Coin Master

Coin Master is among the most successful free-to-play titles of its generation, even though its core mechanic is surprisingly simple – the player spins a virtual slot machine that yields coins, attacks on other players' villages, or shields to protect their own base. The coins earned are then invested into building and upgrading one's own village, so the game combines the randomness of a slot machine with the sense of gradual growth familiar to players of building simulations, and regularly offers new themed maps as motivation to keep progressing.

Viral social spread played a crucial role in the game's success – a system of rewards for inviting friends and integration with social networks allowed Coin Master to grow at a rate that outpaced most of its contemporary competition. The controls are purely touch-based and reduced to the bare minimum of tapping and dragging, so anyone can handle the game regardless of gaming experience, which was one of the keys to its mass reach across age groups and beyond the traditional circle of mobile gamers.

Monetization is aggressive and built on buying spins and coins, an energy system limiting the number of free moves available, and regular event campaigns pushing players to spend. The game still runs on regular updates with new themed maps to this day, but the economy is clearly designed so that paying players progress considerably faster than those who play for free.

Why play: Suitable for players looking for undemanding, socially connected fun for a few minutes a day, but you need to expect pressure to spend for faster progress.