While mobile games don’t have the best reputation, there are some exceptional titles that manage to buck the trend and remain popular for years after their initial release. Whether it’s a new Clash of Clans or a roguelike, there are plenty of amazing mobile games that will keep you hooked on your smartphone for hours at a time.

In fact, there are more mobile gamers in the world than ever before, and the popularity of some mobile games shows no signs of slowing down. According to a report by Newzoo, 3.2 billion people play mobile games on their smartphones every day.

However, many of the most popular mobile games are low-effort clones with a cheesy microtransaction model designed to lure in players and then quickly discourage them from digging deeper. These bad apples give mobile gaming a bad name, while the good ones, such as Alto’s Adventure or Superbrothers, are overlooked.

But with the right game, mobile gaming can be a rich experience that is as engaging and challenging as any other genre of video game. In addition to offering a wide variety of games, some mobile gamers also play socially with friends in real life or online. This can make playing games even more fun.

Some mobile games can be even more immersive when played with a controller like the Backbone One or Razer Kishi. While most of the titles on this list are not designed to be played with a controller, they do all offer an amazing gameplay loop that will have you glued to your smartphone for hours at a time.

Unlike most mobile games, these titles are free to download and play, though some may require an in-app purchase to unlock the full game. Most of these titles are also ad-supported, so you can expect to be interrupted by ads from time to time.

Several media artists and startup companies began experimenting in the early 2000s with using mobile devices to generate playful activity. These activities often involved public spaces and used location technologies, such as GPS or RFID, to create a shared play space that could be augmented by other participants. For example, in 2005 the group Mobile Radicals used GPS technology to allow users to play Pac-Man on the streets of downtown New York City by interacting with players who were “Ghost” versions of them. While these experiments were ephemeral, they pointed to the potential of mobile games to create shared experiences and promote community. This is particularly true for socially connected multiplayer games.