The 10 Most Beautiful Games You Can Play on Your Smartphone
Jun 26, 2014
With all sorts of summer travel on the horizon, we’re getting excited about exploring new places, seeing old friends and spending many hours on the beach, in the mountains and maybe even on a boat! But, with all of these awesome excursions comes time spent on planes, trains and automobiles, and we’re here to make that time a little more fun.
As a followup to last year’s beautiful game roundup, we’re serving up this summer’s best, most addictive and most beautiful games that you can play on the go, whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad or Android device.
Monument Valley
In this gorgeously designed app, you will manipulate architecture in order to guide a princess through a totally beautiful imaginary world. Each world you’ll explore is hand-crafted and inspired by palaces and temples from around the world. We can definitely see a good amount of MC Escher influence here, with minimalist 3D design and optical illusions running rampant. ($3.99 on Android and iOS)
Ten
Described as a brain-tickling board game of tic-tactical-toe, this multi-player board game is a modern take on a childhood classic. You can play ten different boards at once, compete online and offline, or just play alone. (Free on iOS)
Two Dots
Remember last summer’s smash hit Dots? Now there are… TWO! With 110 different levels, this is Dots majorly tricked out. This game has a more narrative arc, as you join two dots as they journey the world through arctic tundras, crazy jungles and even go underwater. (Free on iOS)
Puzzlejuice
Tetris plus word search? Yes. This game has it all, and “will punch your brain in the face.” Match colors, create words and keep on leveling up. ($1.99 on iOS)
OLO
This finger-flicking board game is as addictive as it is beautiful. The aim of the game is to get as many of your OLOs (those little circles) in your target zone. Play with up to three friends (road trip!) or play online against anyone, anywhere. ($1.99 on Android and iOS)
Threes
It’s a simple premise, beautifully executed. You match numbers, add them up and add them to your board. It’s like Candy Crush for people who love minimalist design. ($1.99 on Android and iOS)
QuizUp
If you didn’t jump on the QuizUp craze earlier this year, you’re about to fall in love. With over 500 topics to choose from, QuizUp lets you challenge your friends (or strangers) to trivia all day and all night. They have a seriously endless treasure trove of topics. My favorite? ’90s music, of course. (Free on Android and iOS)
Letterpress
Love Boggle? Scrabble? Love nerding out on words in general? One of our favorites from last year, this two-player game is all about constantly finding words, stealing tiles, and coloring the board in order to win. It’s super addictive, and surprisingly competitive. Just make sure you’ve got an opponent with as much time to kill as you. (Free on iOS)
Harmony 2
This game combines mesmerizing music with colorful visuals to create both a stimulating intellectual game and full on sensory experience… on your phone! In each level, you are charged with the task of reassembling color palettes. Sort of a visual designer’s dream, eh? Oh, and you can save your favorite palettes and patterns as wallpaper for your phone. #win ($3.99 on iOS)
Ridiculous Fishing
Finally, one from last year’s roundup. This is a more traditional game, packed with levels, an endless journey and a heroic quest. What we love about it is the pixelated graphic aesthetic, combined with sort of an old school Nintendo look. ($2.99 on Android and iOS)
