Crossy Road

Crossy Road took the old Frogger idea – cross the road, the river, and the tracks without getting run over by a car or swept away by a train – and wrapped it in cute voxel visuals with dozens of unlockable characters, from a chicken through zombies to a yeti and all sorts of seasonal specials. Controls are maximally simple: a tap moves the character one step forward, a swipe to the side dodges, and the whole challenge rests on the increasing speed and unpredictability of traffic, trains, and rivers with floating logs that must be hopped across, which makes short, endless, unsaved runs an ideal few-minute pastime any time of day.

Hipster Whale released the game in 2014, and it quickly became one of the prime examples of how a simple, endless arcade concept can work better on mobile than complex systems with story and levels – here it's just the chase for a personal best and unlocking the next character using coins collected along the way. The visual style with blocky, minimalist voxel models became the game's trademark and inspired other titles in the same genre, including licensed spin-offs with characters from other brands, such as the following Pac-Man 256.

Monetization rests on ads between runs and optional microtransactions for unlocking characters faster, but the game can be played entirely for free without feeling that paying is necessary for progress or for fully enjoying the gameplay.

Why play it: Anyone looking for a simple, addictive arcade game for a few minutes a day without payment pressure – ads are the only price for playing for free.