5 Awesome Mobile and Online Games to Play in 2021

The smartphone really is one of the most—if not the most—revolutionary inventions of the 21^st century. We use it for so much more than communicating these days. Smartphone and mobile devices put an entire world of entertainment at our fingertips, allowing us to consume media content, socialize with our peers, and yes, play games with our friends.

Looking for something new to play with your pals? Here are some of the best mobile online games that you can play today.

League of Legends: Wild Rift

With a name and pedigree tied to what is currently the biggest e-sports title in the world, League of Legends: Wild Rift has a lot to live up to. The game is a mobile adaptation of the wildly popular PC game League of Legends, and is currently only available in regional open beta in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. Publisher Riot Games claims that it is also coming to unspecified consoles and more countries soon, making us hopeful for a worldwide alpha release in late 2020 or 2021.

Closed beta reviewers assert that it’s similar to the Riot Games’ premier multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in almost every sense, with a few minor gameplay adjustments made to make it easier to play on your smartphone or mobile device. In addition to affording you access to all of your favorite champions from the original League of Legends series, the developers have made it so that minions drop more gold and items are cheaper to build, creating a more dynamic gameplay experience overall. You can download League of Legends: Wild Rift today on the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.

Among Us

Initially released by independent developer and publisher InnerSloth to little mainstream attention, Among Us quickly gained popularity in 2020 when several big-name Twitch streamers and YouTubers chanced upon the game and began playing it.

Described as a multiplayer social deduction game, players take on the role of either a Crewmate or an Impostor. The goal of the Crewmates is to complete tasks around the map and to identify and eliminate the Impostors. the Impostors, on the other hand, must sabotage the environment and kill Crewmates before all of their tasks are completed. Suspected Impostors can be ejected from the map via a vote.

Among Us combines simple and straightforward gameplay with unique social mechanics and a comedic art style, all of which have made it an instant hit with gamers. It can be played locally over a wireless network or online using broadband internet or mobile data packages. The game is available as a free download on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. You can also purchase it on Steam using Steam wallet credits.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Before Tencent and subsidiary Riot Games were able to port League of Legends for the mobile audience, Chinese video game developers Moonton beat them to the punch with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a League of Legends-esque MOBA for mobile phones. Released in 2016, it continues to be one of the most popular online mobile games in the Philippines, consistently ranking within the list of Top 10 Games in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

From an initial offering of 10 heroes when it was released, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s catalog of playable characters has ballooned to 98 in the live server as of October 2020. One of the most attractive features of the game is its inclusion. Moonton regularly collaborates with Southeast Asian countries to create new characters based on local histories or folklore. For example, the game introduced a hero named Lapu-Lapu in 2017, based on the Philippines’ very own Chief of Mactan who defeated the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Another great feature of the game is character customizability. In addition to weapons and items that can level up your gameplay, you can also buy skins that can alter your favorite hero’s appearance through the in-app store. You can pay for these with premium credits, known in the game as diamonds.

Genshin Impact

Published by Shanghai-based studio miHoYo and only released last September 28, 2020, Genshin Impact is a free-to-play, open-world action role-playing game (ARPG) that quickly rose to prominence among lovers of the genre. It has the honor of grossing over $250 million within a month of its release on the Android and iOS platforms, making it one of the largest mobile game launches in history.

In Genshin Impact, players take on the role of the Traveler, who is tasked with finding their twin across the vast island of Teyvat. The gameplay has often been compared to that of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Like in BotW, players are rewarded for exploring the island, challenging monsters, and completing elemental challenges scattered throughout the map. Reviewers have been quick to praise Genshin Impact’s setting, whimsical character design, and innovative combat system, resulting in “generally favorable reviews” from review aggregator Metacritic. The online-only game can be downloaded for free on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

PUBG Mobile – New Era

Designed exclusively for mobile, PUBG Mobile – New Era needs almost no introduction. It won Mobile Game of the Year at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards, as well as Best Game, Fan Favorite Game, and Most Competitive Game at the 2018 Google Play Awards. Its pedigree is unquestionable; the online multiplayer battle royale game is the official mobile port for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which was previously only available on PCs and consoles.

The gameplay is straightforward enough. PUBG Mobile can be played either as a first-person or third-person shooter, with the goal being to survive to the end against other players in a battle royale, last man standing deathmatch. In addition to intense and fast-paced multiplayer action, the game has been praised for its accessibility and unorthodox mechanics, especially as compared to other games in its specific category. Experience PUBG fever today by downloading the game on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Mobile online games bridge the gap between us and our friends by allowing us to play games on a device that we all already own. They take away the inconvenience of having to purchase a separate console just for that purpose, and that’s what makes them so great.