Future Mobile Game Trends
Mobile gaming is becoming more and more advanced every day. We have long forgotten the days of having a simple phone with a pixelated screen and being excited to play games like Snake or Bounce.
Today, we are seeing iPhone Android apps and games starting to resemble what we find on PCs and consoles. Here are the most significant mobile gaming trends that are already taking shape in the space.
AAA Gaming Titles
The biggest issue that mobile games have faced over the years is the fact that the hardware isn’t able to keep up with the software. This is why so many games were on the more basic side. Candy Crush is one of the most popular mobile games ever, but it is hardly cutting edge.
As mentioned, these types of “simple” games have become so prominent because mobile phones just didn’t have the capabilities of running bigger games, barring a few of the more expensive models that barely anyone owned.
This is very quickly changing now as mobile phones become bigger and better. Call of Duty Mobile and Fortnite are perfect examples of AAA titles making their way to mobile devices. They aren’t the “lite” versions either; they are complete games.
This trend will continue with more developers releasing massive games that aren’t slimmed down for mobile devices, and we will see more huge games like COD being released in a virtually unaltered format for mobile.
Cloud Gaming
Cloud gaming is set to revolutionize how we game. In essence, cloud gaming is similar to Netflix. You pay a monthly subscription service that gives you access to a library of media that you don’t own and can’t download but can access at any time.
The cloud gaming services will be almost the same. You buy a monthly subscription, and you will then have access to every game a particular developer or company has. More importantly, where you can play these titles is the game-changer as you can play them anywhere, on any device that has an internet connection. In this case, this includes mobile phones and tablets. For example, this means you can play the full console or PC version of Assassin’s Creed, instead of the “mobile” version, which, in the past, may have lacked many features.
Cloud gaming will allow more people to get into gaming as more people own a smartphone than a gaming PC or a brand-new console. Mobile phones that don’t have powerful graphics systems will still become incredibly powerful gaming devices.
Surprisingly, developers have stated that cloud gaming won’t replace the need for consoles and PCs, but would rather compliment them. Others are saying that if cloud gaming is successful, it is hard to see why anyone, with a limited budget, would choose anything else. Cloud gaming is cheaper, doesn’t require you to buy any games, and only requires a device you probably already own, like a smartphone or laptop.
More Social Emphasis
Games have quickly become something that is not only competitive or relaxing, but also social. There is no need to get extra controllers and a few friends over to play multiplayer (although you can still invite friends over to play mobile games); you can play with quite literally anyone online.
There are social features in mobile games that we are already aware of, such as guilds, clans, PvP modes, etc., and these features are only going to get bigger and better, and this is for one simple reason.
People like playing games with their friends who play the same games. Most people don’t want to play solo; they want to enjoy the game and still spend a few hours with friends. These features will become much more extensive, with more and more single-player games expanding to multiplayer.
5G, which will be spoken about later, is another aspect that is influencing this social change. It is set to connect more people and allow for internet speeds you haven’t seen before; this means the range of who you can connect to will only get wider.
VR and AR
VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are two fields that have exploded in the past few years. The Oculus Rift set the benchmark with VR, and Pokémon Go indeed led the way in AR gaming.
VR technology continues to mature and become more affordable thanks to mobile technology. VR headsets like the Oculus Quest are completely untethered (not connected to a console or computer) thanks to mobile hardware, allowing you to enjoy VR worlds and games wherever you want.
AR also offers players a very unique gaming experience. Pokémon Go was not only a proof of concept, but proof that you can make an incredible AR game on mobile devices. Pokémon Go was able to run on many different devices, old and new, with everyone getting the same experience. We are now likely to see games that lean into AR more and give you a more holistic AR experience. And, once again, as phones get better, the AR experience will get better.
5G and Tech Advancements
5G is set to make gaming faster than ever, mobile gaming included. Lag has been the enemy of online gaming for years now, and the advent of 5G will make online gaming even more responsive.
This ties into mobile games being bigger than ever before, as they will be able to retrieve the data necessary to play. It also ties into the social aspect as you will be able to connect with more people than ever before.
Cloud gaming will also be relying on 5G as slow or limited connections will be the main thing that will turn gamers off of the idea. 5G will also give the range needed to include gamers in more rural areas of the world.
Regarding mobile devices themselves, as mentioned before, they are getting bigger and better with every new release. Faster processors, more memory, and bigger screens bring these devices closer to handheld consoles or PCs instead of phones.
As you can tell, the future is very bright and exciting for the world of mobile gaming, and these are but a few of the many trends and advancements we will see over the next few months and years.
