The predatory games succeed because they have huge marketing budgets and casuals don't have the skills/motivation/etc. to actively seek out the good games instead.
Getting into the industry as a dev does not help with this problem.
this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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flappy bird
... the lightning struck. If you're looking for some greater pattern there... flappy bird is from a different time. Anything you could've learned from it is no longer relevant.
I assume that iPad moms only install games from the front page of the App Store and to get on the front page you probably need to spend a fair bit of money. To get that money you need to run ads and have microtransactions etc.
Not saying it's impossible and I admire the sentiment, but it might not be as simple
There are a lot of good mobile games these days, but I’ve yet to find one I like that can be played in portrait view. I don’t enjoy holding my phone sideways. If they could figure out how to let me enjoy Balatro or Slay the Spire with one hand, I’m investing.
-Edit So grateful for all the recommendations. Keep them coming!
Mindustry is great and FOSS. It gets rather difficult, though. While it will run in portrait on your phone, I'm not sure I would recommend it there because it gets rather intense quickly.
The game needs keyboard and mouse, it's complex to handle conveyor belt hell wothout these.
More typical "mobile game" fare than what's being recommended, but I did enjoy playing a fair amount of Sorcery Variants Daphne, if you'd like a first person dungeon crawler turn based RPG
I'd recommend Andor's trail. It is not a completed game, but a community built game, ad free, does not demand you to be in the game at any specific time.
Downwell
Slice & Dice
Luck be a landlord. Addiction warning though
Solitarica is also solid
Try Pixel Dungeon! There's a lot to learn to actually beat the game but it's super rewarding when you do!
Wordscapes, Unblock Me
Wordscapes is a good answer and all but he probably blocked you for a reason.
You must build a boat
Threes
I think Apple Arcade has so many good games without transactions.
- Goat Simulator
- Monster Train
- Grindstone
- Slay the Spire
- Balatro
- Angry Birds
- Hello Kitty Island
But my mom just plays solitaire. I try sitting with her and playing new games but she doesn’t go back to the new games. I know she has found new games in the past—she played all of Plants vs Zombies—but that is a long time ago.
Most people allow habit to dictate what activities they do. They don't make a conscious choice. Without a conscious choice to play Balatro regularly, a habit can't be formed. Once a person sacrifices conscious control over their daily routine, it's very hard to come back. They've become a zombie.
I hated homescapes and that guy who's gaslighting his parents into keeping their huge villa that they wanted to sell. I actually think all these characters are pure evil.