Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors reached mobile phones in 2023, two years after its PC debut, which essentially defined a new genre nicknamed bullet heaven with its simplified concept of automatic attacks and hordes of enemies on screen. The player only moves the character while weapons attack on their own according to their own rules, and the goal is to survive as long as possible against ever denser waves of undead and other monsters on screen. Over time, dozens of simultaneously attacking weapons and spells pile up around the character, until the screen is literally flooded with effects and damage numbers.

The touch conversion is simple, since all it takes is a virtual stick or direct finger dragging across the screen to move the character — the game requires no aimed attacks or complex button combinations, placing it among titles that fit mobile controls perfectly, with no compromises. Visually, it stays faithful to the PC version's pixel-art, retro aesthetic and its catchy, repetitive music that accompanies dozens of minutes of a single run.

The mobile version is free-to-play with ads that can be removed via a one-time purchase, and additional content in the form of expansions is bought separately, similar to on PC and consoles. It's thus a fairer version of the free-to-play model, without gacha mechanics or pressure toward repeated spending — just ads as the basic price for free play, with no content restrictions compared to paid versions on other platforms.

Why play it: For players looking for an addictive, easy-to-control survival game for shorter sessions, with ads as the only price for free access.