After years of free games dominating the scenes, we finally saw a big shift in 2023. Although there were plenty of great Android games released this year that were still free, only two out of ten of our top favorite mobile games of 2023 are completely free with ads, although a few have demo versions.
Why the sudden reversal? Part of it is due to Netflix. The streaming giant dipped its toes into mobile games in 2021, but 2023 saw it ramp up these efforts, offering high-quality ports of console games and other original titles to its subscribers at no extra cost. Apple also played a role with the announcement of the iPhone 15 Pro and the company’s plans to bring console-quality games to its phone, offering them at premium prices ranging from $30 to $60.