Mobile gaming has seen a massive surge over the last few years as more people around the globe use their smartphones to jump into all kinds of game worlds. Having a huge range of games available at the tips of your fingers has lowered entry barriers for new gamers significantly, leading to a large increase in global player numbers. As more games are being ported to mobile devices and with new and better technology continuously improving the gaming experience, the mobile gaming trend is set to continue its steep upward trajectory.
More games coming to mobile
More games than ever can now be played on mobile devices, and the number grows daily, as more mobile games are being released. They span across all types of genres and speak to a huge audience, from casual to hardcore gamers. Smartphones have found tremendous success as a platform for casual, social, and classic games which offer short game rounds that can easily be played on the go. Games such as Candy Crush Saga, Angry Birds, and Subway Surfers have simple yet engaging gameplay that speaks to a large audience of many types of gamers. Similarly, classic games such as card games, board games, and casino games have found their way onto mobile screens. Classics such as online slots can nowadays be accessed through a variety of mobile casinos, which have been reviewed and rated by experts. With dedicated mobile apps, providers bring the traditional pastime of casino games onto smartphones. While casual gaming is especially popular on mobile devices, even AAA videogames are coming to mobile, as more developers try to get their piece of the mobile gaming pie. From Call of Duty and PUBG to League of Legends and Mario Kart, known and beloved console and PC games can now easily be played on the go.
Cloud gaming
This trend is further enhanced by the ongoing onslaught of cloud gaming. Cloud gaming allows players to stream their video games via the internet, without having to download or run the game locally on their device. Just like Netflix lets users stream TV shows and movies, cloud gaming services offer a library of games ready to be played online in an instant on a variety of devices. Powerful remote data centers equipped with state-of-the-art gaming hardware run the games, which then get streamed onto the player’s screen. With this technology, even less powerful devices such as smartphones can run demanding AAA video games. With Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, for instance, users can play their Xbox games not just on their consoles, but also on PCs, TVs, and smartphones, as long as they have a fast and stable internet connection. As this technology gains more traction, it will likely further boost the mobile gaming trend as more players use more devices to play their favorite games.
Widespread smartphone adoption and improved hardware
In the UK alone, more than 90% of the population owns a smartphone, while more than 80% of the entire global population has a smartphone today. This number has increased significantly in recent years and is projected to grow even more in the coming years, putting games into the palms of an ever-growing number of users. As widespread smartphone adoption continues to climb and the accessibility of internet connectivity improves across the world, mobile gaming will likely see even more growth. This is further strengthened by technological advancements that will make the gaming experience on mobile devices more enjoyable through better and bigger screens, more powerful phones, and improved controls. Already today, the best gaming phones boast high performance and detail-rich resolution for immersive gaming experiences on the go. To take gaming on the go even further, a slew of handheld gaming devices are coming to the market, putting portable consoles into the hands of players to play wherever they are. Devices such as the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, the new Logitech G CLOUD and the upcoming Razer Edge offer high-quality gaming experiences with dedicated controls and large screens that make gaming on the go even more immersive. As hardware continues to get both better and more affordable, more people will be likely to jump on the mobile gaming bandwagon as well.
Video games have broken out of the confines of a console and gaming computer and can now easily be played on the go on mobile devices. Mobile gaming has seen immense growth in recent years and comfortably continues its upward trajectory as more developments further boost the trend.