Top 10 Casual Games

Top 10 Casual Games

Not a gamer? No problem! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 casual games.

For this list, we ranked the best games which are fun and accessible for hardcore gamers and non gamers alike. We stuck to titles which have found a substantial audience beyond the usual gaming crowd, meaning that, as much as we love “Minecraft,” it’s out. As usual, one per franchise.

#10: Windows OS Games (various)

These games were pretty simplistic, even for their time, but that didn’t keep them from being a blast. For the mathematically minded, there’s “Minesweeper,” where we lost countless hours counting and clicking, praying that we wouldn’t detonate an explosive. There’s also “FreeCell,” which is pretty much just Solitaire, with the added bonus that almost every hand is winnable. We’d graduate to more sophisticated games later on, but these were a fun place to start.

#9: “Rock Band” series (2007)

The “Guitar Hero” series was pretty cool, but this title took things to the next level by adding a microphone, drums, and bass, thereby letting you rock out with a full group. Although it’s hard to imagine such a concept not working well, the game perfected it with a killer soundtrack, featuring awesome tunes like “Creep” by Radiohead. You won’t learn much about playing actual music from this game, but you’re sure to have a great time.

#8: “Just Dance” series (2009-)

As the title suggests, all you have to do in this game is bust a move. That’s hardly a bad thing, because imitating the moves of the dancers onscreen, as you do in this title, makes for an entertaining time. It expands on the rhythmic foot tapping of the “DDR” series by having you use your whole body, and the expansion makes the idea even more fun. The game’s moves probably won’t work as well in the club as they do in your living room, but it’s worth a shot.

#7: “Plants vs. Zombies” (2009)

Zombies and tower defence were two of the biggest trends of the last generation, so merging the two seems like a logical progression. More lane defence than tower defence, here players are tasked with stopping a zombie horde by placing a huge variety of fighting flora in their path. Although the series did go free to play for the sequel, we recommend shelling out the 99 cents for the original if you want to avoid grinding and microtransactions.

#6: “Peggle” (2007)

Pachinko is a popular, pinball-like Japanese game, and this title captures its furious fun in a digital form – with some adjustments of course. In the one player “Adventure” mode, your job in each level is to clear all of the orange pegs, which you do by shooting the ball against them and watching them disappear once the ball falls through the bottom of the screen or gets saved by the ball catcher. It’s easy enough for a clueless gamer, but it the rewarding gameplay is hard to not fall into.

#5: “Angry Birds” (2009)

It’s hard to think of a title which has been more popular across multiple demographics than this one. The relatively straightforward mechanic of slingshotting your birds at the enemy pigs is bolstered by great touch screen controls and responsive physics engine. An animated film adaptation is in development, but we doubt that it’ll be anywhere near as fun as the game.

#4: “Wii Sports” (2006)

The Wii seemed so promising when we first fired it up and popped this game in the system. It had quite a few other great titles, but it seemed like nothing really capitalized on the motion control platform better than this simple collection of mini-games. Quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon upon it’s release, Wii sports gave Nintendo’s console a place in livingrooms the world over – and even the white house.

#3: “Bejewled” series (2001-)

There have been lots of popular tile-matching games since this one, particularly the sweet-tooth friendly “Candy Crush Saga,” but none of them have topped this golden oldie. All you have to do is swap adjacent gems in order to make chains of three or more same-colored gems, but the simple system is a gift that keeps on giving. If you can get a bunch in a row, you’ll trigger a cascade and reap bonus points, which are, to many “Bejeweled” players, more valuable than actual jewels.

#2: “Farmville” (2009)

You might’ve been disappointed when you realized that the cutie who hit you up with an invitation to play this game wasn’t actually into you, but at least you got some addictive fun out of it. The adorable farming sim has you earn Farm Coins through crop harvesting and visiting neighbors, which you can use in turn to buy more crops and animals. I’d say more, but I’m trying to quit and just talking about it gives me flashbacks.

Before we get to our number one, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions:

“Clash of Clans” (2012)

“The Sims” series (2000-)

“The Simpsons: Tapped Out” (2012)

#1: “Dark Souls” (2011)

Ahhh just kidding
Actually

#1: “Tetris” (1984)

Older doesn’t always equal better, but our favorite casual game is this classic. The geometric puzzler has you fit groups of four blocks, known as “Tetronimoes,” together as they fall down the screen, clearing them with full horizontal lines. The result is a game that’s as simple to pick up as it is addictive and fun. Even if casual games got more sophisticated after this classic, they never quite reached its quality.
Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite casual game? For more addictive top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.