The case for one-handed mobile games

A lot of mobile games are designed like they're on a tablet propped on a desk. In reality most of us play on a train, in bed, or waiting for a kettle, with exactly one hand free.

The games I keep coming back to are the ones that get this. Tap-and-drag controls, portrait orientation, buttons within thumb reach. It sounds minor until you try to play a two-thumb layout while holding a coffee.

Turn-based RPGs and card games tend to nail this because they don't need frantic input. Racing and action games struggle more, though the good ones offer tilt or single-touch modes.

When you're deciding what to install, check the screenshots for orientation and button placement. It tells you more about the play experience than the marketing does.