Mobile games to play on the go for the 2021 holidays

The best mobile games will give you something to do during holiday travel, whether you’re in the car, on a plane, or on a one-horse open sleigh.

Holiday travel can be a pain. There’s plenty to look forward to, but a road trip in the cold is never particularly fun. A good mobile game can make things a bit more bearable, which is good news because 2021 was a big year for mobile games, with several high-profile releases and major updates to established titles. These three mobile games will make the miles more tolerable.

Genshin Impact

Pretty much anyone that plays games on mobile devices or consoles has probably already heard about the Best Mobile Game of 2021. Genshin Impact is an open-world exploration game similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Even for those who aren’t a fan of the game’s gacha mechanics, the opening quests and starting area are a great way to pass the time while traveling for the holidays. 

Genshin Impact is available on all mobile devices as well as PC and PlayStation. The best mobile game of 2021 has full crossplay between all platforms, so there’s plenty of freedom to do small daily quests on the phone and switch to PlayStation, Xbox, or PC for larger story quests and cutscenes. Though Genshin Impact is a big game, it’s not hard for new players to get into the swing of things.

Monument Valley

The Monument Valley series is the best mobile puzzle game to play during the 2021 holiday season. The levels consist of impossible Escher-esque platforms that players must manipulate to reach the goal. Every single screenshot is a work of mind-bending art. The music also twists and turns depending on how the player interacts with the game world.

Monument Valley is available on all mobile platforms. The game costs $3.99 on the Android Play Store and the Apple App Store. Anyone that runs through the original and wants more can find Monument Valley 2 for a similar price. 

PUBG Mobile

PUBG: Battlegrounds is already one of the most popular battle royales on PC and console. The mobile version, PUBG Mobile, takes all the pulse-pounding action and fast gunplay and shrinks it down, making it the perfect competitive game for the holiday season. Players can even team up with friends and family in duos or squads to take on the world together.

PUBG Mobile currently has an ongoing crossover with League of Legends’ Arcane series, so fans of Riot Games’ MOBA have extra incentive to start playing during the holidays.

PUBG Mobile is available for free on all mobile platforms with lots of in-app cosmetic purchases. Unlike the other games on this list, PUBG Mobile requires constant access to the internet to play. It’s also not available in some countries. If you’re able to play it, PUBG Mobile is the best mobile game to get your competitive kicks while you console or PC is stuck at home.