Why does mobile gaming continue to grow?

By Louise Opticonner

December 21st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Gaming has always been a massive part of people’s lives. From Atari to the Gameboy, people have always had a love for gaming. However in recent times, the focus towards gaming has slightly shifted, with players now more focused on accessibility and being able to play wherever they like at any time.

Play anywhere any time.

With more and more people getting access to smartphones, this has also opened up numerous options for players, with them being able to play their favourite puzzles apps or log into their online casino to play a few slot games without the need to be home, giving them much more flexibility around their day.

With more and more games being developed for smartphones, it’s no surprise the industry is shifting more towards it, however just what are the exact reasons why this part of the industry is thriving and continues to grow?

In this article we’ll be taking a look into just that; to see why mobile gaming continues to grow year on year.

It is accessible

With each passing year, more and more people start to gain access to a smartphone, with the majority of the population now owning one. This means everyone with a smartphone has access to play mobile games, something even ten years ago wouldn’ have been possible.

With more players than ever, this gives developers more scope to bring out games as there are more people out there to play them. The more people that play them, the more money that goes back to the developers to not only improve the game but also bring out new games.

Giving your skills a workout.

For example, waiting for players in a casino room would be much quicker as there are more players online and waiting to join, as such making your experience quicker.

Free to play

With the amount of mobile games out there now, there is a huge library of both free and paid games people can play. Because of this, developers are constantly improving their games to try to get new players in, often offering them great new player bonuses for joining.

In recent years, we’ve seen a vast increase in free to play games, where there is no up front cost to play, however you’re required to put more time and effort to achieve your goals in game. There are also options to spend money in game via such things as power ups or to speed up waiting times.

A great example of this would be Clash of Clans which is one of the top games on the app store despite being released years ago. The game is originally free to play, however after you get to a certain point, building and repairing your base will take a significant time to complete. You can purchase gems to speed this up, however these do cost real money. This is however a choice, and you do have the option to go completely free to play, it just takes a little longer!

High profile games

All kinds of games to entertain yourself

As technology increased, new more demanding games have been released onto mobiles. Many games such as Call of Duty or Genshin impact have both been released onto mobile whilst having PC and console ports. These games are either one for one or slight variations of the console game, but hold mostly the same game elements. For example, Call of Duty Mobile has lots of classic maps from previous Call of Duty console games, but the graphics have just been toned down so it can be supported on mobile.

Technology improvements

As the technology in smartphones continues to increase, so does the quality of the games. It wasn’t that long ago that pong was considered revolutionary to have on a handheld device, and the first more complex games such as Angry Birds, really started the movement to smartphone gaming over console.

Obviously there is still a way to go as consoles will always be more powerful than mobiles, however with each passing year, the gap does get smaller and smaller. And with each new game that gets ported to mobile, it does further ask the question, do you really need a console or will a mobile do everything you need for gaming?

In recent years mobile gaming has gone to a new level, new AAA games being released, better and better quality graphics bridging the gap between console and mobile, it does make you think if consoles are all that.

You get the flexibility of being able to play anywhere anytime with your mobile, whilst with a console you’re stuck to one location. With more people every year getting access to a smartphone, the mobile gaming community is only going to grow bigger over time.

What’s your favourite mobile game to play, and do you prefer to play mobile over a console?