Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley arrived on phones in 2018 and is remarkable especially for the fact that a single person, going by the name ConcernedApe, created the entire game - code, graphics, and music - at the time without major publisher backing. Clearly inspired by the Harvest Moon series, this farming simulation lets players inherit a run-down farm from their grandfather and gradually transform it: planting crops according to the seasons, raising animals, mining in monster-filled tunnels, fishing, and building relationships with a diverse cast of residents in the nearby town, all without pressure for rapid progress or time constraints.

Touch controls were redesigned from the ground up for the mobile version - instead of a mouse and keyboard, it offers a virtual joystick and contextual buttons that change depending on what the player is currently holding or looking at, and the inventory and menu interface is enlarged and adapted for fingers. The slower, meditative pace of the game also fits well with short mobile play sessions, which is actually what its genre model, the console Harvest Moon games, was designed for too - except that a phone is practically always within reach.

Although it started as a personal project by a single developer without a large budget, it outgrew its own expectations to the point of becoming one of the most cited titles in the genre and inspired an entire wave of similar farming games on all platforms, mobile included.

Why play it: For players looking for a calm, undemanding game for both short and long play sessions - farming, fishing, and building relationships with the residents work just as comfortably on touch as on PC.