These are the Best Mobile Games that No One Can Play Anymore

The mobile gaming industry is one full of heartbreak and betrayals. It is generally accepted that any mobile game that isn’t Angry Birds will one day shut down and become unplayable. 2024, in particular, had dozens of games shut down with at most a month or two of prior notice, ripping them out of the hands of gamers.

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With so many games now turned into graveyards, soon to be forgotten by gamers as a whole. So before their memories are all lost to the ravages of time, one must take a look back at some of the best mobile games and reminisce about the good times they provided to players around the world. Below is a list of only a handful of great games in this constantly moving medium.

9

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

The Bravest of RPGS

Square Enix doesn’t have the best track record in the mobile gaming world, as many of their titles are expected to shut down within a year or two. One exception, however, was their Final Fantasy mobile game, Final Fantasy: Bravely Exvius. This title launched in 2016 and chugged along for eight years before the publisher shut it down in October of 2024.

For years Brave Exvius won over fans of Final Fantasy by including characters from all aspects of the franchise, giving them some beautiful spritework, and putting players through some simple mobile RPG battles to keep them entertained for a few minutes a day. The title even included crossover characters from other Square Enix titles like Kingdom Hearts. While Brave Exvius will soon be a distant memory in the minds of Final Fantasy fans, those who were there to play it appreciated what it did.

8

Magia Record

Magically Special

Madoka Magica is one of the most popular magical girl anime of all time and for many people was a gateway into the magical girl genre as a whole. When a Madoka mobile under the title Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story was released in 2017, fans jumped at the chance to both see their favorite characters again and to witness how the Madoka Magica universe would be expanded.

Magica Record lasted for several years and even got its own anime adaptation in 2020. Unfortunately, it was one of many mobile games to be shut down in the latter half of 2024. Unlike most games on this list though, not all hope is lost for the cast of Magia Record as recently a new Madoka mobile game under the title of Madoka Magica Magia Exedra was released and featured several characters from Magia Record. This title is much more influenced by HoYoverse’s mobile games than the original Magia Record, but it is nice to see this cast live on in some form.

7

Dragalia Lost

Nintendo’s Mobile Darling

Nintendo has dipped its toes into the mobile game industry quite a few times over the years. Whether it be with mobile gacha games like Fire Emblem: Heroes or fully paid titles like Super Mario Run, the company seems to have fully embraced the medium. However, there was only one Nintendo mobile game that starred a completely original IP: Dragalia Lost.

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This cute and simple-to-play adventure game brought to mind other Nintendo RPGs like Pokémon and Fire Emblem, with an official Fire Emblem crossover at one point fully cementing that feeling. Unfortunately, this title is probably most known for the circumstances under which it shut down, occurring exactly one year after a Persona 5 collaboration and creating an internet meme about how collaborating with Persona 5 is a death knell for mobile games. While that meme can be funny, this title deserves to be remembered for more than its closure.

6

Simpsons Tapped Out

Farewell to Springfield

Next up on the list is The Simpsons Tapped Out, a city-building game where players could make their own version of Springfield and populate it with their favorite Simpsons characters, from the well-known to the obscure. This game had quite an impressive run as it began in 2012 and only closed recently at the start of 2025. While it isn’t considered one of the best licensed games, many have fond memories of this title.

Another unintentional side effect of Simpsons Tapped Out being shut down is that it has made several episodes of the original series which advertised the game sadder and obsolete. Combine that with how an older generation of people specifically feel like the one real mobile game for them has been shut down and it’s completely understandable why Simpsons Tapped Out made this list.

5

Princess Connect Re:Dive

Royally Regal

Perhaps the one thing worse than a game being completely shut down is it only being closed down internationally, with the original Japanese versions still ongoing to this day. That exact scenario happened in April 2023 when Crunchyroll closed down the English version of Princess Connect Re:Dive despite the Japanese version still going strong to this day.

The sprite work and storytelling of Princess Connect were magnificent and it frequently provided players with unique events involving the characters such as the comedic body swap event Happy Change Angel’s. While it’s nice to know that these characters continue to live on in Japan, the complete absence of them overseas still causes pain.

4

404 Game Re:Set

The Dark Side of Gaming

Placing fourth on the list is a game that was helmed by Nier series creator Yoko Taro: 404 Game Re:Set. This game took various classic Sega, Namco, SNK, and Capcom franchises and turned them into marketable anime girls. However, with Yoko Taro helming the story the game wasn’t nearly that simple as every aspect of the game dealt with video game companies and their effects on society in dark ways which held no punches.

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The gameplay of this title was quite unique as it was a shooter reminiscent of the Touhou Project series, with each stage playing fantastic remixes of classic arcade music. Sadly, Not even having a name like Yoko Taro on board for 404 Game Re:Set could save it, as the game shut down in less than a year due to a number of factors like a large number of characters leaking or a glitch which gave players an infinite amount of resources for a day. While the game was short-lived, those who got to play it would remember it forever.

3

Kingdom Hearts Union X

Changed the Franchise

Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts franchise has never been afraid to branch out into other mediums and experiment with its storytelling. From real-life concerts to mobile games, this series has touched nearly all types of media. Said mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Union X quickly became known for how important it was to the lore of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, taking place centuries before the main games yet still having a large effect on them.

Eventually Union X’s grand multi-year spanning plot came to an end and the app moved on to telling the backstory of Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road, but sadly the app had to shut down in 2023, with only the cutscenes being preserved. While it wasn’t one of the Best Kingdom Hearts games, Kingdom Hearts Union X has a large place in Kingdom Hearts history and will forever change how the games and their plots are discussed, for better or for worse.

2

Revue Starlight ReLive

Step on Stage and Sing

Revue Starlight is quite an overlooked entity when discussing long-running Japanese franchises of the 2010s, but this little anime about acting has been slowly growing a fanbase over the years, and that was in no small part due to its gacha game which ran from 2017 to 2024. While the gameplay of this title was simplistic it did have crossover events with other acting-based series like Sakura Wars or an appearance by Hatsune Miku and of course, had a fishing minigame.

The closure of Revue Starlight ReLive baffled most fans as it occurred almost back to back with the release of Revue Starlight El Dorado, a critically acclaimed visual novel in the Revue Starlight universe which gained the franchise many new fans. Sadly, time must move on and the future of this franchise is a mystery left up in the air.

1

Sakura Kakumei

Sega’s Best Experiment

After the release of the franchise’s soft reboot in 2019, Sega’s Sakura Wars franchise would move on into the world of mobile games via 2020’s Sakura Kakumei. Made by Fate/Grand Order developer Lasengle, this game expanded the Sakura Wars universe with several modern-day combat revues spread throughout Japan. Each of these characters became loved by the fandom almost instantly and the game was well received by those who played it.

Sadly, the number of those who played it was quite small and the game was soon shut down. To this day the failure of Sakura Kakumei is used as a talking point about whether or not the concept of Sakura Wars can survive in the modern industry. While the Sakura Wars franchise has been silent since the closure of Sakura Kakumei, fans are remaining hopeful that Sega will revive the franchise once again with their current initiative that has brought back titles like Shinobi and Jet Set Radio.

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