A new year means a plethora of new mobile games to look forward to, but December 2023 provided us with enough fantastic games to last us through the winter months. From the intriguing roguelike Ouroboros to the mobile releases of the GTA Definitive Trilogy, we saw new and old games arrive on the Play Store, and one ofour favorite board games for Android, Ticket to Ride, saw a fresh coat of paint.
Best of all, you don’t need to go trawling through the Play Store to find them as we’ve collected these games plus more fantastic releases from the month into this list. So wrap up warm,shut the world out with some noise-canceling headphones, and play the best games that wrapped up 2023.
Shapez is an automation game that feels like a stripped-down version of Factorio or Mindustry. You’ll build a minimalistic factory designed to produce and color shapes by linking resources with devices by conveyor belts. While it’s gameplay is more simplistic than other automation games, you have infinite space to expand, and the ever-growing requirements mean things will inevitably get complex.
Shapez is the perfect automation game for mobile as it’s easy to pick up and play while providing hours of gameplay. It’s the ideal game if you enjoyed Mindustry on mobile but found it overly complex and wished you didn’t have to deal with combat.
2Ouroboros
Ouroboros’s gameplay is a chess game that diverges significantly from the core mechanics of the classic strategy game. New pieces, items, and upgrades add complex elements to the game, turning Ouroboros into a unique roguelike experience. Knowing the basic concepts of chess will get you started, but don’t rely on classic chess strategies, as they won’t be helpful here.
Ouroboros’s “chess” matches are linked in a procedurally generated campaign to create a roguelike experience. You’ll collect different pieces and relics during each run to make each unique. A short narrative links these games, or you can play Infinity mode to see how long you can last. Just note that you’ll need to pay $5.49 to unlock the full game.
3Goat Simulator 3
The Goat Simulator series might have lost some of the novelty by now, but nevertheless, Goat Simulator 3 is a relentlessly chaotic open-world game that is even more fun than its predecessor. (In keeping with the quirky theme, there is no Goat Simulator 2). What makes Goat Simulator a distinct improvement over the original is that this time, there are clear objectives that provide a rough framework for the sandbox mayhem.
Of course, you don’t need to follow the rules (what few there are anyway), but completing all the quests leads to a satisfying conclusion. If you enjoyed Goat Simulator 1, you’ll definitely enjoy this.
4Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride was unexpectedly removed from the Play Store in October. While we weren’t told then, this was to make room for a new, revamped digital version. From improved graphics to streamlined gameplay, this new version attempts to improve every aspect of the original. However, some frustrating elements, like clunky train placement and overly complicated graphics, make it hard to take in the state of the board at a glance.
It’s also disappointing that it doesn’t have all the expansions included with the original. While the developers are planning on adding them over time (plus extra content unseen before), this new version of Ticket to Ride only has a fraction of the content that was included with the original.
5Hello Neighbor Nicky’s Diaries
Hello Neighbor Nicky’s Diaries is a standalone entry in the Hello Neighbor series, offering an experience tailored to mobile devices. This means more straightforward controls and shorter levels, but fans of the series will be relieved to know that the stealth elements are not dumbed down compared to the main Hello Neighbor games.
Hello Neighbor Nicky’s Diaries builds upon the lore established in the original game, so it’s worth playing just for the story. However, despite its mobile exclusivity, it’s just as good as the mainline games. It’s free to play at first, but you’ll need to pay $7 to progress past the first few levels.
6Little Nightmares
Little Nightmares is finally available on mobile, six years after its release on consoles and PC. This is the same experience as the original but with a revamped interface for mobile touch screens. However, the touch controls are unreliable, so we recommend using one ofour favorite Android-compatible controllersto play.
For those unfamiliar with Little Nightmares, this atmospheric horror game doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares or body horror to scare you. Instead, you’ll progress through a series of unsettling levels populated by childhood fears and creepy souls. It’s a fantastic puzzle-platformer-horror game that is well worth the price.
7GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy
As long as you have a controller to hand, this mobile release of the GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy is well worth a go. Available as separate downloads, this trilogy of classic GTA games includes GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas. They’re faithful remasters with improved graphics and mobile optimizations to suit your phones.
Inour review of the mobile port of GTA Vice City, we found that most of the problems present in the original Definitive Edition are gone, but you need a controller as the touch controls are almost useless. So, if you have a controller, go ahead and relive these classic games.
Play the games that wrapped up 2023
These December releases are all fantastic, but only some made it intoour roundup of the best games of 2023. We picked out 20 of our favorite games from the year across all genres, so verify to check it out to see what games you may have missed.
