GAMING 101

One thumb is all you need

Our pick of the best games to play with just one thumb.

The thumb: truly the mightiest digit. From gripping our first stone tools all the way to hitching lifts up the M1 on a wet Wednesday afternoon, the thumb has been instrumental throughout human history.

So here’s to you, thumb. As you point the way to the future, we celebrate your past – with these games, designed just for you and you alone. No other fingers needed!

Archero

All-action archery ahoy! Archero’s been a real hit, and for good reason: it’s relentless fun.

Just swipe to move your hero through these colourful challenge dungeons: nice and easy, right? But of course, there’s a catch. You can only shoot the baddies when you stand still, turning every level into a thrilling balance of risk and reward.

With tons of upgrades to uncover and powerups to deploy, every run is different and you’ll quickly become obsessed with beating your best scores.

Flip Master

Nail sweet tricks with a simple tap and hold of your thumb in Flip Master.

Boing! If you want to stick that sweet triple backflip and effortlessly transition into a front spin, it’s all in the timing.

Hold your thumb down and gently move it to begin tumbling tricks in midair, then release at just the right time to land feet down on the trampoline so you’ll bounce right back up even higher than before.

It’s the perfect way to add some spring to your commute.

Highway Heat

Drawing the road ahead of this speeding runaway car is intense, but rewarding.

Here’s a fun twist: a getaway chase where you play as the road, not the car. Move your thumb up and down the screen to draw an always-unfolding highway for your grand escape, quickly putting tunnels beneath obstacles and designing hills to create improvised jumps.

Realistic? Not even slightly, but that’s part of the fun.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Swipe left or right to rule Westeros your way.

The fate of Westeros sits beneath your thumb – which way will you swipe? This phenomenal entry in the always-excellent Reigns series puts you in the seat of power, swiping left or right to accept or decline requests from your advisers and allies.

It’s a chance to rewrite the show’s history: as Jon Snow, you can run away with Daenerys forever. As King Tyrion, rule the land as you see fit or as Queen Sansa, determine the fate of Cersei Lannister once and for all.

Crossy Road

It doesn’t get more immediate than Crossy Road; just tap and swipe to survive as long as you can.

If any game deserves the title of One Thumb Wonder, it’s got to be the original: Crossy Road. Just tap the screen to jump your adorable lil’ chicken forwards, watching out for trucks, river rapids and the occasional high-speed train.

It’s as fresh today as its ever been, thanks to daily level challenges and an enormous roster of characters.

Typeshift

Word nerds need look no further – Typeshift is an absolute banger.

From indie puzzle legend Zach Gage, Typeshift is part-wordsearch, part-crossword and loads of fun. A few quick swipes is all you need to slide columns of letters around so that they line up to create new words, with bonuses for finding hidden combinations or using up all the letters on the board.

It’s a simple concept, but with a charm and depth that will keep you coming back for more.