[Reviews] The best mobile games of 2021 so far (December 2021)

[FazzNoth]

Updated on December 27h, 2021 - New titles added for both 148Apps and Pocket Gamer

 

Here it is, the list of the best mobile games of 2021 so far! We'll be adding more reviews as the games get released, so make sure to bookmark this page and check it every now and then.

 

Our reviewed mobile games in 2021Every year we review hundreds of new mobile games, picking out the cream of the crop for you to play. It's not as easy a process as you might think. For a start, there's definitely not time to review everything, our editors and reviewers look through the stacks of titles released each month and pick out those which we think have the most promise. There are tens of thousands of mobile games released every year and we only have so much time.

 

So, even before games are reviewed they're been filtered through on multiple levels before that selection. But, with us doing so many reviews each year we thought it was sensible to create this resource, so that you can, at a quick glance, see the best mobile games of 2021 by review ranking.

 

I'll let you in on what might be quite a well-known secret, the teams at Steel Media (that's Pocket Gamer, Pocket Gamer France, 148Apps, App Spy, and more) really love mobile games. As well we should, because we've been reviewing them for over 15 years now, or, if you want to do that weird thing people do where they add up the collective years to get an obscene number, the sites have been reviewing mobile games for over fifty years collectively...

 

That means that there's a lot of knowledge in these halls, it also means that we are quite precise when it comes to picking which ones we do decide to review.

 

Below you will find, by awarded score and within that, alphabetical order, each of the games we've chosen to review this year so far. Decide for yourself which of them are the best mobile games of 2021, scores are there to help you out!

 

5 Star - 10/10 - Pocket Gamer Platinum Award

 

Another Eden review - "The best of the good ol' days" - 24 March 2021

Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery review - 25 March 2021

Fantasian review - "An innovative and jaw-droppingly gorgeous RPG" - 6 March 2021

League of Legends: Wild Rift review - 12 April 2021- 148AppsNight Book review - 2 August 2021 - 148AppsNova Island review - 17 August 2021 - 148AppsRocket League Sideswipe review - 6 December 2021 - 148AppsSay No! More review - 9 April 2021 - 148AppsSumire review - "Why do some days stay in our thoughts forever?" - 7 December 2021Tears of Themis review - "Romantic wish fulfillment at its giddiest" - 10 August 2021Unruly Heroes review - 19 March 2021 - 148Apps

 

4.5 Star - 9/10 - Pocket Gamer Gold Award

 

Cosy Grove review - "A fun little break each day" - 29 March 2021

Doors: Paradox review - "Fires up your imagination and puzzle-solving skills in challenging but forgiving ways" - 26 October 2021

Embracelet review - "So much to see, not much to do" -  4 February 2021

Five Dates review - 16 February 2021 - 148Apps

Giant Dancing Plushies review - 15 March 2021 - 148Apps

Hundred Days review - "A success for the management genre" - 1 December 2021

Huntdown review - "An exhilarating and challenging action adventure" - 26 May 2021

Huntdown review - 16 June 2021 - 148Apps

Nauticrawl review - 24 September 2021 - 148Apps

Night in the Woods review - 15 September - 148Apps

Night of the Full Moon review - "A timeless tale" - 23 February 2021

Northgard review - "Land ahoy!" - 22 April 2021

Overboard! review "Gettign away with murder, with the help of a higher power" - 14 June 2021

Psycholonials review - 17 May 2021 - 148Apps

Punishing: Gray Raven review - "Beauty, tragedy, and awesomeness in a sleek, cyberpunk package" - 16 July 2021

Questkeep review - "A back-to-basics dungeon crawler that touches the heart" - 27 January 2021

Retro Goal review - 1 July 2021 - 148Apps

Runestrike review - "Breathtaking artwork, even more breathtaking gameplay"

SNKRX review - 2 July 2021 - 148Apps

Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat review - "Colorful, Rhythm-Based Fun!" - 3 April 2021

Tales of Luminaria review - "A game that begs you to give it a chance" - 15 November 2021

Tales of the Mirror review - "My Kingdom for a Bird" - 30 August 2021

Tender: Creature Comforts review - 26 April 2021 - 148Apps

Unruly Heroes review - "A madcap adventure to the west" - 17 March 2021

 

4 Star - 8/10 - Pocket Gamer Silver Award

 

Alien: Isolation review - 20 December 2021 - 148Apps

Battlecruisers review - 9 February 2021 - 148Apps

Beat Workers review - 25 March 2021 - 148Apps

Behind the Frame review - 25 August 2021 - 148Apps

Card Hog review - 26 March 2021 - 148Apps

Chicken Police review - 12 July 2021 - 148Apps

Cookie Run: Kingdom review - "Cute game with so much to do!" - 25 January 2021

Dead Man's Phone review - "Does the world give you justice, or do you take it yourself?" - 23 April 2021

Dinkigolf review - 3 March 2021 - 148Apps

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins review - "A must-play found phone game for any ardent Whovian" - 25 March 2021

Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee review - 16 March 2021 - 148Apps

Evan's Remains review - 14 December 2021 - 148Apps

Fallen of the Round review - 27 April 2021 - 148Apps

Ghost Beat review - 28 Jan 2021 - 148Apps

Hundred Days review - 15 October 2021 - 148Apps

Indies' Lies review - "Hours of roguelike fun without scaling a paywall" - 6 October 2021

Kathy Rain: Director's Cut review - 29 October 2021

Kill it with Fire review - "A fun take on pest control." - 10 March 2021

Letter Rooms review - 8 June 2021 - 148Apps

Lyxo review - "Relax and bounce a bunch of light about" - 24 February 2021

MTG Arena (iOS) review - "Magic at your fingertips" - 29 March 2021

My Friend Pedro review - 5 August 2021 - 148Apps

My Time at Portia review - "The end of the world isn't so bad" - 4 August 2021

Overboard! review - 2 June 2021 - 148Apps

Picnic Penguin review - "Cute game with challenging level designs" - 18 January 2021

Pink review - 1 February 2021 - 148Apps

Pokemon UNITE review - 1 October 2021

Rob Riches review - 30 November 2021 - 148Apps

Rush Rally Origins review - 18 August 2021 - 148Apps

Salvagette review - 7 July 2021 - 148Apps

Shattered Pixel Dungeon review - 31 August 2021 - 148Apps

Sixit review - "Master juggler" - 28 April 2021

StarGazing review - "Art and Astrology" - 12 March 2021

Street Masters review - 11 February 2021

The Captain is Dead review — "Beautifully complicated" - 9 February 2021

The Longest Road on Earth review - "Never has an empty mailbox brought so many feels" - 

The Oregon Trail review - "Jump on the party wagon" - 6 April 2021 

The Pillar review - 21 January 2021 - 148Apps

Trials of Mana review - 30 July 2021 - 148Apps

Tower of Fortune 4 review - 21 July 2021 - 148Apps

Unmaze review - 25 June 2021 - 148Apps

Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus review - "Praise be to technology" - 29 April 2021

What Remains of Edith Finch review - 23 August 2021 - 148Apps

Wordsmyth review - 26 February 2021 - 148Apps

 

3.5 Star - 7/10 - Pocket Gamer Bronze

 

AwardBike Baron 2 review - 9 June 201 - 148AppsBlind Drive review - "A unique, audio-based crime caper" - 19 March 2021Bloodshore review - 3 November 2021 - 148AppsCards! - MonkeyBox 2 review - 19 April 2021 - 148AppsCell to Singularity: Beyond review - 9 November 2021Clan N review - "Fantastic game, terrible controls" - 9 March 2021Dadish 2 review - "The kids are at it again!" - 26 January 2021Doctor Who: Lonely Assassins review - 23 March 2021 - 148AppsDragon Quest Tact review - "Cute and nightmarish at the same time" - 17 February 2021Ears and Burgers review - "More than meets the eye" - 1 June 2021Erica review - 19 January 2021 - 148AppsFallen of the Round review - 27 April 2021 - 148AppsFive Dates review - "Falling in love in a hopeless place" -  24 February 2021Jumanji: The Curse Returns review - 23 November 2021Knights of San Francisco review - 10 May 2021 - 148AppsLyxo review - 1 March 2021 - 148AppsMoncage review - 23 November 2021 - 148AppsNorthgard review - 15 April 2021 - 148AppsPlan B from Outer Space review - 5 November 2021 - 148AppsSparklite review - 10 November 2021 - 148Appssugar (game) review - 19 October 2021 - 148AppsThe Heroic Legend of Eagarlnia review - 22 September 2021 - 148appsThe Longest Road on Earth review - 4 June 2021 - 148AppsUnmaze review - "Horrifyingly beautiful art (forget the story, though)" - 28 June 2021

 

3 Star - 6/10

 

Blind Drive review - 10 March 2021 - 148AppsCode Atma review - "I wanted to love this so badly, but" - 27 March 2021Cyberika review - "Buckle up, buttercup" - 22 April 2021Day Repeat Day review - 21 April 2021 - 148AppsDungeons and Miners review - 9 September 2021 - 148AppsInked review - "If only looks were everything" - 3 March 2021Inked review - 24 February 2021 - 148AppsIn My Shadow review - 16 November 2021 - 148AppsMini Motorways review - "Warning: objects may appear less chill than they seem" - 13 December 2021Murdered by Midnight review - "A randomly generated murder case" - 4 October 2021One Escape review - "Robber Ducky and friends" - 7 May 2021PAKO 3 review - 7 December 2021 - 148AppsPUBG New State review - "Not-so-new state, but still enjoyable nonetheless" - 29 November 2021Secret Agent: The Five Keys review - "Visually stunning, but gameplay feels unpolished" - 15 October 2021Skeletal Avenger review - 9 December 2021 - 148 AppsSparklite mobile review - 9 November 2021The Captain is Dead review - 3 February 2021 - 148AppsThe Pillar review - "A too-Zen puzzle experience" - 21 January 2021You First review - 12 August - 148Apps

 

2.5 Star - 5/10Blitz

 

Rise of Heroes review - "Looks great, but sadly offers nothing new" - 11 November 2021Dark Nights with Poe and Mundo review  - 1 November 2021 - 148AppsI Saw Black Clouds review - 7 October 2021Requia Online review - "Big on function, lacking in form" - 22 September 2021

 

2 Star - 4/10

 

A Game of Thrones: Board Game review - 14 April 2021 - 148AppsMicetopia review - "Beautiful graphics, clunky gameplay" - 15 February 2021Unmaze review - 25 June 2021

 

So, that's it for now, the best mobile games of 2021 so far. Be sure to keep checking back, either to the sites or here, because we'll be continuing to pick out the best of the best going forward. 

https://www.pocketgamer.com/best-games/mobile-games-of-2021/