Like most games, mobile games tend to offer people quick fun on-the-go, with gameplay that's supposed to feel both enjoyable and rewarding. But what happens when developers abandon this approach? Well, that is what has happened to these 25 mobile games we've listed in this article. They've become rather annoying for a variety of reasons, and that includes heavy ads and gameplay that almost forces you to spend money to progress.
25. Flappy Bird
Flappy Bird was a huge cultural phenomenon that was, unfortunately, built on frustration. One tiny mistimed tap ends your run instantly, and the brutal difficulty curve made it equal parts addictive and rage-inducing.
(Image Credit: .Gears)
24. Evony: The King's Return
Evony: The King's Return is a mobile game that's famous for its use of fake puzzle ads. In reality, the gameplay revolves around rather long timers and heavy monetization that simply makes playing the game not one single bit of fun.
(Image Credit: TG Inc.)
23. RAID: Shadow Legends
Aggressive monetization and constant promotional pop-ups make progression in RAID: Shadow Legends feel like there's no room for the common free-to-play player. The result is that most players will need to spend some level of money to remain competitive in the meta, keep up with various legendary champions, and ensure they can come out on top in PvP battles.
(Image Credit: Plarium Games)
22. 8 Ball Pool
Lose one high-stakes match in 8 Ball Pool, and your coin balance can vanish completely. The fact that coins are needed to upgrade or purchase items means that you'll need to stake a lot of coins in each PvP match to progress further in the game. If you lose, then you're forced to rebuild your coin balance slowly or, if you're desperate, pay for top-ups.
(Image Credit: Miniclip)
21. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
The strict energy system in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery can often lead to rather slow story progression. That is, unless you're willing to fork out money to advance through the game, which again, isn't the best if you're a free-to-play player. You'll be left wanting to know what happens next, but not being able to get that satisfaction.
(Image Credit: Jam City)
20. My Talking Tom
My Talking Tom may have cute animations and an adorably obnoxious cat, but the game hides frequent ad interruptions — which can sometimes be unskippable — and constant monetization prompts. Many longtime players now feel like the game is a cash grab, and there's not much fun left in the gameplay experience.
(Image Credit: Outfit7)
19. Rise of Kingdoms
In Rise of Kingdoms, the annoying aspect is that it's super difficult for new players or those who are free-to-play. This is because there are a lot of competitive alliances, and heavy spenders tend to dominate.
(Image Credit: Lilith Games)
18. Project Makeover
Project Makeover is another one of those games where the fun-filled ads they run don't truly reflect the gameplay it has. Once you download the game and start playing, you'll find that it's just a cycle of repetitive match-3 puzzles.
(Image Credit: Magic Tavern)
17. Mafia City
Mafia City is known for its overly exaggerated ads and steep pay barriers. The result is gameplay that falls short of expectations and gameplay that doesn't feel as rewarding as you'd think an action-based mafia story should be.
(Image Credit: Phantix Games)
16. Merge Mansion
Merge Mansion hasn't been the most enjoyable game for a while now. Ads are rampant, prices for much-needed items have gone up, and the brutal energy system makes it so that even the simplest of tasks take forever to complete. It's no longer a game that you can comfortably sink time into.
(Image Credit: Metacore)
15. Family Island
Family Island promises "an unforgettable world of adventure with a modern Stone Age family," but in truth, the adventure is very much start and stop. This is because energy is a crucial aspect of the game and is needed to do pretty much any activity in the game. However, tasks require too much energy, and the regeneration rate for energy is super slow. All this waiting drains the fun out of the game and makes progression sluggish.
(Image Credit: Melsoft)
14. Township
Township is, by many accounts, a game that's considered misleading. It's marketed as a "free-to-play" experience, but you'll have to spend large amounts of money to make it anywhere in the game. On top of that, players report that the game refuses to refund them when they accidentally purchase something. It's just a game you should avoid if you're not a fan of heavy microtransactions.
(Image Credit: Playrix)
13. Marvel Strike Force
Marvel Strike Force has turned into a pay-to-play game where purchasing Gold and other crucial items has almost become a necessity if you want to complete events and remain competitive in the ever-changing meta.
(Image Credit: Scopely)
12. Archero
Archero has many issues that haven't been resolved for a long time. The balancing needs to be addressed; consistent connection problems make playing the game obnoxious at times, and the pay-to-win system can be insufferable.
(Image Credit: Habby)
11. Words With Friends Word Game
The ad-heavy interface in Words With Friends Word Game interrupts nearly every move in every match. It all becomes just too distracting, too frustrating, and too annoying. The gameplay loses its momentum and takes the fun away from what should be a simple word game.
(Image Credit: Zynga)
10. Toon Blast
Toon Blast starts with easy-to-pass levels, but as you progress further into the game, the levels become almost impossible to pass without spending money on purchasing pivotal items. In the end, you're left with the feeling that no amount of skill is enough, and that the only way to climb through levels is by opening your wallet.
(Image Credit: Peak Games)
9. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
The visuals are decent, and the commitment to the Star Wars universe is commendable in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Still, the gameplay comes off as a snooze fest as you'll often need to settle for the meta-dominant characters and teams. There's not a lot of room for experimentation, especially when there are heavy paywalls that make it difficult to collect characters.
(Image Credit: Electronic Arts)
8. Genshin Impact
The heavily-present gacha system and resin limitations are arguably the most annoying aspects of Genshin Impact, and this can ultimately lead to slow progression dramatically. You'd be able to get more done if you spent money in the game.
(Image Credit: HoYoverse)
7. Summoners War
The heavy reliance on RNG in Summoners War — that many believe is unfair — for powerful summons can feel punishing. It's not an enjoyable experience when your hard-earned resources aren't rewarded with the luck-based rolls system.
(Image Credit: Com2uS)
6. Angry Birds 2
Angry Birds 2 has lost its identity over the years. There are simply too many ads, and the lives system has slowed down what was once seamless gameplay.
(Image Credit: Rovio Entertainment)
5. Fishdom
Another match-3 title weighed down by misleading ads and constant purchase nudges is Fishdom. Microtransactions run rampant in this game, and you're almost required to purchase items if you want to clear a level.
(Image Credit: Playrix)
4. Royal Match
In Royal Match, levels are unnecessarily hard, which will cause you to constantly fail and lose lives. You'll then have to wait until you generate more lives, and even then, there's no guarantee you'll be able to clear a level without using items. At a certain point, the fun feels like it has been sucked out of the game.
(Image Credit: Dream Games)
3. Coin Master
Coin Master is a decently fun game, but over time, it starts to feel extremely predatory, as constant ads and purchase prompts make it seem like it's the only way to move up in the game.
(Image Credit: Moon Active)
2. Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is the master when it comes to artificial difficulty spikes. Once you run out of lives, you either wait… or pay. Higher levels often feel engineered to push microtransactions, which can really be a damper on what is supposed to be a relaxing match-3 puzzle game.
(Image Credit: King)
1. Clash of Clans
This may be a hot take, but the constant resource grinding in Clash of Clans can be repetitive. Additionally, the long building and upgrading timers can be tiresome. The game used to reward creative strategies, but nowadays, the meta has solidified at each Town Hall level, with your enemies' army compositions and tactics being rather predictable.
(Image Credit: Supercell)
Like most games, mobile games tend to offer people quick fun on-the-go, with gameplay that's supposed to feel both enjoyable and rewarding. But what happens when developers abandon this approach? Well, that is what has happened to these 25 mobile games we've listed in this article. They've become rather annoying for a variety of reasons, and that includes heavy ads and gameplay that almost forces you to spend money to progress.
