A person playing a video game with a headset on.

16 Best Games to Play When Bored

Connectivity, Popularity, and Ease of Access with smartphone gaming make it one of the top forms of video gaming worldwide. It allows you to play wherever you are on the planet and whenever you want. It allows both strangers, family, and friends to come together online and connect in real-time. 

There is nothing like beating your older siblings’ high score in Snake when you are 3000 miles away. Secondly, these online games have a vast selection of genres and are usually affordable for everyone. Just download and play! 

With so many people at home more in the last few years, the mobile gaming craze is ever-growing in popularity and allowing consumers a fun temporary escape from reality.

1. Snake.io

Who can resist those classic “old-school” survival games? As every heartbeat grows faster, you play a genius addictive game called Snake in a new spin on a traditional mobile game that is free to download. While the player maneuvers a growing snake, that Snake then starts to become an obstacle itself as you slither, eat, and defeat the levels. 

It remains the perfect game for downtime, and the app offers so much more than the classic. Snake. It has never been this more addictive, fun, or competitive. And the gameplay is smoother and faster than ever. 

Challenge your friends in this addictive classic arcade game. How long can you survive? Download Snake today

2. Candy Crush

You’ve probably heard of the Candy Crush Saga and its trending popularity. It is a free-to-play match three-type puzzle game and was primarily played off of Facebook at its start

Switch and match your way through hundreds of puzzles in this colorful, fun, sweet candy adventure game. Whether you hate or love these games, its success has been record-breaking but hugely divisive.  

3. Two Dots

Join a duo of courageous dots as they traverse the jungle, navigate frosty tundras, and plunge the depths of the sea. Two Dots is a beautiful puzzle adventure game and is available in the online app stores for both Android and iOS

The goal is simple: Meet your level’s assignment by clearing colorful dots off the board. This goal is so much harder than it would seem, and there are currently over 150 levels with more added all the time. 

4. Plants vs. Zombies

What do you do when the “undead” are on your lawn? Gardening, of course. “Start planting flowers to defeat them!” An unconventional take on an old style of defense gameplay, Plant Vs. Zombies is a game where the fun never “dies”! 
Armed with a zombie-killing plant team, this is a fast-moving race to defeat all the Zombies. Obstacles throughout will add to the challenge—battle for your Neighborhood with an original mobile game that has become quite popular in the last decade.

People playing Pokemon Go while being bored outside.
People playing Pokemon Go while being bored outside.

5. Gardenscapes

Gardenscapes is another online single-player match-three game available for smartphone play. It is a game where the main character, and Austin, your butler companion, runs an old bed-and-breakfast style hotel. 

You then attempt to pass levels to rebuild the mansion—restoring and decorating as you follow through the storyline full of unexpected twists. 

Restore the outside garden and embark on a journey with hundreds of levels with dozens of in-game characters. Although free to download, It was named the 5th highest-grossing puzzle game in 2019.

6. Subway Surfer

Younger people favor this “move as fast as possible” mobile gaming hit. Dash and dodge with urgent speed through all the upcoming trains, vehicles, and other obstacles. Subway Surfer is an endless runner game that is based in Denmark

It is available for your smartphone or devices. You play as “Jake,” who surfs the subways and attempts to run away. If you like quick-moving games, this game is an entertaining and simple way to waste time while waiting. Run until you lose and graffiti everything on the way!

7. Crossy Road

Crossy Road, released in 2014, has over 2 million happy players worldwide. Like past classic games like “Frogger,” it has brought entertainment for all ages of players. 

Collect over 150 characters in this “chicken crosses the road” type of adventure. It’s a simple and pure game for all ages and brings on nostalgia similar to Snake and other retro classics.

8. Clash of Clans

Clash of Clans is a top strategy game available for your smart device. Although not as popular as when it was fresh and trending everywhere online. The successful company, Supercell, continues updating and uploading new content
Attack. Defend. Strategize as you play through this epic game of war. Training your troops and joining clans as you build up your base. Barbarians and Wizards can have hours of enjoyment in the magical mobile gaming world.

9. Animal Crossing Pocket Camp

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp comes from the massive popularity of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing series. With its release before the pandemic, it has jet rocketed to the top of video games played at home. 

Now on your mobile device, you can download a free-to-play version of it anywhere you are. Animal Crossing is a social simulator game, and in Pocket Camp, the player can customize their campsite. You can also still travel to other places to meet up with animals, growing friendships and rewards on the way.

10. Tetris

Invented in 1984, Tetris has become one of the most iconic games of all time. Tetris was invented by Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian-American video game designer and engineer. Alexey came up with the idea for Tetris while trying to recreate one of his favorite games from childhood that used pentominoes (block with five squares). 

Alexy eventually decided to use tetrominoes for Tetris, which have four squares instead of five. The name “Tetris” is a combination of the word tetrominoes and tennis, Alexey’s favorite sport. 

There are many versions of Tetris out there, allowing you to easily play on your phone, desktop, or gaming console. 

Tetris involves matching up blocks so they all fit neatly into a single row. If your blocks stack to high, you risk losing the game. How fast the blocks drop intensifies as you reach higher levels, making the game all the more exciting. 

11. New York Times Games 

If you consider yourself a wordsmith, then you might want to check out the New York Times Games app, available in the Apple and Google Play app store. While the app costs a few dollars a month, it’s well-worth your money. 

Through the app, you get access to the daily crossword puzzle, mini crossword puzzle, and Spelling Bee. The New York Time’s crossword puzzle is notoriously difficult, so to beef up your skills (and confidence), we recommend starting out with the mini crossword puzzle. 

With the mini crossword, you typically only need to solve for ten or so words, and the clues are known for being much easier. You can also test your knowledge with the Spelling Bee. The Spelling Bee in which you need to try to make words using a set of seven unique letters, while using the center letter in every word. 

As you get more words correct, your ranking will improve. The highest ranking is “Genius” status, and if you get all of the correct words, you’ll achieve “Queen Bee” status

The New York Times also recently purchased Wordle, a game that became very popular in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wordle is a puzzle game in which you need to guess a five-letter word in six attempts. 

To help you get the word, letters are highlighted gray when they’re incorrect, yellow when they’re correct but in the wrong spot, and green when they’re correct and in the right spot. You can share your Wordles with your friends to see who can guess the word in the fewest attempts. 

12. Incredibox 

If you want to test out your music mixing skills, then you need to check out Incredibox. With Incredibox, you can put together unique melodies right from your mobile device. 

You can choose from six music styles, then drag and drop sound effects, voices, beats, and melodies to create your own custom mix. You can even record your track to share with your friends on social media. 

You can also use the automatic mode to have the app create mixes for you. You don’t need to be a professional DJ to use Incredibox, as the game can be fun for anyone. 

13. Age of 2048

Age of 2048 is an excellent game for those who are looking for something simple yet challenging. The game combines city building and puzzles for a unique gaming experience. 

You’ll be tasked with matching civilization blocks to one another to build new structures. As you move throughout history, you can discover unique world wonders. You’ll need to think ahead as you build though, as each move results in a new block being added to the gameplay area. 

Each civilization has its own background music, and the game offers clean, bright art style that you’ll appreciate while playing. 

14. Good Pizza, Great Pizza 

If you’re looking to test out your chef skills, then you need to try the game Good Pizza, Great Pizza. Instead of testing your speed, the game challenges you with more toppings and the need for better accuracy. 

Through the game, you’ll do your best to fulfill customer orders while also trying to make enough money to keep your shop open. You can upgrade your shop with new equipment and toppings in hopes of competing with the ultimate pizza rival, Alicante. 

If you misplace or forget toppings, your pizza may get rejected, resulting in your shop losing money. However, if you show some creativity with your pizza toppings, your customer will definitely tip you

15. Wordscape 

Wordscape challenges players to create words from a set of letters to fill out a crossword puzzle. You swipe letters in different directions to create a word, just as you would in an anagram. 

However, your goal isn’t to create as many words as possible. Instead, you want to make sure you use words that fit into all of the allotted crossword slots. 

The game is set against a soothing backdrop, such as a forest, ocean, or mountain to help you “escape.” The background changings with each proceeding level. 

16. Pokemon Go 

Pokemon Go exploded in popularity a few years ago. And while the game may not be as popular as it once was, it’s still a lot of fun and a great way to get outside and explore. 

The game uses your smartphone’s GPS to detect when and where you are in the game. Once detected, Pokemon characters will appear around you, and it’s your job to go and catch them. As you start to move, more types of Pokemon will appear. 

Pokemon Go is incredibly easy to play, and there are new characters being added each day.

A person playing Fortnight on a mobile device.
A person playing Fortnight on a mobile device.

Don’t Let Boredom Get You Down!

To break away from boredom and monotony, one must learn to embrace it. With our smartphones by our side, we can have almost any entertainment at our fingertips as quickly as you can say, “Distraction.” These online games are an excellent way to distract from everyday life and take a little break from the hustle and bustle.

Find a genre of mobile gaming that fits you, and when in doubt, classics like Snake are ready for download, a game that will go down in mobile gaming hiss-tory. Download Snake today.