Sometimes you relish the chance to sit down for a full afternoon, or day – we’re not judging, and play your favorite game. Drizzly duvet days are what the likes of Red Dead Redemption were released for. However, sometimes you’ve got 5 minutes and 5 minutes only. You don’t want to spend it staring out of the window, you don’t want to load up an epic game only to have to leave as soon as you get to the good bit, you need something quick. Quick play games may not be as involved as their lengthier counterparts, but for the morning commute, the wait at the doctors office, or the lunch queue, they are invaluable. Let’s hear it for our favorite quick play games.
Chess, It Isn’t Just For Nerds
Although it’s been a hugely popular game since literally the 6th century, chess is having a bit of a resurgence right now. Research has shown that learning a new skill can help to stave off diseases like Alzheimer’s, which with our aging population, is becoming ever more prevalent. Learning a logic based game can help to create new synapses in the brain. The more synapses you have, the more you can lose without succumbing to the affects of age related brain diseases. Of course, the other great thing about chess is, it’s fun. Whilst you might not think of chess as a ‘quick play’ game; after all, matches can take days. It is a game that is easy to pick up and put down. Ensure you’re playing against the computer, rather than a real person though
Who Remembers Snake?
Think back to your very first, brick sized, brick shaped mobile phone. Anyone born after the 90’s is excused from this exercise. Did it have one game? Was that game Snake? Although it’s a simple premise, many of the best games are. This little segmented black worm made it’s way around the screen, eating little black cubes, growing a bit longer and getting a bit faster. If you were really good then you could drag the game out for a good few minutes, but most of us started moving a little too quickly and succumbed to the worst fate imaginable; eating our own tail. If you’re a sucker for nostalgia then you can still get your paws on versions of the game that play exactly like the original, but if you prefer something a bit more up to date, then there are several new versions you can try. Whether you want your snake black and grey like the original, multicolored, winged, or whatever, there’s guaranteed to be a snake for you.
Literally Any Casino Game
Online casino games zoom right into the first spot. The most popular casino table games tend to be satisfyingly quick to play, watch out for those lengthier poker hands though. Thanks to quick fire card dealing, wheel spinning or slot machine cranking you can be having fun and then back in the real world in a matter of minutes. The other handy thing about the casino format is that usually one app does it all. If you enjoy both poker and roulette, then most casino apps will provide you with the ability to play both games and usually a handful of others too. Better still, thanks to relatively simple coding and graphics, they don’t take up too much precious space on your mobile, leaving you with room for the rest of the gems we’ve got on this list.
Threes! Or Fours If You’d Rather
A little newer than the rest, but still suitably timeless. Threes! is a game that involves smashing squares together to combine them. The squares you slide together must be the same number, so if you slide together a 3 and a 3, they’ll turn into a 6. After that you’ll have ot squish the 6 into another 6 and so on. Soon you’ll find yourself running out of space, when the last square is full, the game will end. The aim of the game therefore, is to keep going for as long as possible. If you’re strategic, quick-fingered and slightly mathematically inclined then you should be able to keep going for at least 5 minutes, otherwise it’ll be a super quick play game for you. Of course, thanks to it’s simple nature this game has plenty of different versions, including Fours! Fives! Sixes! You get it.