Top 25 best free games to play on your iPhone, iPad or Android Phone in 2024 - Updated

Let's kick this off with a massive swing from leftfield in Deadword, a phenomenal post-apocalyptic zombie survival game that's actually... a word game.

Deadword is an incredibly clever title. The developer managed to take the age-old idea of a Word Ladder - where you change a letter on a word to make it another word in order to create a ladder or bridge between two words - and applied it to a fantastic, zombie survival setting.

To move around in Deadword you'll change out the word you have selected to transition to other objects, these objects are often just points where you stand in a room, but are sometimes bonus items and power-ups that'll protect you against the zombies. The trickiness comes in that the zombies are also moving along the ladder, or are currently words that are in your way. For example, you'd lose one of your limited lives if you move from Sort to Part if it goes through a zombie-occupied Port.

Download now!

Deadword

Possibly one of the most hyped free mobile games of recent years, Genshin Impact - known for its sweeping green landscapes reminiscent of Zelda Breath of The Wild - has definitely earned its place in this list. Within days of launch, there are floods of people praising its clever use of gacha as much as they are praising its vast worlds, and frankly, it sounds well worth the effort of a quick, free download. Since it did earn a GOTY award when it got released, it's clear why it is worth a try in our books.

Read our Genshin Impact tier list, and you can use any of the Genshin Impact codes that we have! There is also a guide for every character - just search for the ones that interest you.

Another title that's very popular in the last couple of years, for a good reason, is Supercells wonderkid - Brawl Stars. This battle royale features over 80 different brawlers that you can pick and head right into the fray. Of course, at the beginning, you'll have a few, and after a while, that number will keep increasing incrementally. You can pull out the credit card and get them right away, but that will cost you dearly, and not only that - you won't have anything to aim for then. So, keep it slow and steady, play one round at a time for free and get the gifts as they come.

The graphics is cute and cartoonish, and you'll look at the combat from the isometric perspective, while the gameplay is as smooth as a kitten dropping down the gutter. Figuratively speaking.

Download now!

Brawl Stars

Dadish 2 sees the return of everyone's favourite radish father. This time around, his children have decided to participate in an impromptu 'bring your kids to work day'. Of course, this scheme doesn't exist in Dadish's office and it's just his sassy offspring causing trouble. Once again, our wear hero must set off to find them all, platforming his way through a fresh set of dangers.

Read our Dadish 2 review if you'd like to know more about it.

Monster Hunter Now is a new location-based game by the creators of Pokemon Go, another one on this list. Using your physical location, you can fight off monsters and collect various objects around the map. These monsters then drop items that allow you to upgrade your weapons and armour, as well as progress within the storyline, levelling you up and unlocking bigger, bad-er monsters to take on. There is something so unique and fun about location-based games, especially ones by Niantic that have a big vibe of get-out-and-play.

If you are interested in Monster Hunter Now, you can check out our MHN codes before you make an account! Monster Hunter Now is free on both iOS and Android

RPG combat meets town-builder in this entry into the Cookie Run series. Not only that, but they've managed to softly layer gacha mechanics and a baked-goods twist on the classic good-vs-evil plotline into the mix, and it all cooks out wonderfully.

In case this 'cookie' fits into your cup of tea, we have articles to help you get a good headstart. CRK coupon codes, Cookie Run Kingdom tier list are just some of the many!

Available for both iOS and Android, the RPG had over a million pre-registrations in its first week and has only gone from strength to strength since its release.

Read our Cookie Run: Kingdom review

It's hard to have any sort of a list of the finest free mobile games without tilting the torch toward the location-based, Pokemon Go. It took the world by storm when it first launched in 2016 and has only gone from strength to strength since. It now features weekly and monthly events, as well as the raid and battle systems which ensure that you've always got something to do. It also managed to survive national lockdowns through quick work from the development team. Phew.

Collecting them all won't be easy, especially if you're alone on that quest, so use some of the Pokemon Go friend codes to find some pals to share the fun with! As a bonus, we have Pokemon Go promo codes that you can redeem and get a better headstart!

My friends and family would disown me if I didn't add Tacticus to the list of best free games, considering how much time I've spent playing it. Fans of the WH40K will be pleased to know that most of their favourite factions have dedicated campaigns as well, and there's a mini story behind each one with an exceptional boss fight at the end of each one. You'll lead a party of five characters, probably belonging to the same faction, because of the bonuses you'll get. Besides the standard ultramarines, you can lead chaos armies (Emperor forbid!), Nekrons, Tyranids, and others. Besides campaign, you can engage in PVP combat where after a while, you'll get stuck around your deserved rank Developers are very active, and they are always opening up new events and adding new troops, so there's always something to keep you busy.

Whiteout Survival is a city builder set in a freezing land, and hence the survival in the title. You'll try to build a village where people can survive and prosper if possible. It's a lot different from other similar city builders, strategies and survival games because it combines all of those elements, and you can't ignore any of them. For example, your main building is actually a huge furnace that keeps the citizens warm. If you run out of coal, the furnace stops working, people can get sick, and that can decimate your entire village. If you focus too much on the economy bit, and not the military, for example, you won't be able to progress through the main campaign.

That nice juicy blend of diverse things you need to focus on is exceptionally well made, and hence the millions of people that play it at the moment. We have some Whiteout Survival codes that will ensure you have a nice start, use them in case you start playing.

Probably the most popular game in the world at the moment. Of course, some may argue that it's rather a setting or a platform than a full-blood game, but it matters not. Roblox is here to wear the crown nevertheless. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it started off looking like Minecraft, but it stepped off to become a platform where everyone can create their own title. You'll see hundreds of fighting games on Roblox, shooters, tycoons, racers, whatever you can think of. There's no kid that doesn't like at least a couple of experiences of the Bloxy title.

It's also pretty safe for kids to play it, so you don't have to stare at what they are doing all the time.

SpongeBob Adventures: In a Jam! has you cleaning up Bikini Bottom. After a massive jelly-related disaster, all of the town is left covered in goo. You, playing as SpongeBob, along with the help of the various well-known TV show characters, need to spend some time cleaning up the world, farming various resources for locals, and completing a bunch of quests along the way. It's a game that plays a bit like Farmville but with some refreshing new features and characters throughout it.

SpongeBob Adventures: In a Jam! is for both iOS and Android.

Stumble Guys is a mobile version of a game with a similar name that takes a bunch of different players into a variety of knockout party titles, where you can find yourself stumbling, sliding, and knocking others off the edge of the area! There are a lot of different races and battles, as well as team modes in Stumble Guys, which can really bring a lot of gameplay to your mobile device. There has been growing popularity for it, which brings more players to compete against!

Stumble Guys is for both iOS and Android.

When it comes to talking about some of Pocket Gamer's favourite free mobile games, it would be a massive mistake to leave out Frogmind's Rumble Stars. It's a perfect fusion of strategy mana systems and pick-up-and-play sports gaming, and all the while it's bright, colourful and so engaging that we keep playing even though we've already got four chests waiting to unlock.

Read our Rumble Stars review if you'd love to know more about it.

Rainmaker - The Beautiful Flood is a minimalistic puzzle game that's incredibly pretty. Each level will see you guide a bubble to a door, and it won't do much in the way of hand-holding either. Whenever new elements are introduced, you'll need to work out how best to use them.

Read our Rainmaker: The Beautiful Flood review!

Innersloth's now-iconic title Among Us was about to become a footnote in the company's history after three years of middling performance when, with the announcement of a sequel, interest in the first title suddenly surged. While the PC version of the game costs albeit a rather affordable 3.99, the mobile version is completely free to play.

For those of you who don't know about how it works, much like Mafia/Werewolf or many Space Station 13 modes, there are a bunch of human players placed in a situation who must work together to identify the imposter among them. Among Us is lauded due to its accessibility and ease of play, but for us, it's the mini-game tasks that really make it stand out from the competition - that and the silly execution animations.

So many years after its release, Hearthstone is still the best free card game on mobile phones, hands down. Heroes of Warcraft are still burning and churning through the phones, with new expansions, events and cards being released every now and then. What I love is that there are mods for new players, and old ones. If you're just starting, you'll try events that don't require that many cards, while older players will brag with their well-earned decks and unique cards that will brighten your day with their golden glow, even if you're losing. There are also PVE adventures every now and then, if you get tired of constant brawl with other players.

Monolisk is a beautiful-looking action RPG where players can create their own levels for others to try and beat. It was recently updated to introduce a whole range of new cards for inventing your own stages. It's also had a host of UI improvements that make finding the best levels much easier.

Auto-battlers and PvP experiences are hardly something new, but Battle Legion combines style, charm and strategy in a fairly fresh-feeling way. Due to the importance of fine placement, unit levels, runes and more, it makes it a hard game to look away from - there's a massive, simulation-style pull to micromanage, tweak and refine in order to find the perfect strategy for your current units.

Sling, fling and... gather bling? This is an incredibly simple action-platformer about drag-slinging Oddman around a stage to defeat enemies and collect coins.

Its charm comes in a combination of wacky, early-modern-mobile physics and small, single-screen level design. Oh, that and the levels and the enemies within them are both goofy and brightly coloured. It's a fantastic detox from something heavy, and with its low, low entry price of zero, there's no reason to not pick it up and give it a go.

Download now!

Oddman

We've reviewed Spooky Pixel Hero, the latest entry in the long-running DERE series, and it's such an obvious fit for this list of best free mobile games that we had to jump right over here and add it in.

Spooky Pixel Hero, despite its somewhat basic seeming title, is a clever little horror platformer all about exploring and repairing a mythical, lost horror game from the 1970s. As you might expect, things aren't quite what they seem from the outset, however, there are a few familiar things (if you have been gaming for decades) that'll make themselves known pretty early on, specifically the absence of checkpoints and show-to-teach game mechanics.

There's a lot to love here, and as it's totally free to download, you should definitely consider adding it to your stack of apps.

Download now!

Spooky Pixel Hero

If you're passionate about classical D&D RPGs, the closest thing you could find that features single-player mode is most definitely Life in Adventure. You're basically given an initial scenario and it's up to you to decide the outcome of your life.

There are so many twists, turns and unexpected actions that every RPG fan will find in Life in Adventure - it's an experience that's engaging, fun, and oh-so-addictive. It doesn't require anything but your free time, so it's a clear winner in our books!

If you're into political games, Democratic Socialism Simulator might be for you. It sees you taking on the role of the first socialist president of the United States. You'll have to manage taxes, tackle issues without upsetting voters and be aware that your allies may turn on you. Please note - this is only free on iOS.

If you're a fan of card-based roguelikes, then you'll definitely want to check out Indies' Lies. It tasks players with battling through randomly generated encounters while building the most powerful deck they can along the way. Best of all, you won't feel limited by the presence of a paywall, despite the game being free-to-play with in-app purchases.

You can download Indies' Lies from the App Store and Google Play.

Being made by FARLIGHT, Call of Dragons is definitely a large-scale affair. You'll find yourself in an all-new fantasy world with the goal of taking it over. Things start out with the small fledgling kingdom that you'll grow through resource gathering and effective management. Once you have some resources to spare, you can begin building your army for the purpose of protecting your land while leading a campaign against enemy forces. Though your army can be large and impressive, know that you can summon dragons to rain down fire and conquer through crushing!

The next entry in the Pako series is here, and it's a little bit different than its predecessors, although interestingly, it actually takes us back to the days of the earliest mobile games. Pako Caravan merges up Pako's funky, brightly-coloured drifting with the simple mechanics of Snake. You'll snake around cheerful, busy maps, creating convoys (or, some might say, caravans) of vehicles as you try to create as long a chain as possible.