Mobile gaming is going through a legitimate renaissance period right now. Over the last couple years, games like Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille, Words With Friends, Flappy Bird, and now Pokemon Go, have completely revolutionized the way we take our lunch breaks, wait for our Ubers, visit the DMV, power Mobile gaming is going through a legitimate renaissance period right now. Over the last couple years, games like Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille, Words With Friends, Flappy Bird, and now Pokemon Go, have completely revolutionized the way we take our lunch breaks, wait for our Ubers, visit the DMV, power through terrible Tinder dates, and enjoy our free time.
But what about the classics? What if you prefer the timeless appeal of Space Invaders or Final Fantasy over these gosh darn new-fangled apps? We all know about Tetris, but are there more classics available on mobile? You’re damn right there are! Here are 8 Classic Videogames You Can Play on Your Smartphone:
DOOM
A legend among even the most modern of gamers, DOOM is the first person shooter that really put this now-standard genre of gaming on the map. You remember it from when you were a kid, but now it’s back and better than ever. Playing this game again for the first time in 20 years was a surreal experience for us, and it was really surprising to still get scared shitless by a two-dimensional, poorly illustrated, pixelized demon. Go figure. iPhone
Space Invaders
One of the most legendary classic arcade games of all time, Space Invaders comes to life for iPhone and Android in a way that’ll make you feel like you’re playing it in an actual arcade—joystick, trigger button, and all. As to be expected, the controls aren’t as sensitive as the actual arcade classic, but this version comes as close to the real deal as it gets. We couldn’t find a Space Invaders for Android (sorry folks!), but we did find Space Intruders, which appears to be to Space Invaders what Fruitti Rings is to Froot Loops. So there’s that. iPhone Android
Snake ’97
Damn. This one really took us back in time. Snake was a game that was popular on some of the first consumer-grade cellular telephones from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. People used to freak out over the fact that there were little games they could play on their telephones, using their touch-pad buttons. In’nit cute? Anyway, Snake ’97 allows you to play this blast from the past all over again, complete with the terrible pea-green screen and classic dot-matrix graphics. It truly is a walk down memory lane. iPhone Android
Crazy Taxi
We all spent hours at a time playing this Sega classic back in the day. The premise of Crazy Taxi sounds boring: Pick up a fare and get them to where they need to go in the designated time limit. It’s a classic beat-the-clock racing game, but it was revolutionary for its time because it was one of the first “open world” racing games ever. Even now that better games with better graphics have come along, there’s still something about the allure of this console classic that keeps fans playing for days. iPhone Android
Pacific Wings
You’re not going to recognize the title of this game, but you’ll know its aesthetic the minute it boots up. Based on the ‘80s Capcom classic 1940-series (1942, most popularly), Pacific Wings is a vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up that’s modeled almost identically after its legendary predecessor. Dive, dip, and dodge your way through enemy fire, and take out all who stand in your way—all without leaving your train platform. iPhone Android
Atari’s Greatest Hits ReMaster
This officially licensed and re-mastered release by Atari is a classic gamer’s dream. Atari’s Greatest Hits allows players mobile access to all their favorite classics from the Atari 2600, including Missile Command, Asteroids, Centipede, and many, many more. And for those of us who love a good multiplayer square off, the app is Bluetooth enabled, too! What we love most about this app is its price point—you can purchase 25 separate game packs for $0.99 each, all 100 games for $9.99, or—get this—tokens for individual game plays, just like in the old days! iPhone Android
Sonic The Hedgehog
What’s there to say about this videogame classic? Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the single largest franchises in videogaming history. Period. Sega officially re-released this widely revered classic for both Apple and Android phones, and since its release, it has consistently ranked as a mobile gaming favorite. The mobile version is identical to the Sega classic (just optimized for smartphones), and even the graphics pay homage to the original. This is nostalgia at its finest. iPhone Android
Final Fantasy VII
The Final Fantasy franchise is generally something gamers either love or hate. We love a good RPG, especially when we’re looking for some distraction. Final Fantasy VII is considered one of the best of the franchise, as it was the first to incorporate 3D computer graphics, pre-rendered movie footage, etc. It’s a hell of a throwback that works exceptionally well with mobile devices. Original developer Square Enix modified the original for mobile, and included 3D backgrounds, as well as 3D battle sequences. If you loved the original, mobile will make you feel right at home. iPhone Android
