Game Genres

The best boomer shooters for handheld play, from Doom and Quake source ports that run on anything to modern throwbacks like Dusk and Ion Fury on Steam Deck.

The best survivors-likes and bullet heaven games for handheld play, from Vampire Survivors to Brotato. Auto-attack hordes, ten minute runs, and one more try forever.

The best deckbuilders and card games for handhelds, from Slay the Spire and Monster Train to Baten Kaitos and Metal Gear Acid. Draw, play, and build the perfect hand.

The best dungeon crawler games for handhelds, from Etrian Odyssey and Persona Q to Shining in the Darkness and Wizardry. Map the maze, one floor at a time.

The best pinball games for handhelds, from Pinball Fantasies and Pro Pinball to Sonic Spinball and Metroid Prime Pinball. Two flippers, endless one-more-go sessions.

The best run-and-gun games for handhelds, from Contra and Metal Slug to Gunstar Heroes and Cuphead. Fast, side-scrolling action built for short, intense bursts.

The best simulation and management games for handhelds, from Stardew Valley and Theme Hospital to SimCity and Harvest Moon. Build, tend, and optimize at your own pace.

The best stealth games to play on a handheld, from Metal Gear Solid and Tenchu to Mark of the Ninja and Gunpoint. Patient, tense games that suit a quiet handheld session.

The best tower defense games for handhelds, from Plants vs. Zombies and Kingdom Rush to Defense Grid and PixelJunk Monsters. Build, wave, repeat, one round at a time.

The best twin-stick shooters for handhelds, from Geometry Wars and Enter the Gungeon to Nex Machina and Robotron. Move with one stick, aim with the other, one run at a time.

The 15 best light-gun games to play on a handheld, from Time Crisis to House of the Dead, plus how touchscreen and analog aiming really work on portable hardware.

The 20 best Metroidvania games to play on a handheld, from Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night to Hollow Knight. Exploration platformers made for the road.

The 20 best point-and-click adventure games to play on a handheld, from Monkey Island and Grim Fandango to Broken Sword. Classic ScummVM adventures for the road.

The 22 best puzzle games to play on a handheld, from Tetris and Puyo Puyo to Lumines and Meteos. The ultimate pick-up-and-play genre for any device.

The 20 best racing games to play on a handheld, from Ridge Racer and Gran Turismo to Mario Kart and F-Zero. Arcade thrills and sim depth that fit any session.

The 18 best rhythm games to play on a handheld, from Rhythm Heaven and Patapon to DJ Max and Elite Beat Agents. Music games made for headphones on the go.

The 20 best roguelikes and roguelites to play on a handheld, from Shiren the Wanderer to Dead Cells and Slay the Spire. Run-based games built for short sessions.

The 18 best sports games to play on a handheld, from NBA Jam and Tecmo Bowl to Punch-Out and Virtua Tennis. Arcade sports built for quick, fun sessions.

The 20 best strategy and tactics games to play on a handheld, from Final Fantasy Tactics and Advance Wars to Fire Emblem. Turn-based depth that fits any session.

The 18 best visual novels and story games to play on a handheld, from Ace Attorney and 999 to Steins;Gate. Perfect reading sessions for the road.

The best beat 'em ups and brawlers to play on a handheld, from Streets of Rage to Final Fight, with notes on co-op and the best devices for the genre.

The best retro fighting games to play on a handheld, from Street Fighter to King of Fighters, with notes on controls and which devices handle them best.

Twenty free, legal homebrew games to load onto your handheld right now, from new games for old consoles to open-source remakes and PICO-8 hits.

Twenty underrated retro games worth discovering on a handheld, the overlooked classics that never got the spotlight they deserved.

The best retro horror games to play on a handheld with headphones in the dark, from Resident Evil to Silent Hill, with notes on what runs where.

The 25 best Japanese RPGs to play on a handheld, from Chrono Trigger to Persona 4, picked for turn-based pacing and save systems that suit gaming on the go.

The best local multiplayer and co-op games for retro handhelds. 25 couch classics across every system, plus how to play them with a second controller on a TV.

The best games for short handheld sessions, from Tetris to Bomberman, picked for instant fun you can start and stop in five minutes.

The 25 best retro platformers to play on a handheld, spanning NES to Dreamcast, picked for tight controls and bite-size levels that suit gaming on the go.

The best RPGs for retro handhelds across every system. 25 classics from SNES to PS2, all perfect for handheld play with save anywhere and short session pacing.

The best shoot-em-ups to play on a handheld, from Radiant Silvergun to Ikaruga, with notes on screen orientation and which devices shine for the genre.