underdeveloped bird wings, you need to flap across various 2D platforming stages. Some will be as simple as forests while others will be huge caves that take you down below the surface. Also, the creature seems to be able to travel through space since you’ll be visiting a number of different planets too.

With Cat Bird, we have come to the end of the list of best indie mobile games at the moment! We have a similar article about Switch indie games if you own that wonderful console as well!

Simulacra is a narrative driven, horror game where you need to discover what happened to Anna, the person who previously owned the phone you found. This game is very realistic and takes you on a fantastically well made, creepy, adventure. If you really like Simulacra, you can find a sequel and a predecessor as well.

Exoracer is a multiplayer action platformer where you look to race through levels, getting to the end as quickly as possible. There are tons of different levels, and a full level editor mode that allows you to build your own worlds and then share them with others! It’s quite the fast and frantic game, especially if you have friends.