RPGFan Games of the Year 2024: Best Mobile Game

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Winner: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket

Writeup by Niki Fakhoori

Do you feel lucky? Rule number one of TCGs is “Don’t buy packs, buy singles,” but there’s no denying the thrill of cracking packs. It also helps when the packs have a “pity point” system to earn you singles later, as Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket does. Considering the popularity of collecting Pokémon cards, Pokémon TCG Pocket could get by as just a pack opening simulator, but it takes an extra step and incorporates its own “miniaturized” version of the traditional card game (giving players more use out of their collection than just putting their 30 Heatmor cards into a display binder). Still in its infancy, Pokémon TCG Pocket’s meta has seen its fair share of twists, turns, and teeth-clenching coin flips. And with a new that dropped in January, it’s a coin toss where the meta will go from here. But we still feel lucky to have such a solid, modernized Pokémon TCG app in our pockets.

Runner-Up: Zenless Zone Zero

Writeup by Ben Love

After the blinding success of Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, many wondered if Zenless Zone Zero could coexist with its juggernaut gacha-RPG brethren. After a pretty big release this summer and many content updates later, it’s safe to say that Zenless Zone Zero is here to stay. The flashy (if a bit shallow) character action style combat sets it apart from other mobile titles, and the game has taken a few more risks with its character designs to offer a wider array of distinct and unique playable heroes compared to other gacha games (it’s been a hit with furries in particular). While it remains to be seen if ZZZ can maintain the staying power of previous games from Mihoyo, it made a big splash in 2024 and is worth playing if you’ve enjoyed their other games.

Readers’ Choice: Best Mobile Game of 2024

Winner: Pokémon Trading Card Pocket (36.8% of votes)

Runner-Up: Zenless Zone Zero (22.5% of votes)