There are more mobile games than ever. So why are great ones so hard to find?

Puzzle game or Platformer? City Builder or Adventure?

With half a million mobile games to choose from, it’s only natural to start out your search by checking out the “Top 50” on a platform like the App Store. How else to find the best games on the market? After all, the higher the number of downloads, the better the game.

Right?

Maybe. But maybe not.

What’s the secret to becoming a “Top 50” game? Is it addictive, well-designed gameplay? Quality, eye-popping artwork? Engaging, deeply-immersive plot?

…Or is it something to the tune of $150,000?

When it comes to mobile app downloads, it’s no secret that quantity often stems from massive marketing budgets.

This is because the mobile app market is beyond saturated. As the total number of mobile games grows, so do marketing budgets. And as a result, games with the budget to get onto the Top 50 list tend to stay on the Top 50 list.

So what does all this mean? It means that there are thousands of great games you’ll never find on a “Top __” list. It means that you probably wouldn’t get the chance to play those games by flipping through download popularity charts. And it means that if you’re looking for a way to find those games, we have something for you.

Curious? Let’s end with a quick quiz.

Do you want to:

1. Explore the wide mobile games landscape?
2. Find the games most relevant to your tastes?

If your answer to either of those questions was “yes,” then this is for you:

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