There’s a video game that suits just about any interest today. Dark Souls is there to push gamers to the very edge, while casual mobile games like Candy Crush Saga are designed to pass the time. Regardless of which type of game you gravitate toward, you’re probably looking for a bit of excitement.
Whether designed for hardcore gamers or non-digital natives stuck in a waiting room, games must be exciting in order to garner interest and bring on new players. But how each game looks to do that is incredibly different.
Looking to try out one of the world’s most exciting games for mobile and beyond? Explore some of our favorites below, which are broken down by different categories of excitement, and find your next obsession.
Table of Contents
For Strategy: Blackjack
Though the game doesn’t move as quickly as an FPS or MOBA title, playing blackjack online is one way to get the gears moving. That’s because blackjack has a relatively straightforward set of rules—especially compared to poker. It allows the game to move at a steady pace, which requires players to follow the action and decide when to hit and when to split.
That action can get moving pretty quickly in some cases—and it all leads to a major outcome. Who will bust? Will any players hit blackjack? And who will split their aces at just the right moment?
For Reaction Time: Cuphead
This run-and-gun action came might look like it’s straight out of the 1930s, but that’s just its design. The game requires players to navigate level after level and boss battle after boss battle—often at lightning-speed.
In fact, that’s the backbone of the game’s excitement: trying to keep up as Cuphead speeds toward the next boss battle. As the game progresses, players will gain crucial skills… but will they be able to keep up when it matters the most?
For Mental Gymnastics: Hades
Let’s enter one of gaming’s toughest and most challenging genres: roguelike dungeon-crawlers. These games require players to strategically exit a dungeon or similar holding. They must navigate through various rooms and acquire things along the way—along with a bit of hacking and slashing.
While blackjack requires strategic thinking that builds up the excitement, Hades, a dungeon-crawler released in 2021, incorporates longer-form mental gymnastics. In other words, the game doesn’t end after a few rounds. The anticipation builds as players seek to escape the Underworld as Hades’s son, Zagreus, to reach Mount Olympus.
For the Biggest Twist: Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic
As the brainchild of a Hollywood-hit franchise, the Star Wars video games offer plenty of excitement. Combined with a high level of production and incredible gameplay elements, Knights of the Old Republic is hailed as having one of the most insane twist endings.
If you want to learn what that twist is, you’ll have to play until the game’s end. If you don’t mind a (major) spoiler, then beware of the legendary Darth Revan as you craft your own Jedi as you advance through the game.
For the Never-Seen-Before: Raji: An Ancient Epic
Some video games draw on history and culture to help craft a new approach to gaming. This is certainly the case with Nodding Heads’ Raji: An Ancient Epic. The game takes players into medieval Rajasthan where they play as Raji, a young hero who’s desperate to find her brother after he’s kidnapped.
If you’re on the hunt for an exciting new game, then look no further. The project includes graphic design that’s based on ancient Rajasthani artforms, cultural icons from India that players will recognize, and next-level fantasy gameplay.
For Pure Speed: SUPERHOT
Runner games, like Cuphead, are known for their fast pace. But there’s another genre within that category: the speedrunner. A speedrun is a way to complete a level as fast as possible—but some games are designed for next-level excitement with their speedruns.
SUPERHOT is one of the most popular VR games. The shooter game includes mechanics that let players pause time—but they’ll need to perfect their run before they can complete a level… nonetheless at high speeds.
