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Point-and-click adventures found a second home on handhelds thanks to ScummVM. These games are all about story, puzzles, and exploring at your own pace, which suits a portable perfectly. A touchscreen or a mapped cursor makes pointing and clicking feel natural, and there is no time pressure. You can solve one puzzle, put the device down, and pick the thread back up hours later. If you have not set it up yet, see our ScummVM guide first.
We frame all of this around games you already own and want to preserve.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
LucasArts Golden Age
The Secret of Monkey Island — The gold standard of the genre. Sharp writing, clever puzzles, and jokes that still land. A perfect first ScummVM adventure.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge — Bigger, weirder, and even funnier. The puzzle design is a genuine step up.
Day of the Tentacle — A time-travel comedy with brilliant interlocking puzzles. Often cited as the best point-and-click ever made.
Grim Fandango — A film-noir adventure set in the Land of the Dead. Gorgeous, funny, and unforgettable. ScummVM supports it through its GrimE engine, and the remaster also runs great on a Deck-class device.
Full Throttle — A short, stylish biker adventure with a great soundtrack. Cinematic and easy to finish over a weekend.
Sam & Max Hit the Road — A chaotic road-trip comedy starring a dog and a rabbit. Endlessly quotable and full of personality.
The Dig — A more serious sci-fi adventure with a haunting tone. A change of pace from the studio's comedies.
Loom — An experimental adventure built around a musical spell system. Short, dreamlike, and unlike anything else.
Sierra and Classic Adventures
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow — The high point of Sierra's flagship series. A rich fantasy adventure with multiple paths.
Space Quest IV — A time-hopping sci-fi comedy. Sharp humor and inventive settings make it a standout.
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers — A mature supernatural mystery with excellent voice acting. One of the best-written adventures of its era.
Beneath a Steel Sky — A cyberpunk adventure that is free and fully supported by ScummVM. A brilliant, no-cost place to start.
Modern and European Classics
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars — A globe-trotting conspiracy thriller with beautiful hand-drawn art. A genre landmark, and the remaster plays great on a handheld.
Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror — More sharp puzzles and a strong story. A worthy follow-up.
The Longest Journey — An epic sci-fi fantasy adventure with a memorable lead. Long, but paced perfectly for chapter-a-night play.
Syberia — A slow, atmospheric journey across a beautifully drawn Europe. Meditative and gorgeous.
Discworld — A dense comedy adventure based on Terry Pratchett's world, voiced by Eric Idle. Famously tricky, but rewarding. Discworld I and II are fully supported by ScummVM.
Simon the Sorcerer — A witty British fantasy adventure. Charming and full of groan-worthy jokes in the best way.
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders — An early LucasArts classic with a globe-trotting plot. A fun piece of genre history.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis — Arguably the best Indiana Jones game ever made. Multiple paths and great puzzles.
Best Handhelds for Point-and-Click Adventures
These games barely tax any hardware, so pointing method and screen quality are what matter. A touchscreen is a huge advantage for cursor control.
For touch-based pointing, the
has a big, sharp touchscreen that makes ScummVM feel natural. On a budget, the handles ScummVM easily with a mapped cursor. For the modern remasters like Grim Fandango and Broken Sword, the runs them directly.Related Guides
- ScummVM Setup Guide — how to get these games running on your handheld
- Best Visual Novels for Handhelds — more story-first games
- Best Puzzle Games for Handhelds — for the puzzle-solvers
- Best Pick-Up-and-Play Games for Handhelds — shorter-session picks
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