Among Us

Among Us started out as an intimate game for a few friends playing a spaceship crew, and remained quiet for almost two years after release – the turning point came only in 2020, when major streamers began playing it and the game became a global phenomenon within a few weeks, even though it was developed by just a small studio, InnerSloth. The principle is simple: the crew completes small tasks aboard the ship, while one or more impostors are hiding among them, whose only goal is to quietly eliminate the others and pin the blame on someone else. The simple cartoon visuals, with pudgy astronauts in colorful spacesuits, helped the game become an easy favorite even among audiences who otherwise don't play action or strategy games.

On a touchscreen the game controls surprisingly naturally – you drag the character across the map with your finger, complete tasks by tapping through a minigame, and handle voting during a meeting with a simple pick from the list of suspects. It was precisely the social dimension, with players loudly accusing each other and defending themselves over voice chat outside the game, that made Among Us ideal content for watching on Twitch and YouTube, which paradoxically sold the game far more than any advertising campaign could. The mobile version also supports cross-platform play with players on PC and consoles, so a group of friends can sit on different devices and play together. On mobile it's free to download, funded by small ads and cosmetic extras like hats, pets, and character colors, so gameplay itself stays the same for everyone regardless of how much anyone has spent.

Why play: For groups of friends who want a cheap, quick social game for voice chat, ideally at a shared party, where it's more about deduction and bluffing than reflexes.