All articles tagged with #mobile games
Nintendo has confirmed that Mario Kart Tour will shut down on September 30, 2026, ending years of updates. Following earlier reductions in new content, players will see in-game notices detailing how rubies and the Gold Pass will be handled as the shutdown approaches.
Mitja Rutnik, who is not a gamer, swears Alto's Odyssey is the ideal quick-start mobile game thanks to its one-tap controls, serene visuals, and Zen Mode; it is free with ads, easy to pick up after long breaks, and serves as a stress-reliever rather than a deep title, with Crossy Road as a nice backup.
Nintendo announced Pictonico!, a WarioWare-inspired minigame collection for iOS and Android that uses photos from your phone to generate quirky microgames. The free-to-start title will offer paid DLC volumes, launches on May 28 with a three-game demo, and is co-developed with Intelligent Systems. Nintendo emphasizes that photos aren’t uploaded to stores beyond the first launch, language changes, or purchases, making it a party-friendly, smaller-scale release rather than a major title.
Google Play unveils a buy-once, play-anywhere option for select paid games, letting a single purchase unlock cross‑device play on mobile and PC with upcoming Game Trials and progress carryover.
Flappy Bird was a simple yet wildly popular mobile game in 2014 that became a cultural phenomenon due to its addictive gameplay and difficulty, leading its creator to remove it from app stores amidst controversy and backlash, marking a brief but impactful chapter in mobile gaming history.
The article reviews the best mobile games of 2025, highlighting titles like Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Puzzmo, Spooky Express, Is This Seat Taken?, and Fortnite Blitz Royale, emphasizing their engaging gameplay, innovative features, and suitability for on-the-go gaming.
Pokémon TCG Pocket has generated $1.3 billion in its first year, surpassing Pokémon Go's launch year revenue, with peak monthly spending of $229.3 million and a single-day high of $11.2 million following an expansion.
Netflix has shut down Boss Fight Entertainment, the studio behind the mobile game Squid Game: Unleashed, after acquiring it in 2022 and initially promoting its success. The closure reflects broader industry layoffs and strategic shifts in Netflix's gaming focus, moving away from AAA titles towards party and interactive games. The shutdown marks a significant change in Netflix's gaming ambitions, despite the initial hype around the game's popularity.
EA announced that The Sims Mobile will shut down on January 20, 2026, as part of the franchise's transition towards the upcoming project, Project Rene, which aims to be a new cross-platform Sims experience. The mobile game, launched in 2018, will be delisted and unplayable after the shutdown, reflecting EA's shift in focus to the next big iteration of the series.
Square Enix is set to revive the beloved Final Fantasy fighting spin-off Dissidia, but only for mobile devices (iOS and Android), disappointing fans expecting a console or PC release. The game, teased for an announcement on October 14th, features characters like Lightning, Rinoa, Cloud, and Zidane, and marks the franchise's return to mobile after previous titles were shut down. Concerns remain about its potential gacha mechanics and limited lifespan, but Square Enix continues to focus on mobile game releases.
The Rubik’s WOWCube, a $299 device featuring 24 LCD screens replacing colored squares, combines traditional puzzle mechanics with mobile gaming, allowing users to rotate, tilt, and shake to play games or solve puzzles, and is available for preorder with a variety of apps and customization options.
Fire Emblem Shadows made $90,000 in its first week on iOS, significantly less than the $437,000 earned by Fire Emblem Heroes, which benefits from gacha mechanics and legacy characters. Shadows' different gameplay and lack of gacha may have contributed to its lower revenue, but its redesign of Lyn has already influenced Heroes, boosting spending there. Overall, Heroes remains Nintendo's top-grossing mobile game.
A 24-minute Pokémon Presents stream will air on July 22, potentially revealing updates on existing Pokémon games, mobile apps, and possibly a new game or season, with a special DJ Pikachu event happening an hour earlier on the Japanese channel. No new mainline Pokémon game is expected this year, but fans hope for updates and surprises.
Nintendo's Mario Kart Tour, a mobile game that was largely discontinued in 2023, is receiving its first new content update in years, featuring a new season called the Sunshine Tour to celebrate the release of Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2, including new outfits and karts. This marks a rare resurgence after support was officially ended, highlighting the game's significant revenue contribution despite Nintendo winding down most of its mobile offerings.
Blizzard is winding down development on its mobile game Warcraft Rumble due to its struggles to achieve long-term success, with plans to support it with updates but no new content, amid broader layoffs at Microsoft affecting Blizzard's development teams.