Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley puts you in charge of a run-down farm inherited from your grandfather. You clear the land, plant seasonal crops, raise animals and make artisan goods to sell. Around that sits a small town of characters to befriend or marry, festivals through the year, fishing spots and caves full of monsters and ore. It suits anyone who likes slow, open-ended games they can pick up for ten minutes or lose a whole evening to.

On a phone it plays as a full port of the PC and console game, not a cut-down spin-off. You can tap to move or use a virtual joystick. Tools can switch automatically based on what you tap, and combat can attack on its own, which helps on a small screen. The game saves when you close the app, so short sessions work. Each in-game day is short, and the game gently pushes you to plan rather than rush. It is easy to keep coming back to.

Why we picked it: You pay once, there are no ads or in-app purchases, and you get dozens of hours of content that keeps growing with free updates.

Watch out for: Fine tasks like placing items or fishing can feel fiddly with touch controls, and online co-op from the PC version is not part of the mobile release.